Cranbrook is a heritage-listed residence at 14 Australia Street, Camperdown,

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 merge ...

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. It was built from 1879 to 1881. It is also known as Fowlers House. It was added to the

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

on 2 April 1999.

History

Cranbrook was built in 1881 by

Robert Fowler Robert Fowler may refer to: * Robert Fowler (archbishop of Dublin) (1724–1801), bishop in the Church of Ireland * Robert Fowler (artist) (1853–1926), English artist * Robert Fowler (athlete) (1882–1957), American marathoner * Robert Fowler (A ...

. Fowler, who had inherited a successful pottery business upon the death of his father Enoch Fowler in 1879, was a prominent businessman and variously mayor of the Municipality of Cook,

Municipality of Camperdown The Municipality of Camperdown was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed in 1862 and, with an area of 1.6 square kilometres, covered the entire suburb of Camperdown, as well as small part ...

and

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

, a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

from 1894 to 1895, and an appointed member of the New South Wales Legislative Council thereafter. Cranbrook featured gardens, ferneries and an orchard, the site of which is now the Camperdown Oval. A bathroom was added in the 1890s. Robert's brother, John, built the house next door at No. 10. It may have also served as a servants' or managers' house (occupied by manager Robert Tratham), and was connected by a common carriageway and courtyard to the main house at No. 14. Robert Fowler died of cerebral thrombosis on 12 June 1906 at Cranbrook. His wife, Susannah, continued to live there after his death. In 1919 Cranbrook was sold to Charles Daintree. The garden of Cranbrook was purchased by the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and added to the Camperdown Public School. In 1924 a strip of land, on which the ballroom and the orchard stood, was resumed from the house, for the Electricity Meter Manufacturing Co Ltd. In 1981 the two houses No. 10 and 14 were owned by the Brown family and let to Ken Robson who sublet rooms. At this time

Marrickville Council Marrickville Council was a local government area located in the inner west region of Sydney, Australia. It was originally created on 1 November 1861 as the "Municipality of Marrickville". On 12 May 2016, Marrickville Council was forcibly merged ...

applied to the Heritage Council for a section 130 order to prevent harm or demolition to the buildings. This was enacted on 12 March 1982 and again on 10 August 1984. By 1982, the property had a new owner, Garry Nicholls. In 1985, he nominated the two houses (as the Cranbrook Group) for a Permanent Conservation Order with the intention of restoring the properties. A Permanent Conservation Order was made over the property on 19 July 1985.

Description

No. 10 - A terrace style two bedroom house featuring round-headed door and window with arched mouldings on the lower floor and another panelled door and

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

fence with

French doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

on the upper floor. Roof is iron tiled. Much of the detail of the terrace matches the grander house Cranbrook at No. 14. No. 14 (Cranbrook) - A large two-storey Italianate villa of five bedrooms with boxroom and rear

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

s. Retains cast-iron fence and

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

hs, dentillated trim to the verandah, large stuccoed

chimneys A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typ ...

and exterior steps with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

hand-rails and

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

balusters. Interior features marble fireplaces and etched and coloured glass, elaborately carved staircase.

Heritage listing

The Cranbrook Group is of State historic significance as part of the last portion of the once-extensive Fowler estate, which at one time covered most of Camperdown. It is associated with Enoch Fowler and was the home of Robert Fowler owner of Fowler Pottery and Lord Mayor of Sydney and Camperdown. The Fowler family were early pioneers of the pottery industry in NSW producing pipes, tiles, chimney pots and items for residential and industrial use. The group is of aesthetic significance as they retain most of their original Italianate features. Cranbrook was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

Attribution