Brownlow Hill Estate

Colonial history When Governor Lachlan Macquarie toured the Cow Pastures in 1815 he traversed the area from the foot of in a north-west direction toward Mount Hunter Creek (Rivulet) and then in a northern direction towards the Nepean River. At the close of the day he wrote that "it is my intention to form an establishment here for at least three separate herds of the Government horned cattle, at three distinct stations". The main farm and Government Cottage was established at Cawdor which Macquarie made his base on his return tour in 1822. Peter Murdock, who accompanied Macquarie, was later (in the mid-1820s) granted to the north-west of Mount Hunter rivulet in the parish of Werombi. A small cottage now referred to as "the roundhouse" is situated on this grant, which was known locally as Glendaruel (Glendaurel), and it is believed that this cottage may have been associated with the Government station established by Macquarie. Although it is similar in form to the former gatehouse at Winbourne, Mulgoa and a residence at Molong (late 1830s), both of these are now demolished. The Round House is popularly believed to have been one of the government herdsmen's' huts built by Macquarie in the 1810s. However, the Picturesque taste evident in its design (and also the design of Brownlow Hill and its landscape) suggests the hand of the Macleay family. Its octagonal form is unusual in Australia although similar designs (typically for gate lodges) were adapted for the gate lodge at the Cox property, Winbourne, Mulgoa (sketched by Hardy Wilson in 1916 for his Old Colonial Architecture in New South Wales and Tasmania (the lodge has since been demolished), the Betts property, the Round House, Vale Head, Molong (demolished) and an 1830s house associated with St Patrick's Church, Singleton. A comparable and contemporary house is Chief Justice Francis Forbes' Edinglassie, Emu Plains (c. 1826, demolished). James Broadbent, in "The Australian Colonial House" writes that 'Edinglassie was a simplified, antipodean version of the rustic cottage ornes popularised by Papworth in Ackermann's Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions & c., or his own Rural Residences [1818]'. Sidman's account of Brownlow Hill states that in the 1850s 'the property was leased for pig raising - when much damage was done to the beautiful growth surrounding. The Round House was known as Monk's Cottage by , having been home to one or two generations of tenant dairy farmers, who also gave their name to Monks Lane, north of Burragorang Road, Mount Hunter. Diana Wilson (nee Downes) was born on Brownlow Hill at Glendon, married and left the farm before returning to Monk's Cottage in 1960. When her familoy originally came there, the house was in ruinous condition, having been flooded on numerous occasions. The collapsed central chimney (the surviving roof battens indicate it was octagonal) and dividing wall was taken out to make its original two small rooms into a sitting room. A room was added to connect the Round House and a separate block of c.1900 and both buildings re-roofed, re-sashed and the verandah largely built by Diana's husband, Mackellar Wilson, using windows and doors made by Reg Vincent Windows, Parramatta. Limewash was stripped off the brick external walls. Diana Wilson's husband Mackellar Wilson was the nephew of architect/artist, William Hardy Wilson. sky flower (Duranta plumieri), wisteria and honey locusts (Gleditsia triacanthos). Diana Wilson re-established the garden with Cumberland Plain staples such as white cedars (Melia azederach var.australasica), oleanders (Nerium oleander) propagated by Mackellar Wilson), pomegranate (Punica granatum), citrus, mulberry (Morus sp.), orchid tree (Bauhinia x variegata), Chinese elms (Ulmus parvifolia), crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), jacaranda and roses. == Description ==

;Landscape: Brownlow Hill has an exceptionally attractive semi natural landscape and the setting of the house is one of Australia's best surviving examples of a colonial garden. Brownlow Hill not only includes the house & garden but also the surrounding landscape. The fine brick built stables, aviary and the sandstone pond balustrade/ causeway are found within this area. • Celtis australis, southern nettle tree, naturalized along creeks, drives, on hill around house • Platanus x acerifolia, plane, specimens dotted along main BLH Loop Road • Olea europaea var.cuspidata (Africana) and on hills • Araucaria cunninghamii, naturalized over main house hill top / slope to its north, and SW of house • Eucalyptus tereticornis, forest red gum, native bush on hills/scattered paddock trees; also S of house • Brachychiton populneus, kurrajong, SE & SW of house on hill • Pinus roxburghii, chir pine • Ulmus parvifolia, lower drive around pond; large old tree S of house also • Ficus pumila var.pumila, on s/stone wall • Phyllostachys nigra, at base of drive where starts ascending to house • Doxantha unguis-cati, cat's claw