''The Hermitage'' is a historic house in the

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 ...

suburb of

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.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 is listed on the (now defunct) Australian

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

as well as the

Municipality of Woollahra Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...

local government heritage list.

History and description

The main house was designed and built around 1870-1878 in the Victorian Rustic Gothic style by Edward Mason Hunt, influenced by the design of ''Roslyndale'', in

Woollahra, New South Wales Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. W ...

. It features a

castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

tower, elaborately carved barge boards and a roof of multiple

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s. The house was seriously damaged by a fire in 1936, and was restored by

Emil Sodersten Emil Lawrence Sodersten (30 August 1899 – 14 December 1961) was an Australian architect active in the second quarter of the 20th century. His work encompassed the Australian architectural styles of Art Deco and Functionalist & Moderne. His de ...

. It was bought by the Woolworths company in 1964 and used as a staff training centre, but later returned to its original role as a private home. This Gothic house overlooks Hermitage Reserve and has harbour views. ''The Hermitage'' incorporates a smaller house, which was built by Alexander Dick. ''The Hermitage'' is owned by the family of

Justin Hemmes Justin Hemmes (born 27 August 1972) is an Australian businessman, heir to the House of Merivale family fortune and principal of the Merivale Group that owns approximately 70 pubs, hotels, restaurants and other venues in the Sydney area. Biogr ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hermitage, Vaucluse Houses completed in 1878 1878 establishments in Australia Houses in Sydney Victorian architecture in Sydney Vaucluse, New South Wales Sandstone houses in Australia New South Wales places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate New South Wales Heritage Database