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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
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{{about|a former mansion in Sydney|the existing historic villa in Brisbane|Woolahra, Brisbane}}
[[Image:Woollahra House circa 1885.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The second Woollahra House c. 1885, built in 1883 by William Charles Cooper]]
{{Infobox building
| name = ''Woollahra House''
| former_names =
| image = Woollahra House circa 1885.jpg
| image_size = 270
| caption = The second ''Woollahra House'', {{circa|1885}}, built in 1883 by William Charles Cooper
| map_type = Australia Sydney
| map_caption = Location in [[Sydney|greater Sydney]]
| map_size = 270
| building_type = [[Mansion]]
| architectural_style =
| owner =
| location = [[Point Piper, New South Wales|Point Piper]], [[New South Wales]]
| location_country = Australia
| coordinates = {{coord|-33.8658|151.2540|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|format=dms|display=title,inline}}
| start_date =
| completion_date = {{end date|1856}}
| demolition_date =
| height =
| top_floor =
| floors =
| floor_area =
| architect =
| client = {{bulleted list|[[Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet|Sir Daniel Cooper]] (1856)|William Charles Cooper (1883)}}
| website =
| embed =
| embedded =
| references =
| footnotes =
}}


There were two houses called '''Woollahra House''' built on the same site in [[Point Piper, New South Wales|Point Piper]], Sydney, Australia. The first was built in 1856 by [[Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet|Sir Daniel Cooper]] (picture shown below) and the second by his son William Charles Cooper in 1883 (picture on the right). Both houses have been demolished, but two buildings still remain from the original structure. The gatekeeper's lodge from Sir Daniel Cooper's house, which was built in 1871, is now the [[Rose Bay, New South Wales|Rose Bay]] Police Station, and the stables (picture at bottom) which are now Wyuna Court, a prestigious block of apartments. These buildings in the [[Municipality of Woollahra]] are of some historical interest.
'''''Woollahra House''''' refers to two mansions built on the same site in [[Point Piper, New South Wales|Point Piper]], [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], Australia. The first house was built in 1856 by [[Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet|Sir Daniel Cooper]] and the second by his son, William Charles Cooper, in 1883. Both houses have been demolished, but two buildings still remain from the original structure. The gatekeeper's lodge from Sir Daniel Cooper's house, which was built in 1871, is now the [[Rose Bay, New South Wales|Rose Bay]] Police Station, and the stables which are now Wyuna Court, a prestigious block of apartments. These buildings in the [[Municipality of Woollahra]] are of some historical interest.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}


==Sir Daniel Cooper==
==History==
===Sir Daniel Cooper===
[[Image:Woollahra House comparison.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The two houses called Woollahra House. The top photo shows the first house built in 1856 by Sir Daniel Cooper, and the bottom photo, with the same outbuildings in the foreground but a larger house in the background, shows the second "Woollahra House" built by William Charles Cooper in 1883]]
[[File:Woollahra House comparison.jpg|right|thumb|180px|The two houses called ''Woollahra House''. The top photo shows the first house built in 1856 by [[Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet|Sir Daniel Cooper]], and the bottom photo, with the same outbuildings in the foreground but a larger house in the background, shows the second ''Woollahra House'' built in 1883 by William Charles Cooper.]]
[[Image:Rose_Bay_Police_Station.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Rose Bay Police Station]]
[[File:Rose_Bay_Police_Station.JPG|right|thumb|180px|Rose Bay Police Station]]
{{main|Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet}}
Daniel Cooper was born in 1821 in Lancashire, England. He was the second son of Thomas Cooper, a merchant and came to Australia as a child with his parents. He returned to England at the age of 14 to complete his education but came back to Australia in 1843 and became a commercial partner with James Holt. He later became a member of Parliament and was elected as Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.<ref>Martin, A. W., "Cooper, Sir Daniel (1821–1902)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 3, Melbourne University Press, 1969, p. 452</ref> In 1846 he married Elizabeth Hill, who was the third daughter of William Hill Esq of Sydney. The couple had two sons and five daughters over the next thirteen years while they lived in Sydney.<ref>Burke, Sir Gernard, 1891, "Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry", E. A. Petherick and Co., p. 54</ref>
[[Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet|Daniel Cooper]] was born in 1821 in Lancashire, England. He was the second son of Thomas Cooper, a merchant and came to Australia as a child with his parents. He returned to England at the age of 14 to complete his education but came back to Australia in 1843 and became a commercial partner with James Holt. He later became a member of Parliament and was elected as Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.<ref name="AuDB Cooper, Daniel">{{cite AuDB |last=Martin |first=A. W. |id=cooper-sir-daniel-3253 |title=Cooper, Sir Daniel (1821–1902) |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> In 1846 he married Elizabeth Hill, who was the third daughter of William Hill of Sydney. Over the next thirteen years while they lived in Sydney, the couple had two sons and five daughters.<ref>{{cite book | author1=Burke, Bernard, Sir | author-link=Bernard Burke | title=A genealogical and heraldic history of the colonial gentry | year=1970 | publication-date=1891 | publisher=E. A. Petherick and Co. | isbn=978-0-8063-0415-1 | page=[https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera0000burk/page/54 54] | url=https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera0000burk/page/54 | url-access=registration }}</ref>


