Berith Park, Wahroonga

Last updated

Berith Park
(1)Berith Park-2.jpg
An undated photo of the house
Location map Australia Sydney.png
Red pog.svg
Berith Park
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHouse
Architectural style Federation Queen Anne [1] [2]
Location19 Billyard Avenue, Wahroonga, Upper North Shore, Sydney, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates 33°43′07″S151°07′24″E / 33.7186°S 151.1233°E / -33.7186; 151.1233
Completedc.1909
ClientAlfred Smith
OwnerKarthika Gunalingam
Dimensions
Other dimensions
  • Tennis court
  • Swimming pool
  • Golf range and gym
Technical details
Floor count1
Floor area743 m2 (8,000 sq ft)
Grounds7,583 m2 (2 acres)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Francis Ernest Stowe
Other designersAnnie Wilkes (garden)
New South Wales Heritage Database
(Local Government Register)
Official nameBerith Park
Type Ku-ring-gai Council local heritage (built)
Designated4 November 1989
TypeHouse
CategoryResidential buildings (private)
References
[2] [3] [4] [5]

Berith Park is an historic house located in Wahroonga, an upper north shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Completed in the Federation Queen Anne style, [1] [2] the house was listed on the Ku-ring-gai Council local government heritage register in 2015 and is in a heritage conservation area. [6] [7]

Contents

History

Berith Park was designed by Francis Ernest Stowe for Alfred Smith, who came from Queensland. Smith acquired the land in 1897 and the house was finished around 1909. By 1914 the house was in the hands of Sir Arthur Rickard, the founder of the Dr Barnardos charity for children. Rickard made substantial changes to the house, putting in tennis courts, a swimming pool, a ballroom, an ornamental lake, cricket oval and gardens. The house was later bought by Alderman Stanley Crick, the Lord Mayor of Sydney and a founder of Fox Studios. Berith Park was used extensively as a location in a number of films. Crick later started selling off parts of the property. The Catholic Church bought the house in 1955 for use as a home for the Dominican Fathers and then Dominican Sisters. [2] It was sold again in 1979 and extensive changes were made. In 2004 more subdivisions were made and an acre of the land was sold off. [8]

Vivian and Wendy King purchased the house in 1990 for $5 million from retired bookmaker Bruce McHugh. [2] The Kings sold the house in 2002 for $5.59 million. In December 2016 the house was sold by Warwick and Karen White for an estimated $20 million dollars. It is now believed that the house is worth up to $40 million dollars due to its large land area, and Victorian Architecture [3] [4] It is a very precious house that is over 100 years of age.

Description

Berith Park is a double-story house with an area of over 743 square metres (8,000 sq ft). It is situated on 7,583 m2 (2 acres) of land, with tennis courts and a swimming pool added by owners in the early 20th century as well as another 2 story summer house on the 2 acre property. The property also hosts the last piece of the endangered Blue Gum Forest, adding to its luscious green lawns and sprawling gardens. The main house has over 7 bathrooms and 5 bedrooms, it also has an additional other 8 rooms including a kitchen, library, gym, lounge room, laundry room, study, dining room and a ballroom with 10m high ceilings. The summer house than has an additional 3 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, lounge room, a study and a Billiards room bringing the grand total to 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and 12 other rooms. The grounds also contain a championship sized tennis court, a pool, a golfing range, 3 ponds, 2 fountains as well as 4 large lawns and a forest area. It is currently the most expensive house ever sold in the North Shore Region due to its acres of land as well as the Victorian Styled mansion and one of the largest as well. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ku-ring-gai Council</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Ku-ring-gai Council is a local government area in Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area is named after a fictional Aboriginal language group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahroonga, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Wahroonga is a suburb in the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. North Wahroonga is an adjacent separate suburb of the same postcode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turramurra</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Turramurra is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council. It shares the postcode of 2074 with the adjacent suburbs of North Turramurra, South Turramurra and Warrawee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahroonga railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Wahroonga railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga. The station is located in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. It was built from 1890 to 1910 by E. Pritchard & Co., contractor. It is also known as Wahroonga Railway Station group and Pearce's Corner; Noonan's Platform. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Seidler House</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Rose Seidler House is a heritage-listed former residence and now house museum located at 69–71 Clissold Road in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Harry Seidler and built from 1948 to 1950 by Bret R. Lake. It is also known as In neighbourhood precinct with Marcus Seidler House and Teplitzky House or Rose House. The property is owned by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Currawong Beach</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Currawong Beach is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Currawong Beach is 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Terrace</span> Grade I listed architectural structure in London

Cornwall Terrace is a Grade I listed building of consecutive terraced mansions overlooking Regent's Park in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated at the park's southwest corner, near Baker Street, between York Terrace and Clarence Terrace, within the park's Crown Estate development. Cornwall Terrace was part of the scheme of the Prince Regent, later King George IV, to develop grand housing in Regent's Park. The buildings are Grade I listed buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwood Hall</span> Gilded Age mansion in Mount Pleasant, New York

