Carrick Hill is a publicly accessible property at the foot of the Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 hills, in the suburb of Springfield

Springfield, South Australia

Springfield is an outer suburb of the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It is located in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges; around south-east of Adelaide's Central Business District. For the most part; the suburb is encompassed on a sloped portion of the Mounty Lofty Ranges,...

, in South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

. It was the Adelaide home of Sir Edward "Bill" Hayward

Edward Hayward

Sir Edward Waterfield Hayward was an Australian businessman, best known for owning and managing John Martin's, a chain of department stores in Adelaide, South Australia, and for instigating the Adelaide Christmas Pageant....

 and his wife Lady Ursula (née Barr-Smith), and contains a large collection of drawings, sculptures, antiques and paintings. Completed in 1939 and built in the style of an English manor, it is one of the few period homes in Australia to have survived with its grounds undiminished and most of its original contents intact.

History

The nearly 40-hectare property was the wedding gift of Ursula's father to the Haywards. After their marriage in 1935 the couple spent a year-long honeymoon in Europe. They bought many of the furnishings for their new home, including an imposing staircase, bought at the sale of Beaudesert House

Beaudesert (house)

Beaudesert was an estate and stately home on the southern edge of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. It was one of the family seats of the Paget family, the Marquesses of Anglesey...

 in Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Construction of Carrick House began in 1937 and was completed in 1939. During this time Lady Ursula designed the gardens.

The Haywards claimed a number of well-known artists as close friends, and some of their work features in the collection that fills the house. Ursula was an artist in her own right, and her work is also represented.

Current usage

Carrick Hill was bequeathed to the state on Sir Edward's death in 1983 (his wife having predeceased him). It is open to the public for most of the year, but is closed during July for essential maintenance. An admission charge applies to the house, but not the gardens.

Carrick Hill regularly houses themed art exhibitions. On November 13, 2005 it hosted a reunion picnic for former staff of John Martin's

John Martin & Co.

John Martin & Co. Ltd, colloquially known as John Martin's or simply Johnnies, was an Adelaide-based company which ran a popular chain of department stores in South Australia. It operated for more than 130 years, from 1866 until its closure in 1998...

, which was for many years owned by the Hayward family. The event coincided with the opening of a social history exhibition entitled "Johnnies Spirit of a State" and was held on the weekend of the Adelaide Christmas Pageant

Adelaide Christmas Pageant

The Adelaide Christmas Pageant is a parade held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the largest event of its kind in the world, attracting crowds of over 400,000 and televised to millions more...

, which was founded by Sir Edward.

External links

• Carrick Hill
  • Ursula Hayward
  • History - includes information about Sir Edward
• City of Mitcham: Carrick Hill
• Postcards: Carrick Hill's French connection
• Johnnies reunion picnic