In 1856 Cooper started building Woollahra House, and to mark the occasion he held a very large ceremony to lay the foundation stone, at which 400 guests were present.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 15 December 1856, p. 5.</ref> While the house was being built, the Coopers lived in the nearby residence called [[Rose Bay Cottage, Sydney|Rose Bay Lodge]], which Daniel owned at that time. It is not certain when exactly the Cooper family moved into Woollahra House, but it was before 1860 as there is a birth notice for a son born at Rose Bay Lodge in July 1860 to the wife of Walter Lamb, who were known to be renting the Lodge at about this time.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 21 July 1860, p. 10</ref>
In 1856 Cooper started building ''Woollahra House'', and to mark the occasion he held a very large ceremony to lay the foundation stone, at which 400 guests were present.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Sydney Morning Herald. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12990017 |date=15 December 1856 |page=4 |accessdate=19 November 2019 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> While the house was being built, the Coopers lived in the nearby residence called ''[[Rose Bay Cottage, Sydney|Rose Bay Lodge]]'', also owned by Cooper. It is not certain when the Cooper family moved into ''Woollahra House'', although it was before 1860 as there is a birth notice for a son born at ''Rose Bay Lodge'' in July 1860 to the wife of Walter Lamb, who were known to be renting ''the Lodge'' at about this time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13043382 |title=Births, Deaths, and Marriages |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=21 July 1860 |page=10 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>


Cooper sailed to England with his family in 1861 and did not return.<ref name="AuDB Cooper, Daniel"/> Cooper retained ownership of ''Woollahra House'' for the next 22 years while he lived in England. [[Anthony Trollope]] during his visit to Australia in 1873 made the following observations about the original ''Woollahra House'':{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
The top photo on the right shows the house that Cooper built. The lower photo is the larger house built by his son in 1883. In both photos the out buildings in the foreground are the same but the houses in the background are different, showing that two separate houses called Woollahra House were actually built.


{{block quote|"''Woollahra'' is a magnificent property covered with villa and gardens, all looking down to the sea. In England it would be worth half a million of money."|[[Anthony Trollope]], 1873}}
Cooper did not live at Woollahra House for long as in 1861 he sailed to England with his family and did not return.<ref>Martin, A. W., p. 452.</ref> He did, however, retain ownership of the property for the next 22 years while he lived in England. [[Anthony Trollope]] in 1873 during his visit to Australia made some observations about the original house as follows;


===Edward Smith Hill===
:"Woollahra is a magnificent property covered with villa and gardens, all looking down to the sea. In England it would be worth half a million of money."
Edward Smith Hill was the brother in law of Sir Daniel Cooper. He came to ''Woollahra House'' in 1862 and stayed there until his death in 1880. His obituary of 1880 says that he resided at ''Woollahra House'' for the last 18 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hill, Edward Smith (1819–1880) |work=Obituaries Australia |publisher=National Centre of Biography, [[Australian National University]] |url=http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/hill-edward-smith-13704/text24487 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> Hill was the brother of Daniel Cooper's wife, Elizabeth, and of George Hill (1802–1883) who was the Mayor of Sydney in the 1850s.<ref name="AuDB George Hill">{{cite AuDB |last=Rutledge |first=Martha |year=1972 |title=Hill, George (1802–1883) |id=hill-george-3769 |pages=298-9 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>


Hill was born in 1819 in Sydney. His parents were William Hill and Mary Johnson, who had both been convicts and had subsequently acquired wealth through business. In 1844 Hill married Mary Ann Pye, the eldest daughter of Joseph Pye Esq., of {{NSWcity|Eastern Creek}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12415153 |title=Family Notices: Married |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=27 March 1844 |page=3 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> Hill became a wine and spirit merchant, and by the time he moved into ''Woollahra House'' he had retired and become a naturalist.<ref name="AuDB George Hill"/> He wrote several papers on flora and fauna and was interested in geology. Hill died after a long illness at ''Woollahra House'' in 1880, survived by his widow, Mary.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28385598 |title=News of the day |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=20 March 1880 |page=5 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>
==Edward Smith Hill==
The next resident of Woollahra House was Edward Smith Hill, who was the brother in law of Sir Daniel Cooper. He came to Woollahra House in 1862 and stayed there until his death in 1880. His obituary of 1880 says that he resided at Woollahra House for the last 18 years.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 20 March 1880, p. 5.</ref> Hill was the brother of Daniel Cooper's wife Elizabeth and of George Hill (1802–1883) who was the Mayor of Sydney in the 1850s.<ref>Rutledge M., 1972, “Hill, George (1802–1883), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 4, Melbourne Uni Press, pp. 298-9.</ref>