creeper, all over the hill/up trees • Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant, ground cover N of house • Aloe sp. (tree form) N of house, (A.excelsa?) • Furcraea selloa, Mauritius hemp • F.s.'Aureo-Variegata', variegated • Aspidistra elatior, cast iron plant, pot NE of house, also under chir pine to NE • Agapanthus orientalis, Nile/African lily, N of house • Araucaria bidwillii, Bunya pine, S of house • Adhatoda vasica, vasika/Malabar nut, S of house • Aloe ciliaris, climbing aloe, on bird cage • Clivia miniata, Kaffir lily, ground cover S of house • Jacaranda mimosifolia, near well S of house • Rosa hybrids/cultivars, S of house • Selenicereus grandiflorus, queen of the night (climbing cactus), up hoop pine SW of house • Tecomaria capensis, hedge SW of house, clipped "boxes" on N verandah also • Platycerium superbum, staghorn fern • Acanthus mollis, bear's breetches, bush track S of house (to stable) • Gleditsia triacanthos, seeding along BLH Loop road between stables and main entry gate • Hoop pines • African olives • Celtis australis • Ligustrum ovalifolium, long-leaved privet, naturalized on hill/along drives • Plumbago capensis, on hill (satin bower bird nest amongst some, shown by Joan Downes) • Buxus macrophylla hedging along main drive once it climbs the hill to the house • Iris germanica cv.s, flag iris, S of house • Jasminium nitidum, on verandah column • Hippeastrum hybrids/cv.s, S of house • Cheirianthus cheiri cv.s, wallflowers, S of house • Camellia japonica cv.?/Rothmannia globosa, tree gardenia (too far off to tell - SW corner of house • Plumbago capensis, Cape plumbago, low hedge E of front door • Macrozamia communis, burrawang (cycad), N of house in carriage loop • Nerium oleander cv., oleander, SW of house near drive (6-8m tall) • Alyxia buxifolia, sea box • evergreen oak (sent 1832 RBG - G.Macleay) -survives? • 1849 Annabella Boswell noted Crinums, pentstemons, Cape bulbs, Euphorbia, peaches, plums, figs • Camden Park nursery (1850s) supplied the following (it is unclear if any survive) • Magnolia grandiflora, evergreen /southern magnolia/bull bay (ex Camden Park) • M.denudata, Yulan • Bambusa nigra, black bamboo (I suspect that name is now Phyllostachys nigra) • Camellias • hoop pines • Bunya pines • funeral cypresses & Norfolk Island hibiscus An 1836 record of A.Macleay's garden at Brownlow Hill noted he had oranges, apples, loquants, pears, plums, cherries, figs, mulberries, medlars, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries It is unclear whether there are any survivors. Condition As at 6 August 2001, the site has high archaeological potential. Much of the colonial landscape and garden is still evident. Sub-surface remnants of previous agricultural structures and/or associated artefacts may still be within the boundaries of the original allotments. ;Flaggy Creek Quarry site: About 100 metres south of the Round House is a quarry in the Flaggy Creek bed, a tributary of the Mount Hunter Rivulet. The quarry was a source of Wiannamatta stone (advertised in the press of the 1820s - '30s as Cowpastures stone), a highly-figured mudstone used for paving (i.e. flagstones) at Brownlow Hill (the console table base, veranda and entrance hall flagging) and Elizabeth Bay House (the entrance hall and flagging, saloon stair and upper floor chimneypieces). The Camden Park portico columns are reputedly from this quarry. The quarry provides a rare instance of a surviving connection between early houses and the source of their materials and is an important archaeological site. Brownlow Hill has remained relatively unchanged since the 19th century, considering the constant pattern of farming, the scenic landscape setting and most of the Brownlow Hill estate and contents has remained largely intact. Modifications and dates ;House Modification: The house at Brownlow Hill was originally built as two small separate wings of brick at right angles to one another, with a separate kitchen at the rear making up the third side of the Courtyard. By 1834 alterations were made transforming the house which was "now pronounced the best in the Colony." The two small wings were joined, forming an L-shaped building. The original roof endings are still to be seen beneath the present roof. Within the angles another section was then added to the east wing, On the right of the north elevation is a wing which was added by Jeremiah Downes, who bought the property In 1875. At that time the front door was replaced and a small portico built before it. A cellar is approached from the rear. In the 1890s a portico-ed entry way to the front door, and new Victorian front door, was added, along with a new wing to the west of the original house. John & Joan Downes made significant modifications in c.1961, installing two internal bathrooms in the eastern wing, a corridor connecting the entry hall with the eastern wing rooms leading to a relocated entry door, moved to be centrally placed on the eastern wing. An internal kitchen was also provided within