Glenleigh Estate

James Ewan was born in 1843 near Edinburgh. After the Grand Tour of Europe, his family immigrated to Sydney in 1849, where his father was appointed headmaster of the York Street Free Church of Scotland school. In 1854 James' sister Elizabeth married John Frazer, who owned a successful wholesale grocery business. Three years later the family ties resulted in James obtaining a position as a clerk in the warehouse. Soon after, Ewan's second sister married William Mason, who was invited to become a partner in Frazer and Co. In 1869, at the age of 26, Ewan became a partner in the firm, brought about by the death of Manson and Frazer's poor health. In the same year a friend of Frazer's, James Watson, bought a quarter share in the company. The family ties were further cemented when Watson married Ewan's last sister, Margaret in 1871. In the same year Ewan became engaged to Marion Reid, daughter of Reverend John Reid and sister of future Prime Minister of Australia George Houston Reid.[1]

With these three directors Frazer and Co. became the largest and most successful shipping merchants and importers. The Company assured Ewan's wealth, although he became director of the United Insurance Company and the Waratah Coal Company. He was also director and then chairman of the Australasian Steam Navigation Company In addition he was a magistrate, honorary treasurer of Sydney Hospital and a member of several charities. Despite all this, Ewan shied away from public life.[1]

In 1881 James Ewan purchased 40 hectares (99 acres) at Regentville, near Penrith, from the former Sir John Jamison (Regentville) Estate. Ewan commissioned eminent architect W. W. Wardell to design Glenleigh. Previously living in Darling Point, Woollahra, Ewan's health was failing and it is thought to have prompted his move to the celebrated clean air of the Blue Mountains foothills. By then Marion had given birth to six of their eight children, all of whom were under the age of eight.[1]

In March 1882 Ewan was advised to travel to England for a kidney treatment. In his absence, he left his brother-in-law Watson in charge of overseeing the construction, in conjunction with Wardell. Mr. Willis, a local Penrith builder had begun work on the house in May 1882. A dispute arose regarding payment and a design change. Watson and Wardell were unable to resolve the matter and in January 1883 city builder, John Buchanan was given the contract. Buchanan worked frequently with Wardell, including renovations to Glanworth, Watson's house in Darling Point, Woollahra - Ewan had lived next door during these works and frequently visited the house on their completion. Wardell was also an advocate of the interior decorators Lyon, Cottier & Co., Watson employing the Company to decorate Glanworth and it is possibly through this association that Ewan became familiar with both Wardell and Lyon, Cottier & Co. Lyon, Cottier & Co. are attributed with the elaborate interior decoration, although there is no documentary evidence to confirm this.[1]

Glenleigh marked a significant departure in Ewan's architectural tastes, his former home Ranelagh, in an Italianate style was befitting of a city merchant, but not a country gentleman. Instead, Glenleigh referred to Ewan's heritage, being in a Scottish vernacular farmhouse style. Wardell was concurrently building Grafton Wharf warehouses for Frazer and Co. and the two structures bear a resemblance to each other. The Grafton Wharf was constructed of Hayes Best White bricks, which Ewan liked so much he asked that they also be used at Glenleigh. Documentary evidence to this effect discounts local folklore that Glenleigh was constructed with ballast bricks from one of Ewan's import ships.[1]

The Ewan's moved into Glenleigh in 1884, although Ewan spent many nights in the city at Watson's Glanworth for business purposes. Marion remained in Penrith, being visited by Maggie Watson and her children for several days at a time until Maggie became unwell and travelled with her family back to England. Watson's departure left the business affairs on Ewan's shoulders, doing further damage to his health. In 1889 the decision was made to sell the company, due to the death of Maggie and Ewan's constant health problems.[1]

As such a large house, "Glenleigh" required the employment of two female servants, a governess and a maid, who lived in the main house, as well as four women and seven men, who occupied cottages on the property. These men and women saw to the dairy herd and the horses. Marion also had constructed Hope Cottage, a convalescent home for sick servants of "not so kindly employees".[2] Ewan also made a substantial donation to the establishment of the Nepean Cottage Hospital, now the Nepean District Hospital.[1]

Despite his generosity, the local community did not warm to him - there was no local announcement of his death in August 1903 and very few local residents attended - in sharp contrast to the 200 Sydney merchants and bankers. It was left to Marion, who lived a further 11 years, to endear the community through her charity work and support of the Presbyterian Church. She died in July 1914.[1]

Mariette (2003:52) believes that Ewan was a financially shrewd man, hard working and loyal to his family. To him, wealth enabled him to "indulgence in quieter pursuits, including his family, his involvement in his agricultural interests and the running of his convalescent home for sick servants. Yet, despite his acts of benevolence, his apparent parsimony and reticence did not endear him to the people of Penrith who saw him as a hard-headed Scottish merchant whose main interests lay in the commercial life of Sydney rather than at home in Penrith - a reputation that lives on today, immortalised in the bricks and mortar of Glenleigh."[1]