===William Charles Cooper===
Hill was born in 1819 in Sydney. His parents were William Hill and Mary Johnson, who had both been convicts but had acquired wealth through business. In 1844 he married Mary Ann Pye, the eldest daughter of Joseph Pye Esq., of Eastern Creek.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 27 March 1844, p. 3.</ref> Edward became a wine and spirit merchant, but by the time he moved into Woollahra House he had retired and become a naturalist.<ref>Rutledge M., 1972, p. 298.</ref> He wrote several papers on flora and fauna and was interested in geology.
William Charles Cooper was born in 1851 in Sydney.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15065036 |title=Death of Sir Daniel Cooper |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=15 June 1909 |page=7 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> He was the second son of Daniel Cooper, who built the first ''Woollahra House''. His mother was Elizabeth Hill, the third daughter of William Hill Esq of Sydney. When he was only one year old he inherited a great deal of property from his great uncle, Daniel Cooper and this was held in trust for him until he came of age in 1872.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Sharp, A. |editor1=Karskens, Grace |editor2=Rogowsky, Melita |title=Histories of Green Square: Waterloo, Alexandria, Zetland, Beaconsfield, Rosebery |publication-date=2004 |publisher=School of History, [[University of New South Wales]] |page=36 }}</ref>


In 1876 Cooper married Alice Helen Hill, and they had three sons and one daughter.<ref name="WCCooper obit"/> In 1882 Cooper purchased the original ''Woollahra House'' from his father, Sir Daniel, and in 1883 the foundation stone was laid by Mrs William Cooper for the second ''Woollahra House''. While the house was being constructed the Coopers lived at nearby ''Kambala'', then owned by [[Walter Lamb]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Latta, David |title=Lost glories: a memorial to forgotten Australian buildings |year=1986 |publication-date=1986 |publisher=Angus & Robertson |isbn=978-0-207-15268-9 |page=42 }}</ref> While he was in Sydney Cooper had an interest in horseracing and owned several notable racehorses. He was elected committeeman of the [[Australian Jockey Club]] in 1887,<ref name="WCCooper obit">{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16239619 |title=Sir William Cooper; Death announced; Former Sydney resident |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=4 September 1925 |page=13 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> but in the following year he resigned as the family decided to live in England. Although he left Sydney in 1888 William Cooper retained ownership of ''Woollahra House'' until 1899 and either rented it or allowed his friends and relatives to reside there for short periods.
He died after a long illness at Woollahra House in 1880 and left his wife as a widow without children.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 20 March 1880, p. 5.</ref>


==William Charles Cooper==
===Lady Isabella Martin===
Isabella Martin was born in 1832 in Sydney; the eldest daughter of William Long, who owned ''[[Tusculum]]'' in Potts Point. Long was a wine and spirit merchant who had become very wealthy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary of Lady Martin |work=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |location=Tasmania |date=13 April 1909 |page=5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Martin, Lady Isabella (1832–1909) |work=Obituaries Australia |publisher=National Centre of Biography, [[Australian National University]] |url=http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/martin-lady-isabella-28037/text35763 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> In 1853 Isabella married [[James Martin (premier)|Sir James Martin]], a lawyer and later [[Premier of New South Wales]] and [[Chief Justice of New South Wales]].<ref name="AuDB Martin, Sir James">{{cite AuDB |last=Nairn |first=Bede |year=1974 |title=Martin, Sir James (1820–1886) |id=martin-sir-james-4161 |pages=216-9 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>
William Charles Cooper was born in 1851 in Sydney.<ref>New South Wales, Births Deaths and Marriages</ref> He was the second son of Daniel Cooper, who built the first Woollahra house. His mother was Elizabeth Hill, the third daughter of William Hill Esq of Sydney. When he was only one year old he inherited a great deal of property from his great uncle, Daniel Cooper and this was held in trust for him until he came of age in 1872.<ref>Sharp A. et al, 2004, “Histories of Green Square”, University of NSW, p. 36.</ref>


By the middle of the 1870s Lady Martin had given birth to 15 children. Sir James Martin had bought ''Clarens'' in [[Potts Point, New South Wales|Potts Point]], but Lady Martin became increasingly dissatisfied with the house as her family grew, and it became too small for such a large number of children. She was also concerned about the location of the house. It was on [[Rushcutters Bay|Rushcutter's Bay]], which at that time was associated with an outbreak of typhoid fever.
In 1876 he married Alice Helen Hill, and they had three sons and one daughter.<ref>Obituary for Sir William Cooper, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 September 1925, p. 13</ref> In 1882 William purchased the original Woollahra House from his father Sir Daniel Cooper and in 1883 the foundation stone was laid by Mrs William Cooper for the second Woollahra House. While the house was being constructed the Coopers lived at nearby Kambala which was then owned by Walter Lamb.<ref>Latta, D. 1986 ‘Lost Glories: A Memorial to Forgotten Australian Buildings” , Angus and Robertson, p. 42.</ref>


