The Manor is a mansion located in
Mosman
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...
, a suburb of
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia. Built , loosely in the
Federation Queen Anne
Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
style, it stands in the harbour-front street of Iluka Road, in the Mosman locality of
Clifton Gardens Clifton Gardens may refer to:
*Clifton Gardens, New South Wales
Clifton Gardens is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Clifton Gardens is located in the local government area of the Municipality of ...
.
The house is listed on the
Mosman Council
Mosman Council is a Local government in Australia, local government area on the North Shore (Sydney), Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The mayor of Mosman Council is Councillor, Cr. Ann Marie Kimber, a representative of ...
local government heritage register.
History and description
The Manor's original owner, William John Bakewell, of Bakewell Bros., initially planned a cottage of eight rooms, but the project kept growing until it was a mansion with fifty-five rooms, most of which were lined with beaten copper. It was spread over six allotments in Margaret Street, which later became Iluka Road. It became known locally as Bakewell's Folly.
In 1922, the
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...
rented The Manor for a community of some fifty people, headed by
Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater, also known as Charlie Leadbeater, is a British author and former advisor to Tony Blair.
Biography
A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, he first came to widespread notice in the 1980s as a regular contributor to the magaz ...
, a claimed
clairvoyant
Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to ...
, and a major figure in the Society. The Manor became an important centre for the Society and was regarded as a great "occult forcing-house".
The English writer
Mary Lutyens
Edith Penelope Mary Lutyens (pseudonym ''Esther Wyndham''; 31 July 1908 – 9 April 1999) was a British author who is principally known for her biographical works on the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Early life
Mary Lutyens was born in ...
stayed at The Manor in the 1920s and described it as "a huge and hideous villa". The young Indian
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti ( ; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian Philosophy, philosopher, speaker, writer, and Spirituality, spiritual figure. Adopted by members of the Theosophy, Theosophical tradition as a child, he was raised to fill ...
, who was presented as the new "World Teacher", stayed in nearby David Street with his brother Nitya while Lutyens—his eventual biographer—stayed at The Manor. The Theosophical Society bought the house in 1925, holding it under a trust deed. In 1926 they started the radio station 2GB; the initials stood for
Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno ( , ; ; born Filippo Bruno; January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, poet, alchemist, astrologer, cosmological theorist, and esotericist. He is known for his cosmological theories, which concep ...
. The station operated from The Manor for a few years.
[ In 1951, they established The Manor Foundation Ltd. to own and run the house. , the Society used The Manor.]
Gallery
Manor9bb.jpg, South side of house, facing Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a ria, natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove River, Lane ...
See also
*List of heritage houses in Sydney
This is a list of heritage houses in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The following houses are listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List, the New South Wales State Heritage Register,HRNSW = Listed on the Heritage Register of New South Wales. S ...
References
{{reflist
Manor
Federation style architecture
Queen Anne architecture in Australia
Houses completed in the 20th century
Theosophical Society
New South Wales Heritage Database