TIME HONOURED

This grand heritage house in Sydney's east was is just waiting for the right owners and architect to come along and give it a contemporary and enduring new lease on life.

- JUDY PASCOE 

The potential of this heritage-listed Queen Annestyle mansion in a prominent position in Sydney's eastern suburbs was undeniable yet, surprisingly, so many prospective buyers had overlooked it. Fortunately there was one family keen to take on the challenge and with the vision to see the gracious and significant home it could become.

Dating from 1895, the home is one of a group of similar properties in the suburb. Expansive in size - more than 800sqm over four storeys - and enjoying spectacular views it had undergone a series of unfortunate alterations from the 1940s to 90s.

Campbell Architecture principal Hugh Campbell and project architect Gregory Phillips were engaged to transform the house, reinstating the street presence and glorious proportions while creating a family home suitable for a contemporary lifestyle.

"Having been divided into two flats, the verandahs enclosed and the garages obscuring the house from the street, it had been stylistically neutered," says Hugh. However, luckily, much of the internal heritage detailing, including the ornate plaster ceilings, Australian cedar staircase and vibrant stained-glass windows, had just been covered over rather than removed.