In 1880 and 1881 her sister and two of her children died and she became increasingly concerned about the health of her family.<ref name="AuDB Martin, Sir James"/> She had inherited considerable wealth from her father, who had set up a Trust Fund for her in his will.<ref>{{cite news |title=Advertising: Auction Sales: The Lady Martin Trust |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15075748 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=25 December 1909 |page=14 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> In 1882 she left her husband and, with her own wealth, rented houses further away from the central part of Sydney.<ref name="AuDB Martin, Sir James"/> The first house she rented was ''[[Greycliffe House|Greycliffe]]'', {{NSWcity|Vaucluse}}, and the [[Sands Directory]] shows that she stayed there until 1889, when she moved to ''Woollahra House''. At this time the house was still owned by William Cooper, who had moved to England. The Sands Directory shows that she rented ''Woollahra House'' from 1889 until 1892. The beach at the front of the house was later named Lady Martin Beach in her honour.
While he was in Sydney Cooper had an interest in horseracing and owned several notable racehorses. He was elected committeeman of the Australian Jockey Club in 1887,<ref>Obituary for Sir William Cooper, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 September 1925, p. 13</ref> but in the following year he resigned as the family decided to live in England. Although he left Sydney in 1888 William Cooper retained ownership of Woollahra House until 1899 and either rented it or allowed his friends and relatives to reside there for short periods.


===Sir and Lady Paston-Cooper===
==Lady Isabella Martin==
[[File:Woollahra House garden party.jpg|thumb|A garden party hosted by Lady Paston-Cooper at ''Woollahra House'' in 1897, as published in ''[[The Sydney Mail]]''.<ref name="garden party"/>]]
Isabella Martin was born in 1832 in Sydney. She was the eldest daughter of Mr William Long, who owned Tusculum in Potts Point. Long was a wine and spirit merchant who had become very wealthy.<ref>Obituary of Lady Martin, The Mercury (Tasmania) 13 April 1909, p. 5.</ref>
Sir and Lady Astley Paston-Cooper were English and they lived at ''Woollahra House'' during a visit to Australia from 1896 until 1898. They frequently appeared in the social columns of the Sydney newspapers because they liked to entertain. ''[[The Sydney Mail]]'' gave the following description of a garden party held at ''Woollahra House'' in 1897:<ref name="garden party">''[[The Sydney Mail]]'', 25 September 1897, pp. 650, 662.</ref>


{{block quote|The Woollahra House grounds are so pretty that to those who visited the place for the first time the charm of the situation appealed very strongly. Lady Cooper was assisted in her reception duties by the Hon. Mrs. Ferguson and also by Sir Astley Paston Cooper and was exceedingly kind in looking after the pleaure of her guests, who must have numbered over 200. A tent was erected on one of the terraces of the lawn, where everyone regaled themselves with delicious strawberries and crem, a luxury that seems one of the chief attractions of garden fetes. Tea and dainty sweets were served in the ballroom which was generously decorated with masses of arum lilies and the choicest of other blossoms.|''[[The Sydney Mail]]''}}
In 1853 Isabella married [[James Martin (Australian politician)|Sir James Martin]], who was a lawyer and later [[Premier of New South Wales]] and [[Chief Justice of New South Wales]].<ref>Nairn, B. 1974, “Martin, Sir James (1820–1886) “, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 5, Melbourne University Press, pp. 216-9.</ref>


In 1898 William Cooper decided to live in England permanently. In 1899 the estate, which at that time was {{convert|16|ha|acre|0}}, was subdivided and put on the market. ''Woollahra House'' retained {{convert|2|ha|acre|0|spell=on}} of this area. A description of the house was advertised as follows:<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14213487 |title=Advertising |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=10 May 1899 |page=3 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>
By the middle of the 1870s Lady Martin had born 15 children. Sir James Martin had bought 'Clarens' in [[Potts Point, New South Wales|Potts Point]], but Lady Martin became increasingly dissatisfied with the house as her family grew, and it became too small for such a large number of children. She was also concerned about the location of the house. It was on Rushcutter's Bay, which at that time was associated with an outbreak of typhoid fever.


{{block quote|This splendid residence is built of stone and contains the following large accommodation. On the ground floor a delightful drawing-room, attractive library, morning-room, study and gentleman’s room, superior dining-room, magnificent wide hall leading to the handsome and attractive ballroom and splendid billiard-room. On the first floor there are eleven bedrooms besides drawing-room, boudoir, linen rooms, servants sleeping rooms and several bathrooms. The mansion is two stories in height, and verandahs and balconies are extensive and wide. The out conveniences are numerous and include large stone stable, coach houses, man's rooms etc and domestic offices.|Advertisement, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', May 1899.}}
In 1880 and 1881 her sister and two of her children died and she became increasingly concerned about the health of her family.<ref>Nairn, B. 1974</ref> She had inherited considerable wealth from her father, who had set up a Trust Fund for her in his will.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 25 December 1909, p. 14.</ref> In 1882 she left her husband and, with her own wealth, rented houses further away from the central part of Sydney.<ref>Nairn, B. 1974</ref> The first house she rented was Greycliffe in Vaucluse, and the [[Sands Directory]] shows that she stayed there until 1889, when she moved to Woollahra House. At this time the house was still owned by William Charles Cooper, who had moved to England. The Sands Directory shows that she rented Woollahra House from 1889 until 1892. The beach at the front of the house was later named Lady Martin Beach in her honour.