'Glenleigh' was sold in 1917 to Messrs Morris and Ransley, who let it to an ostrich farmer. The house continued as a gentleman's residence until 1933, when it was purchased to Charles Smith. Smith leased the property to a church mission, who used it to house Aboriginal girls. In 1940 Dr Charles Monticone, an eccentric Italian, bought the house. Shirley Hazzard immortalised him as Dr Montyfiore in her novel "The Transit of Venus". Hazzard's evacuation, as a schoolgirl, from Sydney for fear of Japanese invasion in 1941 to "Glenleigh" by Monticone formed the basis of Dr Montyfiore. Monticone lived as a recluse, except for his French housekeeper, until 1979.[1]

The estate was put up for auction by Raine & Horne in 1984, with 34.9 hectares (86 acres) of grounds with access to the Nepean River and a private boat ramp.[3] The present owners purchased the house in 1984 and are in the process of reinstating the interior and renovating the building more generally.[4][1]

Painter William Whittlam was responsible for the three-year project of helping restore Glenleigh's interior paint finishes by scraping away unsympathetic fluoro orange paint a previous owner had applied to engraved brass fire surrounds, removing cream distemper from walls once covered in stencilled butterflies and swirling floral patterns. Then owner and entrepreneur Fred Grotto had interests in suburban wedding reception centres, food outlet, nursery, manufacturing and photo laboratories. The ceilings fortunately were relatively untouched and may be unique in Australia. In the music room Mozart, Haydn and Mendelssohn gaze down from garlanded and gold-leafed frames; in the library Shakespeare, Milton, Scott and Burns hint at Ewan's literary tastes in the 1890s. The dining room is perhaps the most remarkable - dark green, gilt with cameos of potential ingredients in the form of painted leaping hares, stags at bay, freshly hooked fish and a brace of partridges.[1]

William Wilkinson Wardell was born in 1823 in Poplar, London. He trained as an engineer, before spending some time at sea. On his return he worked for the commissioners of sewers and for an architect. Through his interest in Gothic Revival architecture he became friends with Augustus Pugin and Cardinal John Henry Newman. Wardell designed a number of churches in the London area, the largest being the Church of Mary and Michael, Commercial Road, Whitechapel.[1]

Wardell and his wife, Lucy Ann Butler, immigrated to Melbourne in 1858, due to Wardell's poor health. He was appointed clerk of works and chief architect in the Department of Works and Buildings. He was dismissed in 1878 and moved to Sydney, where he established a successful private business. He continued to design churches, public buildings and business premises, domestic architecture formed only a small portion of his business.[1]

By 2017 the property has been sold to Yundi Hua, chairman of the Shanghai Minhang Real Estate Development Company, who are said to be planning to land-bank the 35-hectare (86-acre) property and complete its restoration begun under previous owner, Graham Windridge and the late Fred Grotto.[5][1]

• 1881 – 40 hectares (99 acres) bought
• 1882-4 – House built.
• Dates? – Cottages on the property for staff. Marion also had constructed Hope Cottage, a convalescent home for sick servants[1]
• 1917 – Sold to Messrs Morris and Ransley, who let it to an ostrich farmer. The house continued as a gentleman's residence until 1933, when it was purchased to Charles Smith. Smith leased tit to a church mission, who used it to house Aboriginal girls.[1]
• 1984 – Estate auction described a landscape estate of 34.9 hectares (86 acres) of mown and landscaped grounds with access to the Nepean River and a private boat ramp. It noted the main house, grounds containing several outbuildings including a stable with upstairs living quarters, a one-bedroomed manager's house with living room, kitchen and bathroom and a caretaker's cottage with bedroom, living room, combined kitchen and dining room and modern bathroom.[12]
• 1984+ – Reinstating the interior and renovating the building[1]
• 1992 – A Victorian parterre (flower bed) garden plan was devised by Michael Lehany & James Broadbent, based on photographic evidence, and reinstated.[1]
• 2007 – Stone pine avenue replaced with same species - and 3 Pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine) like for like. Owner also planted two Wollemi pines (Wollemia nobilis) in the drive avenue near creek - which continues a tradition here of mixed specimen and conifer planting - e.g.: Queensland kauri pine.[1]

• "Glenleigh Estate". 2007.
• Attraction Homepage (2007). "Glenleigh Estate".
• ERM Mitchell McCotter (1995). Proposed Regentville Substation & Transmission Connections - working papers for Environmental Assessment.
• ERM Mitchell McCotter (1995). Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Electricity Transmission Lines - Penrith-Regentville-Glenmore Park.
• Integral Energy (1996). Determining Authority's Report: Transmission Line Activities associated with new Substation at Regentville - Environmental Assessment of Electricity Transmission Lines Penrith-Regentville-Glenmore Park.
• Mariette, M. (2003). The Painted Ceilings of Glenleigh.
• Raine & Horne Penrith P/L (1984). Auction Sale of stately residence and property at Regentville in the city of Penrith - Glenleigh.
• Restoration project : 'Glenleigh', Lot 3R Mulgoa Road, Regentville (1992). Clive Lucas, Stapelton & Partners.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Schofield, Leo (1992). Penrith has the Panthers - and then there's this.
• Stately Penrith estate auction. 1984. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Department of Environment and Planning (1987). Sydney Regional Environmental Plan - No.13 - Mulgoa Valley.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Glenleigh Estate, entry number 346 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 13 October 2018.