''Ginahgulla'', also known as Fairfax House, is a historic house in the

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 ...

suburb of Bellevue Hill,

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 ...

, Australia. Completed in 1858 in the Victorian Free Gothic style, ''Ginahgulla'' and its gardens are listed on the (now defunct) Australian

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

and the

Municipality of Woollahra Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...

local government heritage list.

History

This two-storey Gothic house is situated on the south side of Ginahgulla Road. It was built in 1858 by

John Fairfax John Fairfax (24 October 1804 – 16 June 1877) was an English-born journalist, company director, politician, librarian and newspaper owner, known for the incorporation of the major newspapers of modern-day Australia. Early life Fairfax was bo ...

, of the

Fairfax family Members of the Fairfax Family were prominent as Australian media proprietors, especially in the area of newspaper publishing through the company John Fairfax and Sons (later known as Fairfax Media, although the Fairfax family no long ...

of newspaper proprietors. It may have been designed by

Edmund Blacket Edmund Thomas Blacket (25 August 1817 – 9 February 1883) was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and Goulburn Cathedral (St. Saviour), St. Saviour's Cathedral, Goulbu ...

, who was otherwise distinguished as an ecclesiastical architect, responsible for many churches in the Sydney area. The Fairfax family used the house until 1945, when it was bought by the nearby independent school,

The Scots College The Scots College is an independent primary and secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for boys, predominantly located in , an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is affiliat ...

. The College uses the house as a boarding house and is sometimes known as "the house on the hill."Heritage of Australia, p.2/131

References

{{Commons category, Houses in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Houses completed in 1858 Victorian architecture in Sydney Houses in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales New South Wales places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate 1858 establishments in Australia Fairfax family (publishing) Edmund Blacket buildings in Sydney New South Wales Heritage Database