===Thomas Longworth===
==Sir and Lady Paston-Cooper==
[[File:William Longworth circa 1912.jpg|thumb|[[William Longworth]] (1892–1969), the son of Thomas Longworth, competed in the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympic Games]] while a resident of ''Woollahra House''.]]
Sir and Lady Astley Paston-Cooper were English, and they stayed at Woollahra House from 1896 until 1898 during a visit to Australia. During this time they frequently appeared in the social columns of the Sydney newspapers because they liked to entertain. In 1897 Lady Paston-Cooper gave a garden party at Woollahra House, and a photograph (see below) was published in ''[[The Sydney Mail]]''.<ref>''The Sydney Mail'', 25 September 1897, p. 662.</ref>
Thomas Longworth bought ''Woollahra House'' in 1899 and lived there until his death in 1927. Longworth lived in ''Woollahra House'' longer than any other resident. Born in 1857 in {{NSWcity|Newcastle}}, his parents were Thomas Longworth and Rose Gardiner, who were from the Channel Islands. Longworth worked in a coal mine, first in Newcastle and then in {{NSWcity|Singleton}} when the family opened their own small mine there.<ref name="AuDB Thomas Longworth">{{cite AuDB |last=Atchison |first=John |year=1986 |title=Longworth, Thomas (1857–1927)|id=longworth-thomas-7764 |pages=143-4 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref> In 1884 he married Frances Nowlan and over the next twenty years they had a family of seven sons and two daughters. One of their sons, [[William Longworth|William]] was a very good swimmer, and while he was a resident of ''Woollahra House'', competed at the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympic Games]].<ref>{{cite AuDB |author=Walsh, G. P. |year=1986 |title=Longworth, William (Bill) (1892–1969) |id=longworth-william-bill-7233 |page=144 |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>
[[Image:Woollahra House garden party.jpg|centre|thumb|500px|A garden party given by Lady Paston-Cooper at Woollahra House in 1897.]]
The paper gave the following description of the event.


In 1894 Longworth became a member of the [[Great Cobar mine#Great Cobar Mining Syndicate (1894-1906)|Great Cobar Mining Syndicate]] which reopened the Cobar Copper Mine and considerably expanded and improved it. In 1908 this syndicate founded the Australian Woollen Mills in {{NSWcity|Marrickville}}, and Longworth was the chairman until 1927. During [[World War I]] the mill produced large quantities of khaki for the [[First Australian Imperial Force|1st Australian Imperial Force]]. Longworth also had interests in brickworks, potteries, timber-mills and pastoral properties and accumulated considerable wealth. While Longworth owned ''Woollahra House'' he furthered his interest in racehorses and owned, with his brother, several notable thoroughbreds. He also built a steam yacht called ''Cobar'' for use on Sydney Harbour. Longworth died at ''Woollahra House'' in 1927.<ref name="AuDB Thomas Longworth"/>
:"The Woollahra House grounds are so pretty that to those who visited the place for the first time the charm of the situation appealed very strongly. Lady Cooper was assisted in her reception duties by the Hon. Mrs. Ferguson and also by Sir Astley Paston Cooper and was exceedingly kind in looking after the pleaure of her guests, who must have numbered over 200. A tent was erected on one of the terraces of the lawn, where everyone regaled themselves with delicious strawberries and crem, a luxury that seems one of the chief attractions of garden fetes. Tea and dainty sweets were served in the ballroom which was generously decorated with masses of arum lilies and the choicest of other blossoms."<ref>''The Sydney Mail'', 25 September 1897, p. 650.</ref>


In 1929 the house was sold to a business group who subdivided and sold the land and marketed the house as a site "for demolition and removal within four months of the date of sale".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16537930 |title=Advertising |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=14 March 1929 |page=4 |via=Trove, [[National Library of Australia]] |access-date=19 November 2019 }}</ref>
In 1898 William Charles Cooper decided to live in England permanently. The following year in 1899 the estate, which at that time was 16 hectares, was subdivided and put on the market. Woollahra House retained 2 hectares of this area. A description of the house was given in the newspaper advertisement.


== Surviving buildings ==
:”This splendid residence is built of stone and contains the following large accommodation.
The gatekeeper's lodge of ''Woollahra House'' still survives and is now the Rose Bay Police Station. The other substantial part which remains is the stables which were converted to the prestigious apartments of Wyuna Court. James Haydon Leslie Arnott, CEO [[Arnott's Biscuits]], bought the old stables, converted them and lived there until he died in 1931.{Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 26 February 1931 page 13 also, NSW Death Certificate states Mr Arnott died at Wyuna Court, his residence}

:On the ground floor a delightful drawing-room, attractive library, morning-room, study and gentleman’s room, superior dining-room, magnificent wide hall leading to the handsome and attractive ballroom and splendid billiard-room.

:On the first floor there are eleven bedrooms besides drawing-room, boudoir, linen rooms, servants sleeping rooms and several bathrooms.

