History

Hambledon Cottage has a colourful history.

History lives in Hambledon Cottage

 TREVOR PATRICK

THE history of Hambledon Cottage Museum, at 63 Hassall St Parramatta, is part of the Macarthur family story.

Following his return from political exile in 1817, John Macarthur turned his attention to the expansion of his family enterprises.

Central to these activities was a building program which included additions to his Parramatta home, Elizabeth Farm, and the erection of supplementary accommodation of the estate, then referred to as “the cottage on the plain” and now known as Hambledon Cottage.

With a shortage of bedrooms at Elizabeth Farm, Hambledon Cottage accommodated his children, grandchildren and close family friends for varying periods from several days to many years.

Henry Kitchen (1793-1822), a young architect seeking patronage in the colony, completed designs for a building for Macarthur at Camden which was described as a “small but extremely beautiful dwelling in the cottage fashion”.

The design which featured French windows opening onto a wide verandah leading to park-like garden so impressed Macarthur that in 1820 he instructed Kitchen to prepare plans for a similar cottage to be erected on his Parramatta estate.

The fi nal plans submitted carry the marginal note “cottage for Miss Lucas”, former governess to the Macarthur daughters. As a link with her former home in Hampshire, England, Penelope Lucas chose the name “Hambledon” for her Australian home.

Because of Kitchen’s premature death on 8th April 1822, Macarthur sought the professional help of Henry Cooper, a competent draughtsman, who was able to transfer Kitchen’s original and innovative designs into working plans for the building of the distinctive and elegant Georgian style domestic bungalow which we now refer to as Hambledon Cottage.

Parramatta & District Historical Society occupies the cottage as their headquarters and conduct guided tours throughout the year. There are fully furnished rooms in the cottage – Withdrawing or Lounge Room; Dining Room; Bed Room; Study; Kitchen, and the Lucas Gallery.

This unique room of the cottage features a changing exhibitions of historic interest; the Female Factory of Parramatta; life and times of personalities from the pages of history; aboriginal artifacts; models of heritage buildings.

The two-acre Hambledon Reserve is designed to create the memory of an English country scene. John Macarthur and his sons planted English Oaks in 1817 making them the oldest examples in Australia. Australian native Bunya Bunya Pines dominate the skyline.

The nuts from the Bunya Bunya trees provided a traditional food for the indigenous Australian people.

Due to Covid-19 Pandemic, the Museum is currently closed.

Trevor Patrick is with the Parramatta Historical Society. The Historical Society continues to provide interesting views through their web site www.parramattahistorical.org.au and www.facebook.com/ parramattahistorical.

BINARY

Each square in the puzzle may contain either 0 or 1 1. No more than two adjacent squares may contain the same digit, ie you cannot have three adjacent squares in a row or column of the same digit. 2. Each row and each column must contain the same number of 0s and 1s, eg for a 10x10 grid, each row and column will contain fi ve 0s and fi ve 1s. 3. No row may be the same as another row and no column may be the same as another column. However, a row may be the same as a column.

ACROSS

1. Little jerks 5. Head downtown? 10. Help in a holdup 14. Balming target 15. Beyond partner 16. Screenplay direction 17. T-bone region 18. Medical research goals 19. Every family has one 20. Illuminated 23. Holiday follower? 24. Skiier’s challenge 25. Unlike a litterbug 27. Palindromic windmill part 30. End of two state names 33. Scratch, say 36. Better copy? 38. Bahrain bread 39. Passed with ease 41. Genetic info carrier 42. Arboreal abode 43. Things to rattle 45. Fishtail, e.g. 47. Daydreamer’s limit? 48. Fit to be fare 50. Killed, as a dragon 53. Tux accessory 54. Prepare for hanging 57. Wrestling area 59. Serving as a diplomat 64. Beer selections 66. Hindu grouping 67. Tat-tat intro 68. Folk facts 69. Pagoda roofi ng 70. Black cat, some think 71. It may come before “we forget” 72. Failed as a sentry 73. Bird’s perch, perhaps

DOWN

1. Chaucer bit 2. They may be clicked on 3. Flu symptom 4. Grad-to-be 5. Bushwhacker’s tool 6. Go to the edge of 7. The good olde days 8. Cooking place 9. Transmit anew 10. Back on a battleship 11. Crooners, often 12. Creation location 13. “High School Musical” extra 21. Main mail drop (abbr.) 22. Disconnected, as a phone line 26. Like siblings 28. Chances in Vegas 29. Roller Derby milieus 31. Checklist item 32. Pretentiously stylish 33. Attack deterrent 34. Military sch. 35. Enrolls 37. Barbary ape’s lack 40. The red 44. Inner city concern 46. Most absurd 49. Offi cial orders 51. Emotion of the miffed 52. Long and thin 55. Sight from Biscayne Bay 56. Gourmand 57. Shoppers’ site 58. Ubiquitous lily relative 60. Place for some polish 61. “Cast Away” setting 62. Manual component 63. A driver may change one 65. Firm or fi xed