Benacre
A photograph of the house circa 1877
LocationLot 6, Benacre Close, Glen Osmond, South Australia
Coordinates34°57′34″S 138°38′24″E / 34.95956°S 138.639909°E / -34.95956; 138.639909
Designated5 April 1984
Reference no.8375
Benacre, Glen Osmond is located in South Australia
Benacre, Glen Osmond
Location of Benacre in South Australia
ca. 1850
ca. 1850
1877
Benacre coach house 1899.
Now "The Mews".
1877
1877
1904
1904

Benacre is a house in Glen Osmond, (an inner south-eastern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia), which was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.[1] It is located at 6 Benacre Place.[2]

Background

The colony of South Australia was proclaimed on 28 December 1836 at Holdfast Bay, but with no reliable fresh water supply, the initial settlement was by the River Torrens at Adelaide or more specifically, Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide. The settlement was made and administered by the South Australia Company, who also released land in the city and on the Adelaide Plains.

1836

The initial allocation of section 270 was to G.F. Shipster,[3] who built a single-storeyed house on the section in 1844. With the subdivision of the section (i.e. bisection) by Glen Osmond Road, it passed to Robert Cock;[4] Shipster purchased section 300 in 1844 from J. Grainger, but died on 30 December 1844 at 'Kensington House' in what is now known as Kensington Park.[5]

1846

After the loss of a baby in the summer conditions of the city in December 1845, William Bickford, desiring to escape the unhealthy conditions of his city residence, purchased 16 acres in early 1846, and added to the buildings on the property, including building the stables and coach house which are now registered on the Australian Register of the National Estate.[6] William planted the first garden (one acre in size), and an orchard of 2½ acres.[7] Despite the "healthier country air" however, another son died when less than a month old and the family returned to the city, but William retained the property and was still developing it when he died in 1850.[8]

The next owner was T.B. Strangways, though it is not clear when, or for how long.[9]

He was followed by Thomas Graves. Thomas Graves established a fine garden containing Moreton Bay figs, pines, cedars and cypresses from such diverse places as Norway, India, Lebanon, Japan and Norfolk Island - "an assortment of trees second only to the Adelaide Botanic Garden", according to the book "History of Glen Osmond", (1905). In the mid-1870s, Graves added rooms, a cellar and a top storey.[1][4][9]

1876

In 1861, Henry Scott (Mayor of Adelaide) married Emily Gooch but the couple remained childless.[10] In the mid-1870s they purchased the property and named it "Benacre" after Emily's ancestral home, Benacre Hall,[11] in Benacre, Suffolk. They lived at Benacre in Glen Osmond and Boode House Mount Lofty, and were generous and entertaining hosts; during the Scott’s tenure of some 30 years, they hosted countless social events.

1906

In 1906, John Lewis, pastoralist and politician, moved to Adelaide "where he bought an imposing home, Benacre, at Glen Osmond".[12] On 5 July 1907 he married a widow, Florence Margaret Toll, née Mortlock. In 1898-1923 he represented the Northeast (later Northern) District in the Legislative Council. In 1922 Lewis published his autobiography, "Fought and Won". In 1923 he was appointed C.M.G.

During his ownership, a deer park was established.[9]

Lewis died at Benacre on 25 August 1923. His wife and two daughters and four sons, including Essington Lewis, survived him. In 1924, his executors subdivided a portion of the property (part sections 270 and 271, Hundred of Adelaide) into 39 building blocks.[4][9] (The next street up Glen Osmond Rd from Benacre Close is Lewis Ave.)

1924

Benacre was the home of Lancelot Ashley Lewis and Grace Margaret (Gretta) Lewis (nee Laidlaw) in the period 1924-1968 after the couple moved from Adelaide's fashionable East Terrace.[13]

1970

  • 1970 Further subdivided: "Fifteen magnificent residential allotments, the gracious mansion 'Benacre', two storeyed stone mews, to be sold by auction on the estate 2nd May, 1970 at 10.30 a.m. Adelaide : Matters & Co. Pty. Ltd. [and] Theodore Bruce & Co. Pty. Ltd."[14]

1981

  • 1981 Historic Benacre auctioned.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 Benacre, Australian Heritage Database, www.environment.gov.au
    Database entry: Two storey slate roof Victorian Italian style, stone with rendered dressings, Corinthian porch and verandah with cast iron ornament - central feature surmounted with heavy pierced parapet and elaborate urns. Rear sections appear to be later additions - high stone brick capped garden wall with wrought iron gates, rooms behind wall appear to be later additions.
  2. ↑ Benacre Close is off Glen Osmond Rd between Fisher St and Fergusson Ave. Google Maps
  3. ↑ First Ownners Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, City of Unley Historical Land Subdivision, Unley Heritage ResearchStudy (2006), Appendix 3, pg.12. Map shows sections 270 & 271.
  4. 1 2 3 Benacre Archived 10 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Manning Index of South Australian History, Statle Library of South Australia
  5. ↑ Kensington Park Archived 10 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Manning Index of South Australian History, State Library of South Australia
  6. ↑ The Mews, Australian Heritage Database, www.environment.gov.au
    The Mews, 1A Ashley Ave, Glen Osmond. Register of the National Estate: "Registered"
    • Formerly part of the Benacre estate, the building is historically significant due to its association with the early history and development of the Glen Osmond area and its association with several prominent South Australian families. Remarkable for its part Palladian design in miniature, the former Coach House has architectural importance and it contributes to the historic character of the area.
    • The building is built of bluestone with sandstone quoins and detailing. A central two storey section is flanked by gabled wings (one of which was quarters and the other the coach shed). Design is Georgian with Palladian elements.
    • The building is in reasonable condition. It now serves as a residence and has undergone considerable internal alteration and external extension. All physical evidence of the place's original function has been removed.
  7. ↑ Adelaide's first chemist, Part 2. "The Register", 20 June 1925, Pg.8
  8. ↑ Scales, Margaret An Alchemist's dream pub. Ronald F. Bickford 1990
  9. 1 2 3 4 Self-Guided Walk - Glen Osmond Archived 24 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, pg.10, City of Burnside
  10. ↑ Carol Fort (2008) Keeping a trust: South Australia's Wyatt Benevolent Institution and its founder, Pg 115
  11. ↑ Benacre Hall Archived 18 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Benacre Estate, www.benacre.co.uk
  12. ↑ R. H. B. Kearns, 'Lewis, John (1844 - 1923)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 93-94.
  13. ↑ André, Roger (2000). "Lewis, Grace Margaret (Gretta) (1892–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Benacre subdivision, Sale catalogue, Matters & Co. and Theodore Bruce & Co., 1970.
  15. ↑ Historic Benacre auctioned, Advertiser, 3 January 1981, p. 35
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