:The mansion is two stories in height, and verandahs and balconies are extensive and wide. The out conveniences are numerous and include large stone stable, coach houses, man's rooms etc and domestic offices.<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 10 May 1899, p. 3.</ref>

Thomas Longworth bought the house and lived there until his death in 1927. He was the longest resident of Woollahra House

==Thomas Longworth==
[[Image:William Longworth circa 1912.jpg|right|thumb|150px|William Longworth (1892–1969), the son of Thomas Longworth, who competed in the Olympic Games of 1912 when he was still a resident of Woollahra House.]]

Thomas Longworth was born in 1857 at Newcastle. His parents were Thomas Longworth and Rose Gardiner, who were from the Channel Islands. Thomas worked in a coal mine, first in Newcastle and then in Singleton when the family opened their own small mine there.<ref>Atchison, J. 1986, “Longworth, Thomas (1857–1927)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 10, Melbourne University Press, 143-4.</ref>

In 1884 he married Frances Nowlan and over the next twenty years they had a large family of seven sons and two daughters. One of their sons, William, who was born in 1892, was a very good swimmer, and in 1912, while he was still a resident of Woollahra House, competed at the Olympic Games.<ref>Walsh, G. P., 1986, “Longworth, William (1892–1969)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 10, Melbourne University Press, p. 144.</ref> His photo at the Olympic Games is at the right.

In 1894 Thomas became a member of the Great Cobar Mining Syndicate which reopened the Cobar Copper Mine and considerably expanded and improved it. This syndicate later in 1908 founded the Australian Woollen Mills in Marrickville, and Thomas was the chairman here until 1927. During World War 1 the mill produced large quantities of khaki for the Australian Imperial Force. Thomas also had interests in brickworks, potteries, timber-mills and pastoral properties and accumulated considerable wealth.

While he lived at Woollahra House he furthered his interest in racehorses and owned, with his brother, several notable thoroughbreds. He also built a steam yacht called ''Cobar'' for use on Sydney Harbour. Thomas died at Woollahra House in 1927.<ref>Atchison, J. 1986, p.144.</ref>

In 1929 the house was sold to a business group who subdivided and sold the land and marketed the house as a site "for demolition and removal within four months of the date of sale".<ref>Sydney Morning Herald, 14 March 1929, p. 4.</ref>

==Surviving buildings of Woollahra House==
The gatekeeper's lodge of Woollahra House still survives and is now the Rose Bay Police Station. The other substantial part which remains is the stables which were converted to the prestigious apartments of Wyuna Court. The following photos show the stables as they were in 1929 when the house was sold. There is also a photo taken two years later showing them converted to Wyuna court with the partly bare demolition site of Woollahra house still visible.

James Haydon Leslie Arnott, CEO Arnott's Biscuits, bought the old stables, converted them and lived there until he died in 1931.
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| caption2 = 1931 aerial photo showing Wyuna Court (labelled) & the still bare demolition site of Woollahra House
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{{Commons category|Woollahra House}}
{{Commons category|Point Piper, New South Wales}}


==References==
==References==
{{Commons category}}
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{{coord|-33.8658|151.2540|type:landmark_region:AU|display=title}}


[[Category:Houses in Sydney]]
[[Category:Houses in Sydney]]

Latest revision as of 01:27, 6 October 2024

This article is about a former mansion in Sydney. For the existing historic villa in Brisbane, see Woolahra, Brisbane.
Woollahra House
The second Woollahra House, c. 1885, built in 1883 by William Charles Cooper
Woollahra House is located in Sydney
Woollahra House
Location in greater Sydney
General information
TypeMansion
LocationPoint Piper, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°51′57″S 151°15′14″E / 33.8658°S 151.2540°E / -33.8658; 151.2540
Completed1856 (1856)
Client

Woollahra House refers to two mansions built on the same site in Point Piper, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first house was built in 1856 by Sir Daniel Cooper and the second by his son, William Charles Cooper, in 1883. Both houses have been demolished, but two buildings still remain from the original structure. The gatekeeper's lodge from Sir Daniel Cooper's house, which was built in 1871, is now the Rose Bay Police Station, and the stables which are now Wyuna Court, a prestigious block of apartments. These buildings in the Municipality of Woollahra are of some historical interest.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Sir Daniel Cooper

[edit]
The two houses called Woollahra House. The top photo shows the first house built in 1856 by Sir Daniel Cooper, and the bottom photo, with the same outbuildings in the foreground but a larger house in the background, shows the second Woollahra House built in 1883 by William Charles Cooper.
Rose Bay Police Station
Main article: Sir Daniel Cooper, 1st Baronet

Daniel Cooper was born in 1821 in Lancashire, England. He was the second son of Thomas Cooper, a merchant and came to Australia as a child with his parents. He returned to England at the age of 14 to complete his education but came back to Australia in 1843 and became a commercial partner with James Holt. He later became a member of Parliament and was elected as Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.[1] In 1846 he married Elizabeth Hill, who was the third daughter of William Hill of Sydney. Over the next thirteen years while they lived in Sydney, the couple had two sons and five daughters.[2]

