Reflect

Historic Landscapes Need Love Too

BY MATT DEVINE, CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL TRUST’S LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

Historic landscapes – as settings or places in their own right – are as important as the buildings we know and love. The National Trust’s Garden Appeal will help us revitalise the historic landscapes at three iconic heritage properties.

A clear path to creativity When Norman Lindsay and Rose Soady purchased “Springwood” in 1912, the property was dilapidated. The original owners, the Foy family, had built a sandstone cottage and used the place as a ‘halfway house’ between Sydney and their retreat at Medlow Bath. Yet before any major works began on the cottage, Norman directed his attention towards the garden. It was there that the first statue, a female nude standing upright in an urn, was constructed and installed. His creative spirit is still evident in the landscaped bush setting of the Norman Lindsay Gallery. As Peter Freeman has noted, “His imagination peopled its landscape and provided a background for his art.”

Norman’s works included statues, pergolas and pathways, and often extended into the bush landscape setting itself. Construction of the swimming pool occurred between 1914–16, although it soon became apparent that Norman’s skill and enthusiasm as a designer were not matched by construction expertise. Now, more than 100 years later, the landscape needs attention. We need to repair structural elements of the garden and reinvigorate some of the plantings to ensure that heritage lovers can continue to access and appreciate the tangible evidence of Norman Lindsay’s creative process.

How does Vienna’s garden grow? The expansive grounds of the Norman Lindsay Gallery are in sharp contrast to the grounds of one of the National Trust's smallest properties – Vienna Cottage – a charming sandstone 1870s cottage in Hunters Hill. While the setting of Lindsay’s house is an expression of his creative endeavour, Vienna’s setting is important for the way it demonstrates the domestic environment of a late nineteenth-century tradesman’s family. Vienna Cottage was the home of John and Ann Hillman and their five children. It was used as a dairy and to produce fruit and vegetables.

When the National Trust purchased the house in 1984, Hunters Hill Council bought the adjacent orchard. The simple landscape setting of the cottage has changed little since the 1940s. While the cottage is the focus of preservation activity, the garden, which is used as the setting for many events at this property, is suffering. To ensure that Vienna remains faithful to its unique story, we have to reinstate some small-scale plantings and repair the traditional boundary fence that fronts the public orchard and park to the east.

Restoring Tomago’s bucolic vistas Tomago House and Chapel tells a very different story, about one of the earliest phases of settlement of the Lower Hunter River District. Tomago was occupied by three generations of the famous Windeyer family for nearly a century; it is one of the most intact examples of Colonial Regency Architecture in a largely unaltered arcadian landscape. While the outstanding workmanship of the house is still evident, the landscape setting of the property has not been maintained to the same level, making it difficult to perceive the grand vision associated with the development of this house as the centre of a mid-nineteenth-century agricultural estate.

Over time, the topographical setting has not changed greatly, and it retains a feeling of isolation despite its proximity to

Newcastle. Archival and site evidence has suggested ways in which the historic estate can be accurately understood, and the Windeyer-period grounds can be interpreted through the current physical layout. While some of the earliest plantings remain at Tomago, other trees planted in the 1940-60s have compromised some vistas from the house towards distant views and other elements of the site have become overgrown, making interpretation difficult. Twenty years ago, a detailed landscape plan was undertaken by the National Trust, but it was never realised. Now, the opportunity exists to reinterpret the landscape at Tomago and allow the unique qualities of this historic site to flourish. Initial works will include extensive weed removal and pruning to restore important landscape connections that exist on the site, in preparation for future considered planting.

How you can help

Please make an investment in the landscape settings at Norman Lindsay Gallery, Vienna Cottage and Tomago House this spring. Make your gift at nationaltrust.org.au/donate-nsw

From top The National Trust (NSW)’s 75th Anniversary celebrations at Vienna Cottage (photo by SGR Photo); Norman Lindsay Gallery (photo: National Trust).

This spring, we need your help in the garden

Vienna Cottage

Due to the ravages of time and the impact of droughts and climate change, the heritage gardens of Vienna Cottage, Tomago House, and the Norman Lindsay Gallery are in desperate need of renewal and reimagining. Donate today and help us return these once-magnificent gardens to their original and intended beauty.

Help us to: • Remove overgrown bushes and dead trees • Establish new ornamental gardens • Plant new trees and bushes • Create accessible paths and access routes

Norman Lindsay Gallery

Tomago House