the central wing of the house, including the removal of an internal wall between a former bedroom and scullery. A suite of works was undertaken to the main homestead in 2016-17. ;Round House/Monk's House: • 1960+ modifications (see history) • 2009+ modifications (see history). ;Landscape Modifications: • In the 1850s the property was leased for pig raising when much damage was done to the surrounding growth. In 1859, the property was leased by Jeremiah Downes. Brownlow Hill was sold to Severin K Salting and in 1862 was again leased to Downes who purchased the property from Salting in 1875. In the intervening period it was managed as a series of tenant farms • In the 1960s, a quarry was established on the western extremity on the property with minimal impact on the working farm. Further information The general layout is well maintained but individual items and some overgrown areas need attention. The aviary is in urgent need of restoration. The outer garden, lane/ Loop Road and hedgerows are in need of some weed management, to retain significant views and vistas, and control spread, particularly of African olives and privet. The olives in particular are invasive as scrub elsewhere on the farm, although this is under management. The pond/dam wall is in need of repair and some reconstruction, to prevent further cracking and slumping. == Heritage listing ==

As at 6 August 2001, Brownlow Hill is a rare, substantially intact colonial farming estate with an outstanding scenic landscape setting with many rare surviving early colonial structures and features. It has one of the most prominent colonial gardens and estates in Australia with the extent of its considerable acreage and pattern of farming largely intact. Brownlow Hill contains a designed landscape of national importance and renown which includes ground modeling, layout and plantings from the pre-1860s. The homestead layout and farm was established by Alexander Macleay, first Colonial Secretary of NSW and his sons George and to a lesser extent James Macleay. The site has association with government stations initiated by Macquarie. Brownlow Hill has had continuous family occupation (the Downes family) since 1859 and ownership since 1875. The site is considerably intact with a network of 19th century dwellings of a successful farm which are still in operation. Brownlow Hill is firmly placed in the consciousness of the community as one of the most evocative early European estates (colonial house, garden, landscape setting) in NSW. It has been romanticized by the well known architect, author, artist and gardener, W. Hardy Wilson (1881 - 1955). Brownlow Hill Estate was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 25 January 2001 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The site has historical significance for the agricultural work which was undertaken within the region. The establishment of an ornamental colonial garden within a rural setting were amongst the earliest of its kind and the diversity of imported plants were unusual for the period. Aerial photography from 1947 and 1969 clearly indicates a pattern of farming on the property which is almost identical today -the western portion of the property used for grazing only and the alluvial flats for cropping. The continuity of the Downes family's occupation at Brownlow Hill enables an insight into one family's evolution evidenced by existing fabric and landscape. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The site has aesthetic significance as an important remnant of early agricultural attempts in the district that still functions as a farm with its pattern of land use intact, and an intact example of the sophistocated and conscious landscape design of an early rural estate on the Cumberland Plain. It also has rare surviving and intact colonial estate layout, features, farm plantings, ornamental gardens and structures which provide an important visual context for the former landscape, allowing opportunities for cultural and historical interpretation. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. The Homestead along with the adjoining land is of high social significance as one of very few sites of its type established in the region. It is of particular value for its prominent colonial gardens, and estates with considerable acreage and pattern of farming largely intact. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The site has technical/research significance through its association with early agricultural and pastoral activities. The site allows investigation into Colonial farming practices, landscape design and ornamental gardens. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Brownlow Hill is a rare, substantially intact colonial farming estate with surviving layout, structures and features. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. The site is representative of the early attempts to develop agriculture. Brownlow Hill is also representative of Colonial landscape design. == See also ==