Callan Park, with the heritage listed name Callan Park Conservation Area & Buildings, is a heritage listed site in

Lilyfield Lilyfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lilyfield is located 6 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. Lilyfield is ...

, a suburb in the

Inner West Council Inner West Council is a local government area located in the inner western region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger o ...

in the

Inner West The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Callan Park is located in the suburb of Lilyfield on the border with

Rozelle Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. Location Rozelle si ...

to the east. It is situated next to Iron Cove on the northern side. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage manages a large part of the site on behalf of Health Administration Corporation, a division of

NSW Health The New South Wales Ministry of Health, branded NSW Health, is a ministerial department of the New South Wales Government. NSW Health supports the executive and statutory roles of the Minister for Health, the Minister for Regional Health, an ...

; with the other precincts managed by the

Ambulance Service of New South Wales NSW Ambulance, previously the Ambulance Service of NSW, is an agency of NSW Health and the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Established pursuant to the and op ...

and the Sydney Local Health District. The popular Bay Run runs through the park along the foreshore of

Iron Cove Iron Cove is a bay on the Parramatta River, in the Inner West (Sydney), inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately due west of Sydney central business district, Sydney's central business district. It i ...

History

In 1839, Crown Solicitor and Police Magistrate John Ryan Brenan made a series of purchases to acquire the Callan Park land, which he named Garry Owen Estate. Brenan built a house on the land overlooking the Parramatta River, which he named Garry Owen house, and this was a local centre for social life until his bankruptcy in 1864. The land was purchased by Sydney businessman John Gordon who renamed the property Callan Park and subdivided the land ready for auction as a new waterfront suburb. The entire area was purchased by the Colonial Government as a site for a new lunatic asylum. The main complex was completed in 1885 and continued to be used for patients until 1994. Sydney College of the Arts took possession of the building in 1996. The precinct, including several individual buildings and historic rock carvings were listed on the

NSW State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage register, heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally cove ...

in July 2008. In 1918 the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

purchased the house and land of

Broughton Hall, Lilyfield Broughton Hall is a heritage-listed former residence, convalescent hospital and psychiatric clinic situated in Callan Park, which has its main entrance on Balmain Road, Lilyfield, Inner West Council, New South Wales, Australia. The house, Broug ...

, adjacent to the original "Callan Park" property. It was used as an army hospital during World War I.Map of Municipality of Leichhardt at Wikimedia Commons
/ref> On 19 July 2011 Leichhardt Council (now

) approved the Callan Park Master Plan, the Callan Park Conservation Management Plan and the Callan Park Plan of Management. The plans were submitted to the New South Wales State Government on 11 November 2011. In 2017 the Inner West Council called for "the long awaited adoption of its award-winning Callan Park Master Plan more than five years after it was first handed over to the State Government." The former mayor of the council, Darcy Byrne, stated that the onus was on the State Government to act "before the erosion of facilities within Callan Park pass the point of no return." He also stated that "with

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...

vacating the Kirkbride complex local people will rightly be concerned that those magnificent sandstone buildings are about to become derelict." In 2020, Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) moved from Callan Park to the main campus of Sydney University, taking up residence in the Old Teachers College building.

Callan Park Hospital for the Insane

The area was originally a private residence until it was purchased by the Colonial Government and transformed into a psychiatric hospital, known until 1914 as the

Callan Park Hospital for the Insane The Callan Park Hospital for the Insane (1878 – 1914) is a heritage-listed former insane asylum, which was subsequently, for a time, used as a college campus, located in the grounds of Callan Park, an area on the shores of Iron Cove in Lilyfie ...

. The facility remained in use until 1994 when it was relocated to new buildings on the site. After a period of extensive renovation, the Kirkbride Complex which housed the former hospital, was occupied by the

Sydney College of the Arts The Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) is a contemporary art school that was a faculty of the University of Sydney from 1990 until 2017, when it became a school of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Until the end of 2019, the campus was locat ...

Broughton Hall

Broughton Hall is a heritage-listed former residence, convalescent hospital and psychiatric clinic situated in Callan Park, The house, Broughton House or Broughton Hall, was built c. 1841 and variously served as a residence for prominent businessmen and public figures (1841-1914). It is situated within the Callan Park Conservation Area, in Church Street, Lilyfield, near the corner of Wharf Road. It was used as No. 13 Australian Army Hospital during World War I. Other buildings were constructed over time and the precinct was used as the Broughton Hall Psychiatric Clinic (1921-1976). It was merged into Rozelle Hospital along with the adjacent Callan Park Hospital for the Insane in 1976, during which time it became the first premises for the Rivendell Child, Adolescent and Family Unit. Broughton House fell into disuse, suffering severe damage from fire and vandalism.

Gallery

Callan Park 1.JPG, Callan Park Old Rozelle hospital building.JPG, Former Rozelle Hospital building Rozelle Hospital building, Callan Park.JPG, Former Rozelle Hospital building Rozelle Hospital pool at Callan Park NSW.JPG, Rozelle Hospital swimming pool within Callan Park Callan Park garden Rozelle.JPG, Garden in Callan Park near the Kirkbride Complex buildings Iron Cove at dusk.JPG, Looking over Iron Cove from Callan Park at dusk

References

External links

Friends of Callan Park

Local Images at InnerWest ImageBank

Local History Collection, Leichhardt Council
* * * {{Coord, -33.865259, 151.162696, format=dms, type:landmark_region:AU-NSW, display=title Rozelle, New South Wales New South Wales State Heritage Register