Rockwood Hall was a Gilded Age mansion in Mount Pleasant, New York, on the Hudson River. It was best known as the home of William Rockefeller, brother of John D. Rockefeller. Both brothers were co-founders of the Standard Oil Company. Other owners of the house or property included Alexander Slidell MacKenzie, William Henry Aspinwall, and Lloyd Aspinwall. The property was once up to 1,000 acres (400 ha) in size; the mansion at its height had 204 rooms, making it the second-largest private house in the U.S. at the time, only behind the Biltmore mansion in North Carolina. The estate is currently an 88-acre (36 ha) section of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browns Field (New South Wales)</span> Place in New South Wales, Australia

Browns Field is located in Fox Valley Wahroonga, 17 km (11 mi) north-west from Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It contains a small sporting ground and a bushland reserve. A unique rainforest grows nearby, due to enriched soils from ancient volcanic activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maison de L'Amitie</span> Former estate in Palm Beach, Florida

Maison de L'Amitié was a French Regency-style estate in Palm Beach, Florida, United States. The plot area was about 270,000 square feet (25,000 m2) and bordered a length of 492 feet (150 m) on the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of the largest and most expensive homes in the United States. The neoclassical palace had an area of 62,000 square feet (5,800 m2) and its outbuildings an area of 81,740 square feet (7,594 m2). Maison de L'Amitié had three outbuildings: a barn and two houses for guests plus a pool and hot tub. Besides the pool there was an outbuilding with two bedrooms and bathroom. A coach house was located next to the entrance gate, and the third outbuilding was located on the edge of a courtyard. The estate also included a 82,000 square feet (7,600 m2) tennis house.

301 North Carolwood Drive is a private residence located at 301 North Carolwood Drive in the city of Los Angeles, ranking as the twelfth largest private residence in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The mansion was completed in 2016 on one of the most expensive streets in the world.

<i>Mahratta, Wahroonga</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Mahratta is a heritage-listed former residence and bank executive training facility and now childcare centre, primary school and community group headquarters at 1526 Pacific Highway, Wahroonga, Ku-ring-gai Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Douglas S. Agnew, Arthur Palin and Paul Sorensen (garden) and built in 1941. It is also known as Mahratta and Site and Heatherlee. The property is owned by The School of Philosophy. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<i>Woodlands, Killara</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Woodlands is a heritage-listed residence at 1 Werona Avenue, in the Sydney suburb of Killara in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Henry Austin Wilshire, and built from 1884. It is also known as Inglewood; Inglenook. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 13 October 2006.

<i>Ingleholme</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Ingleholme is a heritage-listed residence at 17 Boomerang Street, in the Sydney suburb of Turramurra in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Sir John Sulman and built from 1895 to 1896. It is also known as Ingleholme and Garage. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<i>Tulkiyan</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Tulkiyan is a heritage-listed former suburban residence and former house museum at 707 Pacific Highway, in the Sydney suburb of Gordon in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Bertrand James Waterhouse of Waterhouse and Lake, and built by Mr Ochs; garden laid out by Mr Mottram. The property is owned by Ku-ring-gai Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 May 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evatt House</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Evatt House is a heritage-listed house located at 69 Junction Road in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Parklands. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 24 September 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Briars, Wahroonga</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Briars is a heritage-listed residence located at 14 Woonona Avenue, in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Charles H. Halstead. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

<i>Cossington, Turramurra</i> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Cossington is a heritage-listed residence located at 43 Ku-Ring-Gai Avenue, in the Sydney suburb of Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Nixon and Allen and built in 1899. It is also known as Sylvan Fells and Sylvan Falls. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 August 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Pratten House</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

The Eric Pratten House is a heritage-listed residence located at 29 Telegraph Road in the Sydney suburb of Pymble in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Walter Burley Griffin and built from 1935 to 1936. It is also known as Coppins and Crompton. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 22 December 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyfronydd Hall</span> Welsh country house

Cyfronydd Hall is a Welsh country house located on the A458 road between Welshpool and the hamlet of Cyfronydd, Llanfair Caereinion. It was built in about 1865 for the Pryce Jones family after an earlier hall on the site burned down. It once formed part of the 1,922-acre (778 ha) Cyfronydd Estate.

References

  1. 1 2 "Berith Park, Wahroonga". Federation details. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Chancellor, Jonathan (5 October 2016). "Berith Park, Wahroonga listed with $16 million hopes". Property Observer. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 Macken, Lucy (9 December 2016). "Berith Park sold for more than $11 million, fuels speculation of a new record high". Domain.com.au. Fairfax Media . Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 Wilmot, Ben (6 May 2017). "Elaine, Berith Park, Fernhill Estate: saving Australian mansions". The Australian . Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  5. "19 Billyard Avenue". realestate.com.au. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  6. "Heritage items". Ku-Ring-Gai Local Environmental Plan 2015 - Schedule 5. AustLII. 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. "Berith Park". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage . Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Wahroonga". Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2008.

Bibliography