28 Mistral Avenue, Mosman

The original Mistral Avenue property included no. 26, an adjoining vacant block of landscaped garden which existed under a separate title. This block has been sold and a house is being built on it. The other two Jeaffresson Jackson houses in Mosman are Tregoyd, the home of Sir Tristan and Lady Antico on the Balmoral slopes and 17 Calypso Avenue, opposite 28 Mistral Avenue. No. 28 Mistral Avenue is sited opposite that of another house designed by the same architect producing an important group relationship. Both houses are essentially intact and located on corner sites, this combined with their two-storey height, similar style, distinctive designs and landscaped setting of extensive lawns produces an interesting townscape element. The grass lawn tennis court forms an essential part of the curtilage of the building and has been designed to relate to it as the garden front. Subdivision of all the original garden has occurred and this lawn tennis court area, which exists under separate title represents the last potential building site. However this site is considered to form the minimum comfortable curtilage for the house. The retention of this site as a grassed tennis court is realistic both in physical and economic terms as the shortage of suburban courts has ensured that houses with one command a premium price, particularly in Mosman. == Description ==

Site The house is set above street level with a stone retaining wall at the street frontage. The house still enjoys a large site, though it is placed to the rear of its allotment and a tennis court dominates the front garden. The grass lawn tennis court forms an essential part of the curtilage of the building and has been designed to relate to it as the garden front. Subdivision of all the original garden has occurred and this lawn tennis court area, which exists under separate title represents the last potential building site. However this site is considered to form the minimum comfortable curtilage for the house. The retention of this site as a grassed tennis court is realistic both in physical and economic terms as the shortage of suburban courts has ensured that houses with one command a premium price, particularly in Mosman. The house is completed in the Federation Arts and Crafts style, the large, two-storey rambling house ground floor is in face brick, the upper level in timber shingles and the roof of terracotta. Features include bay windows, hoods and small pane windows. A tennis court on the street frontage is visually intrusive. Condition As at 25 May 2007, the house was essentially intact and retains most of its original external detailing and materials including its timber shingles, casement windows and terracotta tiles. It is complemented by its grass tennis court. Modifications and dates The original property included no. 26 Mistral Avenue, an adjoining vacant block of landscaped garden which existed under a separate title. This block has been sold and a house is being built on it. The grass lawn tennis court forms an essential part of the curtilage of the building and has been designed to relate to it as the garden front. Subdivision of all the original garden has occurred and this lawn tennis court area, which exists under separate title represents the last potential building site. However this site is considered to form the minimum comfortable curtilage for the house. Lady Budd said that the house had been altered before her family lived there and that she and her husband had made several extensive renovations. "We bought the house from people named Jesson, who had let it for many years," Lady Budd said. "The Jessons put in the tennis court." The Budds had the house re-roofed when the tiles started to deteriorate "about 20 years ago" and had installed fireplaces in two of the upstairs bedrooms. A china cabinet downstairs hid another fireplace. A long living room downstairs, originally two rooms separated by sliding doors, was altered and dark wooden panelling, typical of pre-war interior design, was removed. The Budd family also made extensive alterations to the kitchen, converting two pantries into a scullery and laundry. A garage & parent's bedroom was added in ; a swimming pool was installed in ; with subsequent minor alterations. == Heritage listing ==

As at 23 May 2007, 28 Mistral Avenue has historic and aesthetic significance as a rare Sydney example of a residence designed by the noted architect E. Jeaffreson Jackson around the turn of the century (1900) in the shingle (Federation Arts & Crafts) style displaying a North American influence. The house is essentially intact and retains most of its original external detailing and materials including its timber shingles, casement windows and terracotta tiles. The house is complemented by its tennis court and street tree planting of brush box (Lophostemon confertus) trees. The grass lawn tennis court forms an essential part of the curtilage of the building and has been designed to relate to it as the garden front. This site is considered to form the minimum comfortable curtilage for the house. No. 28 Mistral Avenue is sited opposite that of another house designed by the same architect producing an important group relationship. Both houses are essentially intact and located on corner sites, this combined with their two-storey height, similar style, distinctive designs and landscaped setting of extensive lawns produces an interesting townscape element. A large residence set in extensive grounds that, by virtue of the composition of its three major unified wings, avoids overly dominating its setting. 28 Mistral Avenue, Mosman was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. == See also ==