60 Australian Country HOMES
These pages: John Macarthur envisioned a country seat befitting his family’s standing in the colony
when he commissioned colonial architect John Verge to design the homestead. Unfortunately he died
before its completion and it fell to his sons to complete the project and its impressive garden surrounds. ›Kew and Lord Camden received his due
accord when the Macarthurs named their
property. By 1820, Camden Park boasted
a Merino stud of 300, 5000 cross-bred
Merino wool sheep and 700 cattle. Work
had also begun on the gardens and native
eucalypts were cleared to create pleasing
vistas and provide an Arcadian setting for
the homestead.
John Macarthur envisaged a country
seat befi tting his family’s standing in the
infant colony when he engaged colonial
architect John Verge to design the house
based on the Palladian principle of a
central two-storeyed block fl anked by
symmetrical pavilions. Using locally
quarried sandstone, and native timbers
including red cedar for the exquisite
joinery and ironbark for the fl oors, work
began in 1831. Outstanding features
included an internal shutter system for
defence and climate control, and three
Argand lamps, originally lit by whale
oil and converted to electricity around- The back stairs to the servants’
quarters were lined with lead to muffl e
the footsteps of the household staff. Sadly
John Macarthur died in 1934, just short
of seeing his dream home completed
the following year. It was left to his sons,
James and William, to furnish and turn
the house into a family home. William
was a keen botanist and collected and
traded plants from all over the world to
create a truly splendid garden.
“Camden Park is signifi cant for the
confl uence of the birth of agriculture in
this country,” John observes. “In addition
to the birthplace of the wool industry
the property played a vital role in the
development of dairying, horticulture
and viticulture. The Macarthurs were
not the fi rst to import grapevines, nor to
produce wine or export it from the colony.
But they were the fi rst to establish the
wine industry on a commercial scale in
Australia. Their wines and brandies won
many colonial and international awards.”
The underground cellar provided storage
for the wines and even today the bays
contain bottles, many with their original
labels, which attest to the property’s
reputation for wine before the vines were
destroyed by the grape-attacking aphid,
Phylloxera, in 1872.
“By the mid-19th century, Camden Park