Early Colonial Homes of the Sydney Region 1788-1838 by Daphne Kingston

'Early Colonial Homes of the Sydney Region' is an important survey of the remaining homes which were constructed within the first 50 years of the new Colony. It is also a survey of farmhouses evocative of early Australia - Georgian farmhouses; jerkin-head farmhouses; ruined farmhouses; and the farmhouses with deep verandahs. The drawings also show mansions, including the mansions of architect John Verge. Included is a variety of early anonymous domestic architecture and some modern houses which have 'swallowed' an earlier dwelling. Many buildings can be found in locations their original owners would have found surprising: totally enclosed within modern houses developments (Experiment Farm, Parramatta); within the grounds of a Detention Centre (Newington, Silverwater) and Odyssey House Drug Rehabilitation Centre (Robin Hood Farm Minto); within a Golf Course (Merrymount, Cattai and Glenmore, Mulgoa); beside the Camden Airport, watching light aircraft and gliders (Hassall Cottage, Camden); or as part of a Girls' School (Barham, East Sydney). Some homes were saved from the developers 'in the nick of time' (Joyce Farm House, Baulkham Hills and McDonalds Farm, Ermington); many have come to the brink of destruction and been miraculously saved. This is a book to enjoy - to read - and keep. It will be interesting to see how many of these Colonial homes last into the next century. The jacket shows Hadley Park, Castlereagh.