Verandah post
Maker & role
Bubb & Son (estab. 1856, closed 1867), Manufacturer
Production date
1850s-1860s
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Object detail
Production place
Measurements
0 - Whole, L: 284.5 x W: 27.5 x D: 6cm (L: 2845 x W: 275 x D: 60mm)
Signature & marks
Impressed in base: 'BUBB & SON. / VICTORIA FOUNDRY / SYDNEY'
Credit line
Gift, University of New South Wales, 1991
Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Cast iron filigree, flat grille column, Bubb & Son, Sydney, 1850s-60s.
Description
Cast iron filigree, flat grille column; one of a pair that survives from Subiaco, Rydalmere NSW (previous known as The Vineyard).
In 1791, Phillip Schaffer, farmer and former superintendent of convicts, was granted 140 acres of land on the Parramatta River which he called The Vineyard. By 1813, it was purchased by Macarthur who lived in the small cottage on site with his wife and children until his new, grand Greek-Revival style house was built. Designed by John Verge and completed in 1836, the house is almost universally described by architectural historians as one of Sydney’s finest colonial homes.
Emmeline Macarthur, Macarthur’s daughter, recalled the building process while she lived on site: "Everything was done by workmen on the estate, building, furniture, & upholstery in temporary workshops at a distance. Our childish delight was to watch all these various works from the brick kiln to the carpenter’s shavings." The site proved to be idyllic with its large gardens, orchards and terraced vineyard and the grand house was frequently used for entertaining visiting dignitaries, military officers and scientific exploration parties.
The financial crisis of the 1840s forced Macarthur to reluctantly sell The Vineyard, which was purchased in late 1848 by Archbishop Polding for the Benedictine nuns as their first priory in Australia. In March 1851 the property also became a boarding school for girls and was renamed Subiaco. New school buildings were constructed in the 1850s, increasing teaching space, and a verandah was added in 1868-69 to the upper floor on front of the house to provide weather protection.
Most of the land was sold off in the 1920s so that by mid-century only seven acres remained. The once pastoral area became increasingly industrial and the nuns sold the property in 1957 to a Benedictine order of monks. Three years later the monks sold the property to Rheem Australia Pty Ltd, which owned the neighbouring factory. Despite considerable protest from the National Trust and other interested groups, the house was demolished in 1961. The architectural merit of the building meant that both the National Trust and the University of NSW acquired numerous architectural elements, some of which were reused in other locations. The Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection (CSL&RC) architectural remnant material from Subiaco was acquired in the early 1990s from two sources: the University of NSW and a private individual and it comprises the entrance door fanlight and sidelight, a pair of timber capitals and sandstone bases (but not their columns) and a pair of timber pilasters from the main hall. Also held is a pair of mid-19th century flat cast-iron grille columns from one of the school buildings.
In 1791, Phillip Schaffer, farmer and former superintendent of convicts, was granted 140 acres of land on the Parramatta River which he called The Vineyard. By 1813, it was purchased by Macarthur who lived in the small cottage on site with his wife and children until his new, grand Greek-Revival style house was built. Designed by John Verge and completed in 1836, the house is almost universally described by architectural historians as one of Sydney’s finest colonial homes.
Emmeline Macarthur, Macarthur’s daughter, recalled the building process while she lived on site: "Everything was done by workmen on the estate, building, furniture, & upholstery in temporary workshops at a distance. Our childish delight was to watch all these various works from the brick kiln to the carpenter’s shavings." The site proved to be idyllic with its large gardens, orchards and terraced vineyard and the grand house was frequently used for entertaining visiting dignitaries, military officers and scientific exploration parties.
The financial crisis of the 1840s forced Macarthur to reluctantly sell The Vineyard, which was purchased in late 1848 by Archbishop Polding for the Benedictine nuns as their first priory in Australia. In March 1851 the property also became a boarding school for girls and was renamed Subiaco. New school buildings were constructed in the 1850s, increasing teaching space, and a verandah was added in 1868-69 to the upper floor on front of the house to provide weather protection.
Most of the land was sold off in the 1920s so that by mid-century only seven acres remained. The once pastoral area became increasingly industrial and the nuns sold the property in 1957 to a Benedictine order of monks. Three years later the monks sold the property to Rheem Australia Pty Ltd, which owned the neighbouring factory. Despite considerable protest from the National Trust and other interested groups, the house was demolished in 1961. The architectural merit of the building meant that both the National Trust and the University of NSW acquired numerous architectural elements, some of which were reused in other locations. The Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection (CSL&RC) architectural remnant material from Subiaco was acquired in the early 1990s from two sources: the University of NSW and a private individual and it comprises the entrance door fanlight and sidelight, a pair of timber capitals and sandstone bases (but not their columns) and a pair of timber pilasters from the main hall. Also held is a pair of mid-19th century flat cast-iron grille columns from one of the school buildings.
Accession number
L93/20-7
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Sydney, NSW 2000
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