Bonnington - house, sandstone retaining wall and fences, fig tree

Item details


Name of item:	Bonnington - house, sandstone retaining wall and fences, fig tree
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Primary address:	8 Victoria Road, Bellevue Hill, NSW 2023
Local govt. area:	Woollahra

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
8 Victoria Road	Bellevue Hill	Woollahra			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	‘Bonnington’ is of high associative significance as a fine and relatively intact example of the Inter War Old English style of residential project occasionally practiced by the prominent architect F. Glynn Gilling. The external form and fabric of the building is of exceptional significance as an intact example of the Inter War Old English architectural style, which are to be found scattered about the Woollahra Municipality. The level of intact fabric and detailing, in particular the brickwork, provides ‘Bonnington’ with a high level of technical significance. The property demonstrates a moderate degree of social significance through its listing by a special interest group
	Date significance updated: 16 Jan 04
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the OEH copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	F Glynn Gilling , Joseland & Gilling,
Builder/Maker:	Mr E Spring Brown
Construction years:	1935-
Physical description:	‘Bonnington’, at 8 Victoria Road, is a large two-story brick Inter War Old English style residence. The massing of the building is made up of the main house, which faces the street, with a service wing to the west. The external brickwork is of red texture bricks with a steeply pitched roof of terracotta Marseilles tiles. The tall chimneystacks are made up of a pair of square shafts set on the diagonal with a chimney top of corbelled brickwork. The most prominent features of the building are the three flying gables sitting on oversized moulded brackets; each gable is decorated using a different half-timbered pattern and cut out bargeboards. The half timbering is continued across the first floor facade of the building. The original leadlight glazing has been replaced, however the original window openings remain, including the shaped mullion bricks. Bay windows, each of a different configuration, and an arcade of three round-headed openings leading to a covered verandah on the ground floor are features of the façade. The building is quite elevated from the roadway and has a substantial sandstone retaining wall and terraced gardens at the front of the property. A porte cochere is arrived at via a driveway leading up from Victoria Road, beyond, which is a garage.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	‘Bonnington’ appears to be in good condition externally and has retained its original form and details. An internal inspection was not carried out, however the alterations to the window glazing may suggest some internal alterations, and it would be reasonable to expect upgrading of the kitchen and bathroom facilities.
	Date condition updated:16 Jan 04
Modifications and dates:	The building as constructed does not fully accord with the drawings approved by Council. Changes include the junction between the services wing and the main living areas meeting at a parapet rather than having separate eaves, also changes in the detail patterning of the half timbering to the gables and the façade. It is not clear if these have been alterations or part of the original construction. The original leadlight windows have been replaced at ground floor with timber multi paned windows and at the first floor with single panes of glass to each sash.
Further information:	‘Bonnington’ featured as an example of the Inter War Old English style in the book ‘A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture’. This style is relatively uncommon in the Woollahra Local Government area and several intact examples have been recently unsympathetically modified.


Current use:	Residential
Former use:	Residential

History

Historical notes:

Bonnington is built in the grounds of “Rona”, Edward William Knox’s home in Bellevue Hill. Knox’s father was the founder of the CSR and E.W. Knox became the manager in 1880. The land on which “Bonnington” now lies was purchased from the Knox Estate, following partial subdivision of the grounds in 1934. James Brown Milne, a Sydney merchant purchased the land in November 1934 and the following month commissioned F Glynn Gilling, of the firm Joseland and Gilling Architects, to design his home. “Bonnington”, a Tudor style house, was constructed in 1935 and remained the home of J.B. Milne until his death in 1961. Neville Edward Miller Christie, a company director, purchased “Bonnington” that same year and remains its owner.

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The building does not fulfil the inclusion value for this criterion.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	This building is of high associative significance as a fine example of the Inter War Old English style of residential project occasionally practiced by the prominent architect F. Glynn Gilling. The intact condition and level of external detail reinforce this value for future examination and interpretation.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The external form and fabric of ‘Bonnington’ is of exceptional significance as an intact example of the Inter War Old English architectural style in the Woollahra area. Should the interior be found to reflect a similar intact condition then the level of significance would be enhanced.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	‘Bonnington’ demonstrates a moderate degree of social significance through its listing by a special interest group.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The level of intact fabric and detailing provides ‘Bonnington’ with a high level of technical significance. In particular the methods of brickwork detailing to the façade and the chimneys.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	Not Applicable
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	8 Victoria Road is an excellent representative example of the Old English style which emerged in the Inter War period. ‘Bonnington’ is not representative of the bulk of work produced by the prominent architect F. Glynn Gilling, however it does contribute to a more complete understanding of the design capability of the architect.
Integrity/Intactness:	The original siting, external form and structural fabric of the item remain largely intact, allowing for the future examination and interpretation of the building.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

The size of the building should encourage any alterations to be kept within the existing building envelope. The face brickwork, timber joinery and exposed stonework should remain intact The form and fabric of the building should be retained and only modifications permitted which do not alter the intact nature of the building when viewing the elevations. The reinstatement of the diagonal pattern leadlight glazing should be encouraged in any maintenance or development works. An internal and external photographic recording should be carried out and lodged with Woollahra Council and the local historical association. The half timbered character should be retained by the use of appropriate heritage colour schemes.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number
Local Environmental Plan	Woollahra	LEP 1995	10 Mar 95	28
Local Environmental Plan	Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2014	64	23 May 15
Heritage study	Woollahra	BH-34

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Inter-War Houses and Flats	2001		Noel Bell Ridley Smith & Partners Architects		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written		1936	Decoration & Glass, April 1936 p26-29.
Written	Apperly, Irving & Reynolds		‘A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture’
Written	E Lindsay Thompson		‘Domestic Architecture in New South Wales’
Written	Land Titles	1935	CT Vol 4666 Fol 25
Written	Land Titles	1900	PA 11484
Written	Land Titles		CT Vol 1386 Fol 80
Written	Land Titles		CT Vol 1585 Fol 143
Written	Sands Sydney and Suburban Directory		Not Listed
Map	Sydney Water		Various-as shown on each sheet
Graphic	Woollahra Council Archives		Former Building Applications to Council

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2711468

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