In 1856 Cooper started building Woollahra House, and to mark the occasion he held a very large ceremony to lay the foundation stone, at which 400 guests were present.[3] While the house was being built, the Coopers lived in the nearby residence called Rose Bay Lodge, also owned by Cooper. It is not certain when the Cooper family moved into Woollahra House, although it was before 1860 as there is a birth notice for a son born at Rose Bay Lodge in July 1860 to the wife of Walter Lamb, who were known to be renting the Lodge at about this time.[4]

Cooper sailed to England with his family in 1861 and did not return.[1] Cooper retained ownership of Woollahra House for the next 22 years while he lived in England. Anthony Trollope during his visit to Australia in 1873 made the following observations about the original Woollahra House:[citation needed]

"Woollahra is a magnificent property covered with villa and gardens, all looking down to the sea. In England it would be worth half a million of money."

— Anthony Trollope, 1873

Edward Smith Hill

[edit]

Edward Smith Hill was the brother in law of Sir Daniel Cooper. He came to Woollahra House in 1862 and stayed there until his death in 1880. His obituary of 1880 says that he resided at Woollahra House for the last 18 years.[5] Hill was the brother of Daniel Cooper's wife, Elizabeth, and of George Hill (1802–1883) who was the Mayor of Sydney in the 1850s.[6]

Hill was born in 1819 in Sydney. His parents were William Hill and Mary Johnson, who had both been convicts and had subsequently acquired wealth through business. In 1844 Hill married Mary Ann Pye, the eldest daughter of Joseph Pye Esq., of Eastern Creek.[7] Hill became a wine and spirit merchant, and by the time he moved into Woollahra House he had retired and become a naturalist.[6] He wrote several papers on flora and fauna and was interested in geology. Hill died after a long illness at Woollahra House in 1880, survived by his widow, Mary.[8]

William Charles Cooper

[edit]

William Charles Cooper was born in 1851 in Sydney.[9] He was the second son of Daniel Cooper, who built the first Woollahra House. His mother was Elizabeth Hill, the third daughter of William Hill Esq of Sydney. When he was only one year old he inherited a great deal of property from his great uncle, Daniel Cooper and this was held in trust for him until he came of age in 1872.[10]

In 1876 Cooper married Alice Helen Hill, and they had three sons and one daughter.[11] In 1882 Cooper purchased the original Woollahra House from his father, Sir Daniel, and in 1883 the foundation stone was laid by Mrs William Cooper for the second Woollahra House. While the house was being constructed the Coopers lived at nearby Kambala, then owned by Walter Lamb.[12] While he was in Sydney Cooper had an interest in horseracing and owned several notable racehorses. He was elected committeeman of the Australian Jockey Club in 1887,[11] but in the following year he resigned as the family decided to live in England. Although he left Sydney in 1888 William Cooper retained ownership of Woollahra House until 1899 and either rented it or allowed his friends and relatives to reside there for short periods.

Lady Isabella Martin

[edit]

Isabella Martin was born in 1832 in Sydney; the eldest daughter of William Long, who owned Tusculum in Potts Point. Long was a wine and spirit merchant who had become very wealthy.[13][14] In 1853 Isabella married Sir James Martin, a lawyer and later Premier of New South Wales and Chief Justice of New South Wales.[15]

By the middle of the 1870s Lady Martin had given birth to 15 children. Sir James Martin had bought Clarens in Potts Point, but Lady Martin became increasingly dissatisfied with the house as her family grew, and it became too small for such a large number of children. She was also concerned about the location of the house. It was on Rushcutter's Bay, which at that time was associated with an outbreak of typhoid fever.

In 1880 and 1881 her sister and two of her children died and she became increasingly concerned about the health of her family.[15] She had inherited considerable wealth from her father, who had set up a Trust Fund for her in his will.[16] In 1882 she left her husband and, with her own wealth, rented houses further away from the central part of Sydney.[15] The first house she rented was Greycliffe, Vaucluse, and the Sands Directory shows that she stayed there until 1889, when she moved to Woollahra House. At this time the house was still owned by William Cooper, who had moved to England. The Sands Directory shows that she rented Woollahra House from 1889 until 1892. The beach at the front of the house was later named Lady Martin Beach in her honour.

Sir and Lady Paston-Cooper

[edit]
A garden party hosted by Lady Paston-Cooper at Woollahra House in 1897, as published in The Sydney Mail.[17]

Sir and Lady Astley Paston-Cooper were English and they lived at Woollahra House during a visit to Australia from 1896 until 1898. They frequently appeared in the social columns of the Sydney newspapers because they liked to entertain. The Sydney Mail gave the following description of a garden party held at Woollahra House in 1897:[17]

The Woollahra House grounds are so pretty that to those who visited the place for the first time the charm of the situation appealed very strongly. Lady Cooper was assisted in her reception duties by the Hon. Mrs. Ferguson and also by Sir Astley Paston Cooper and was exceedingly kind in looking after the pleaure of her guests, who must have numbered over 200. A tent was erected on one of the terraces of the lawn, where everyone regaled themselves with delicious strawberries and crem, a luxury that seems one of the chief attractions of garden fetes. Tea and dainty sweets were served in the ballroom which was generously decorated with masses of arum lilies and the choicest of other blossoms.

