Location
Randwick is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick. Randwick is part of the Eastern Suburbs region. (wikipedia)
History
Randwick was named after the village of Randwick, Gloucestershire, England, birthplace of Simeon Henry Pearce, who became Mayor of Randwick no less than six times. Simeon and his brother James, who migrated to Australia in 1842, were responsible for the early development of Randwick as well as suburb Coogee. Simeon lived in a house called Blenheim, which can still be seen in Blenheim Street. It was neglected for some time but was eventually acquired by Randwick City Council and restored.
Proclaimed as a Municipality in February 1859, as a City in 1990 Randwick has a rich history and great natural beauty including a number of fine heritage buildings. Another Mayor of Randwick, George Kiss, built the house known as Ventnor in the 1870s. A two-storey sandstone house, Ventnor is situated on Avoca Street, overlooking Coogee. It is now owned by the nearby Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church (built 1888). Other buildings of note include the St Jude’s Church group, also on Avoca Street. Originally designed by Edmund Blacket, (who also designed St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney and the University of Sydney), the church was completed in 1865. It was modified by H.M. Robinson in 1889. The rectory next door was built in 1870. The Verger’s Residence, designed by Thomas Rowe and completed in 1862, was the original Randwick Burough Chambers. This distinctive building, with its Gothic touches, was followed by the present Randwick Town Hall, which was built in 1886. The church group and Ventnor are listed on the Register of the National Estate.
Further down Avoca Street is the sandstone building originally known as the Star and Garter Inn, built in the 1830s. It was the home of Captain J. Watson, who was responsible for the memorial to Captain James Cook, which still stands at front of the building. One of the dominant features of the area is the Prince of Wales Hospital, which started life as a home for destitute children. It was financed by the legacy of Dr. Cuthill, who now has Cuthill Street named after him. In 1915 the home became a military hospital and continued to grow as a medical facility.
Other noteworthy buildings include private homes like Ilfracombe, Clovelly and Torquay, in Avoca Street, and Venice, in Frenchmans Road. The latter was built 1884-84 on part of St Mark’s Glebe. The land had been leased in 1880 for 99 years to S.Holmes and J.Parsons. The house features Tudor and Gothic elements and has stained glass windows. It has been described as a “comparatively rare and distinctive example of late Victorian Gothic architecture retaining most of its detailing intact.” It has a New South Wales heritage listing.
Another notable home was Sandgate, located in Belmore Road. This sandstone house was built circa 1870 on land granted to Simeon Pierce in 1853. It was bought by the Federal Government in the 1920s; it was then used as a Red Cross facility for First World War veterans. It was saved from demolition in 1978 and restored by Randwick Council.
The last Gothic mansion left in Randwick is Nugal Hall, located in Milford Street. It was designed by Mortimer Lewis and the southern portion of the house was built in 1853 for Alexander McArthur, a shipping merchant. The house features a staircase with glass dome above; the staircase was built of Mauritius mahogany and cedar. The coach house building at the front was originally a lodge for horse-drawn vehicles. The northern portion of the house was completed by Dr Fred Tidswell who owned the Coogee Bay Hotel. The architect of the northern portion is thought to have been Mortimer Lewis’s son, Oswald. The Tidswell family owned the house from c. 1880 – 1903. Frederick Squire Tidswell (1831–1898) and his wife Mary Ann (1836–1912) had nine children including the microbiologist Dr Frank Tidswell (1867–1941) and architect Thomas Tidswell (1870–1950). (wikipedia)
Places of Interest
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