Craigieburn,

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, about ninety minutes southwest of Sydney. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and Highlands. Bowral once served ...

is a house of historical significance as it was built in about 1885. It was originally the mountain retreat for a wealthy Sydney merchant and was owned by him for over twenty years. It was then the home of several other prominent people until about 1918 when it was converted into a hotel. Today it still provides hotel accommodation and is a venue for special events particularly weddings and conferences.

Early history

Alexander Hamilton Keith Maxwell (1842-1907) built Craigieburn in about 1885. In June 1885 the builder John Joseph Campbell of

advertised for tenders to haul 80 to 100 thousand bricks from a kiln to Mr Maxwell’s property. At the end of the year, Mrs. Maxwell placed an advertisement in the local paper for a “house and parlor maid” at Craigieburn, Bowral. John Campbell was one of the earliest pioneers of

and built many of the town’s public and private buildings. Alexander was born in

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 1842. His father emigrated from

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in about 1840 and became the Registrar of the Sydney District Court. Alexander decided to become a merchant and was a partner in the firm of Caird, Maxwell ,and Co. He was quite wealthy and had a home on Darlinghurst Road in

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Potts Po ...

. He also bought land in other areas of New South Wales. In 1872 he married Elizabeth Catherine Taylor (1852-1922) who was the daughter of John Taylor of “Sugar Brae” in

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. The couple had three sons and two daughters. In 1888 Alexander decided to advertise Craigieburn for sale but he subsequently decided to keep the property. The sale notice is shown. The family continued to use the house as a summer residence until Alexander died in 1907. They also allowed some of their friends and family to stay on the property during this time. Their daughter Marion (called May) Pilcher and her husband Herbert who was a

barrister were often there. In 1894 Thomas Forster Knox and his family took the house for the summer. Alexander died in 1907 and the house was bought by Joseph Cooper (1823-1909). He came from a family of wealthy pastoralists in the Hunter and

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districts. His brother was Theo Cooper and together they owned about six properties in this area. At his time both brothers, now widowers and in their 80s, decided to live in the Southern Highlands. Theo bought “Werrington” a large house in

Burradoo Burradoo () is a suburb of Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The village of Burradoo is well known as an expensive area in the Southern Highlands (among other residential areas including Mo ...

at the same time that Joseph bought Craigieburn. Joseph died in 1909 and the property was advertised for sale. It was bought by the Minter family.

Later owners

Gordon Kennedy Minter (1858-1930) was also a wealthy pastoralist. He had properties at

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,486. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

Canowindra Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (pronounced ) is a historic township and largest population centre in Cabonne Shire and is located between Orange and Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. The curving main street ...

, Grenfell and

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. He founded the Wooyeo Picnic Race Club and was one of the original members of the Pastoral, Agricultural and Horticultural Association at Canowindra. In 1880 he married Helena Townsend who was the daughter of Thomas Townsend, a grazier. The couple had five sons and four daughters. Three of his sons enlisted to fight in World War 1. By 1918 Craigieburn was owned by Mrs Lydia Horton. She previously ran a boarding house in

Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...

. In partnership with Richard Henry Allen she bought Craigieburn and over the next ten years they made major additions to the property to convert it to one of the most exclusive hotels in the Southern Highlands. In 1919 they opened the golf course and the event was marked with a huge celebration which was described in detail in a newspaper of that time. Her daughter Freda Horton was frequently mentioned in the social pages and in 1926 was married at Bowral with the reception being held at Craigieburn. In 1945 she and Allen handed the management of the hotel to a Board of Directors. Today the property operates as Peppers Craigieburn and provides hotel accommodation, dining facilities and is a venue for special events.

References

External links

Peppers Craigieburn website
{{coord missing, New South Wales Bowral Hotels in New South Wales