Travelbeat Editorial Review The OLD WORLD CHARM Of CARRICK HILL Adelaide, South Australia Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan Appearances to the contrary, the stately Tudor-style manor house of Carrick Hill, in the foothills of Adelaide's Mt Lofty Ranges, is a product of the 20th century, and the joining by marriage of two prominent South Australian families, the Haywards and the Barr Smiths. Surrounded by impressive gardens and fruit orchards, Carrick Hill (built between 1937 and 1939) is the Hearst Castle of South Australia, with the interior being furnished and fitted out with items collected by Edward ("Bill") Hayward and his bride Ursula on their year-long honeymoon in England. Many of the structural items (doors, windows, panelling and staircases) were acquired at the demolition sale of a Staffordshire Tudor mansion called "Beaudesert". Carrick Hill was designed specifically to accommodate these sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century elements. A Jacobean-style staircase (at left) is the centre-piece of Carrick Hill, leading from the grand entry hall to the impressive gallery above. The art-festooned gallery gives access to the bedrooms, a sewing room and linen storage areas. The master bedroom contains a tester bed which was Sir Edward's wedding present to his second wife, Jean Bridges, whom in married in 1972, two years after Lady Ursula's death. (Edward received a knighthood in 1961 for services to the community and business.) The adjacent pink tiled bathroom was fitted out with what was, at the time, the latest in twentieth century plumbing (including a heated towel rack), and is one of 3 bathrooms on the upper level of the house. The views from the bedrooms are stunning - looking over the surrounding landscaped gardens or the Adelaide plain stretching away to the sea. Bedrooms 2 to 6, located across the gallery from the master suite, are today used as galleries for special exhibitions highlighting different aspects of the Hayward's vast art collection. Inside the house was, and still is, full of artworks by painters of world renown. Amongst the Australian masterpieces are those by Streeton, Dobell, Drysdale and Ivor Hele. These are complimented by canvases from Europe and the United Kingdom. Lady Ursula Haywood's love of flowers led her to create the magnificent gardens surrounding the mansion, as well as to collect floral art. In the last decade of her life she took up replicating the flowers from her own garden in impasto oil paintings. More than just flowers and trees, the gardens contain statuary and water features, including the picturesque rill which tumbles down slope to the 'lake' below the house. When Travelscene International paid a recent visit to the property, nestled in typical hills face bushland were whimsical displays of animal art (pictured) created from that traditional Australian 'medium' of corrugated iron and PVC piping! In 1970, Sir Edward and Lady Ursula Hayward decided to bequeath Carrick Hill to the people of the state. Since Sir Edward's death in 1983, it has been owned by the South Australian government, thus ensuring that house and land remain intact for the enjoyment of future generations. From 1986 Carrick Hill has been open to the public and is a major Adelaide visitor attraction. Parts of the property can be hired for functions and special events, thus recreating the happy social atmosphere the Haywards enjoyed when entertaining their numerous guests, which included international celebrities and the artists whose works they collected. The licensed Carrick Café serves meals inside or under the elms on the garden terrace (pictured left) overlooking the formal rose garden and pleached pear arbour, and seemingly the whole of Adelaide and Gulf St Vincent beyond. There can hardly be a more pleasant spot on a sunny day. Open Wednesday to Sunday and on Public Holidays from 10 am - 4.30 pm Carrick Hill (closed Christmas Day and throughout the month of July) is located off Carrick Hill Road, Springfield, a 15 minute drive from the centre of the Adelaide CBD. Admission is charged and includes on-site parking. For further information visit: www.carrickhill.sa.gov.au Reference: Carrick Hill: a souvenir, published by The Carrick Hill Trust, Adelaide, South Australia 2000 and sold in the onsite gift shop. Back to Front Page