''Belvedere'' is a heritage-listed residence at 7 Cranbrook Avenue, Cremorne,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, a suburb of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia. It was designed by

Alexander Stewart Jolly Alexander Stewart Jolly (1887–1957) was a Sydney-based architect, published poet and children's author in the early 20th century. His buildings are primarily in Sydney's northern suburbs and the north coast of New South Wales. His architectura ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 2 April 1999.

History

Built 1919 for grazier C. H. Stockman, who specified broad eaves and wide verandahs and generous proportions for the plan. The architect, Alexander Stewart Jolly, was a prominent and unorthodox architect influenced by a love and knowledge of timber, the

Californian Bungalow California bungalow is an alternative name for the American Craftsman style of residential architecture, when it was applied to small-to-medium-sized homes rather than the large " ultimate bungalow" houses of designers like Greene and Greene. Cal ...

movement and American "organic" architecture.LEP, 1989

Description

The house is an excellent example of the larger more mature Californian bungalow, and has all the typical elements of the larger more mature Californian bungalow style: planes of white rough-cast, areas of timber shingles, massive dark stained timber beams and low pitched, wide, sheltering

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

. There is a fine wide

veranda A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

h with polished timber floor and stained timber beams to the roof. The front door is recessed between two heavy rough-cast

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

which extend to, but do not support the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

overhand. The roof, which is an interesting interplay of planes, is formed of both hipped and gabled sections covered with slate. Jolly specialised in gadgets, and this house has a unique rotating cupboard between the kitchen and dining room. The whole house is in excellent condition. This building is designed in the Inter-War California Bungalow style. Single storey residence of Interwar California bungalow style. A vigorous and assured interpretation of the Californian bungalow; with deep overhanging roofs, dynamic asymmetry and cleverly exposed structural timbers. The California Bungalow was one of the most successful importations brought to Australian architecture and both ''Belvedere'' and '' Egglemont'' (11 Cranbrook Avenue) are impressive examples of this style of architecture. The bungalows are prominently located on the brow of a hill and have fine city views. ''Belvedere'' has wide verandahs to remind the client of his country home. The front door is recessed behind 2 heavy rough-cast piers which extend to the roof overhang. The roof, in turn, comprises hipped and gabled sections covered with slate. The bungalow incorporates planes of white rough-cast, areas of timber shingles, massive dark stained timber beams and low sheltering eaves. The front garden wall and gate continues the theme of rough-cast piers of the bungalow itself.Heritage Branch, Branch Manager's Report no.26/84, 26/1/1984

Heritage listing

As at 8 November 2007, see also under "Cranbrook Avenue Group" NSHS#1052. The house is generally regarded as one of the finest individual California Bungalow designs in NSW, described by J. M. Freeland as "an eloquent sculptural statement" which "anticipated later domestic work by nearly half a century". The RAIA regards it as "the best work of a highly individual designer" (architect Alexander Stuart Jolly).LEP, 1989. ''Belvedere'' was listed on the

on 2 April 1999.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution