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Presented as an occupied and cherished home located at 334 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove. Phone: 9428 1364.
Venue Bookings
Carisbrook is the perfect venue for a wedding. The period setting is an ideal backdrop for photography and film shoots.Carisbrook is also available for private celebrations.
Hiring enquiries for weddings, garden functions and special events, please contact Council's Facilities Officer on (02) 9911 3620.
For house tours, please
ring Mr. Terry Eakin, House Manager, Carisbrook on(02) 9428 1364.
History
Built from local sandstone with a slate roof, Carisbrook stands
on an eighteen-acre grant of Burns Bay land originally acquired
by John Clarke in 1835.
By 1861, John Clarke's land with the adjoining Linley grant were
owned by Rachael Brooks. It was occupied by Rachael and her husband
Thomas Brooks, a customs officer, together with Thomas's two sons,
Thomas Jr and Charles. They lived in a weather-board cottage near
the water, complete with a wharf, stables and gardens.
The land in Lane Cove at this time was commonly used for market
gardens and orchids. Woodcutting was also a source of income for
local people. Small industries such as tanning were underway in
the area. The barrier of the river made the area something of a
backwater: transport to Sydney was by rowing boat across to the
Hunters Hill ferry, or by riding or walking some distance downstream
to Woodford Bay and other wharves.
In the early 1880s, as plans for the Fig-Tree Bridge moved closer
to realisation, the Brooks family applied to subdivide their land.
they set aside a substantial area, more than an acre, and built
the stone house, Carisbrook, on it using a honey-coloured sand-stone
probably quarried on the Brooks' land. The rest of the estate was
subdivided into standard housing blocks, and auctioned.
The house is Italianate in style, its asymmetrical facade, faceted
bay window and low-pitched roof being motifs much favoured by Victorian
architects and clients.
Carisbrook remains the oldest surviving house in its area, its fabric
largely intact. It was bought in 1969, by Lane Cove Council which
maintains it. A permanent conservation order was placed on the house
by the Heritage Council of NSW in 1981.
Lane Cove Historical Society has furnished the house to the mid-Victorian
period with an extensive collection of antiques and hand-worked
household utensils. Guided tours, public programmes, film and photo
shoots and other special events are also arranged by this society.
Carisbrook's magnificent gardens and grounds still run down to Burns
Bay, connecting the house with the river which was such a vital
element in settlement and transport in its earlier days.
Carisbrook is owned by Lane Cove Council. The collections, tours
and other interpretive programs are provided by the
Lane Cove Historical
Society.
Why not consider joining The Friends of Carisbrook? The Friends
run events focussed on collections, history, antiques and Victorian
interiors.
Opening hours
Carisbrook is open to the public at the following times: Wednesdays,
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays (excluding Christmas
Day and Good Friday) from 11am to 4pm.
For further information on Carisbrook House, download the Carisbrook Museum House brochure or visit the NSW
Heritage Office Website and search for its listing on the State
Heritage Inventory and State Heritage Register.
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