— The Sydney Mail

In 1898 William Cooper decided to live in England permanently. In 1899 the estate, which at that time was 16 hectares (40 acres), was subdivided and put on the market. Woollahra House retained two hectares (five acres) of this area. A description of the house was advertised as follows:[18]

This splendid residence is built of stone and contains the following large accommodation. On the ground floor a delightful drawing-room, attractive library, morning-room, study and gentleman’s room, superior dining-room, magnificent wide hall leading to the handsome and attractive ballroom and splendid billiard-room. On the first floor there are eleven bedrooms besides drawing-room, boudoir, linen rooms, servants sleeping rooms and several bathrooms. The mansion is two stories in height, and verandahs and balconies are extensive and wide. The out conveniences are numerous and include large stone stable, coach houses, man's rooms etc and domestic offices.

— Advertisement, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 1899.

Thomas Longworth

[edit]
William Longworth (1892–1969), the son of Thomas Longworth, competed in the 1912 Olympic Games while a resident of Woollahra House.

Thomas Longworth bought Woollahra House in 1899 and lived there until his death in 1927. Longworth lived in Woollahra House longer than any other resident. Born in 1857 in Newcastle, his parents were Thomas Longworth and Rose Gardiner, who were from the Channel Islands. Longworth worked in a coal mine, first in Newcastle and then in Singleton when the family opened their own small mine there.[19] In 1884 he married Frances Nowlan and over the next twenty years they had a family of seven sons and two daughters. One of their sons, William was a very good swimmer, and while he was a resident of Woollahra House, competed at the 1912 Olympic Games.[20]

In 1894 Longworth became a member of the Great Cobar Mining Syndicate which reopened the Cobar Copper Mine and considerably expanded and improved it. In 1908 this syndicate founded the Australian Woollen Mills in Marrickville, and Longworth was the chairman until 1927. During World War I the mill produced large quantities of khaki for the 1st Australian Imperial Force. Longworth also had interests in brickworks, potteries, timber-mills and pastoral properties and accumulated considerable wealth. While Longworth owned Woollahra House he furthered his interest in racehorses and owned, with his brother, several notable thoroughbreds. He also built a steam yacht called Cobar for use on Sydney Harbour. Longworth died at Woollahra House in 1927.[19]

In 1929 the house was sold to a business group who subdivided and sold the land and marketed the house as a site "for demolition and removal within four months of the date of sale".[21]

Surviving buildings

[edit]

The gatekeeper's lodge of Woollahra House still survives and is now the Rose Bay Police Station. The other substantial part which remains is the stables which were converted to the prestigious apartments of Wyuna Court. James Haydon Leslie Arnott, CEO Arnott's Biscuits, bought the old stables, converted them and lived there until he died in 1931.{Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 26 February 1931 page 13 also, NSW Death Certificate states Mr Arnott died at Wyuna Court, his residence}

Stables at Woollahra House, 1929
Aerial photo showing Wyuna Court (labelled) and the still bare demolition site of Woollahra House, 1931

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Woollahra House.
  1. ^ a b Martin, A. W. "Cooper, Sir Daniel (1821–1902)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  2. ^ Burke, Bernard, Sir (1970). A genealogical and heraldic history of the colonial gentry. E. A. Petherick and Co. (published 1891). p. 54. ISBN 978-0-8063-0415-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald". 15 December 1856. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Births, Deaths, and Marriages". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 July 1860. p. 10. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Hill, Edward Smith (1819–1880)". Obituaries Australia. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b Rutledge, Martha (1972). "Hill, George (1802–1883)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 298–9. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Family Notices: Married". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 March 1844. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "News of the day". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 March 1880. p. 5. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Death of Sir Daniel Cooper". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 June 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Sharp, A. (2004). Karskens, Grace; Rogowsky, Melita (eds.). Histories of Green Square: Waterloo, Alexandria, Zetland, Beaconsfield, Rosebery. School of History, University of New South Wales. p. 36.
  11. ^ a b "Sir William Cooper; Death announced; Former Sydney resident". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 1925. p. 13. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ Latta, David (1986). Lost glories: a memorial to forgotten Australian buildings. Angus & Robertson. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-207-15268-9.
  13. ^ "Obituary of Lady Martin". The Mercury. Tasmania. 13 April 1909. p. 5.
  14. ^ "Martin, Lady Isabella (1832–1909)". Obituaries Australia. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  15. ^ a b c Nairn, Bede (1974). "Martin, Sir James (1820–1886)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 216–9. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Advertising: Auction Sales: The Lady Martin Trust". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 December 1909. p. 14. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ a b The Sydney Mail, 25 September 1897, pp. 650, 662.
  18. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 May 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ a b Atchison, John (1986). "Longworth, Thomas (1857–1927)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 143–4. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  20. ^ Walsh, G. P. (1986). "Longworth, William (Bill) (1892–1969)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 March 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2019 – via Trove, National Library of Australia.
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