Ayers House (Adelaide)
| Ayers House | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Regency |
| Address | 288 North Terrace |
| Town or city | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°55′18″S 138°36′34″E / 34.92167°S 138.60944°ECoordinates: 34°55′18″S 138°36′34″E / 34.92167°S 138.60944°E |
| Construction started | 1846 |
| Completed | 1876 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Sir George Strickland Kingston (attrib.) |
| Official name | Ayers House and former Coach House/Stables and Wall |
| Designated | 24 July 1980 |
| Reference no. | 10849 |
The Ayers House is the modern name for an historic mansion in Adelaide, South Australia located on North Terrace. It is named after Sir Henry Ayers, five times Premier of South Australia and wealthy industrialist, who occupied it from 1855 until 1897. It is the only mansion on North Terrace to have survived. The house was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register since 24 July 1980.
Plans for the historic two-storey mansion, which for the greater part of its existence was named Austral House, were developed in 1846 for William Paxton, an Adelaide chemist. It is constructed of local bluestone and is Regency period in style. The mansion is thought to have been designed by George Strickland Kingston. It was one of the first properties in Adelaide to be fitted with gas lighting.
In 1855, Sir Henry Ayers leased the property when it was a 9-room brick house. He transformed it into a 40-room mansion over a number of years during the 1860s and it was finally completed in 1876. The architect was Sir George Strickland Kingston who interpreted the work of Robert Kerr, a leading architect of the period in Britain.. Internally, the rooms of the mansion feature hand-painted ceilings, stencilled woodwork and contain memorabilia from the Ayers family, demonstrating the wealth of the owners at the time it was built. Ayers also commissioned the building of a basement to allow him to escape the hot Adelaide summers. During Ayers' parliamentary service, the house was used for Cabinet meetings, parliamentary dinners and grand balls.
In 1897 Ayers died, and in 1909, following an Adelaide Club ball at the house, Henry Newland proposed the club purchase the property and plans were drawn up then abandoned. Eventually, it was sold in 1914 to Arthur John Walkley and Henry Woodcock's company Austral Gardens Ltd. They built a dance hall "The Palais Royal" on its western side and entertainment areas to the east. Since then, the mansion has had many functions including a club for injured soldiers (from 1918 to 1922) and an open-air cafe (from 1914 to 1932). The State Government bought the property in 1926 to house nurses and to house a nurse training facility (it was opposite the Adelaide Hospital). Further dormitories were added in 1946 and were removed in 1973. Austral House was closed as a nurses' quarters in 1969.
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