Cranbrook, Bellevue Hill

Cranbrook is a large house built at Rose Bay in Sydney, Australia in 1859. It is now one of the buildings of Cranbrook School

The Rose Bay house was built in 1859 by Robert Tooth (1821–1893), one of three brothers of the well known Sydney Tooth's Brewery family. It was named after a village in Kent, England from where the Tooth Family originated. His brother Frederick, also inherited adjoining land and on this he built his house called "Buckhurst".

In 1864 Tooth sold Cranbrook to Robert Towns who was a successful Sydney merchant, shipping company owner, the founder of the city of Townsville, Queensland and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was married to Sophia Wentworth (sister to William Wentworth) and had two sons and three daughters. When Towns died in 1873, Cranbrook was sold to James White.

James White was a pastoralist and racehorse owner. He was born in 1828 in New South Wales to relatively wealthy parents. In 1853 in partnership with his two brothers he bought Belltrees near Scone and expanded it. In about 1860 James bought Matindale near Muswellbrook where he lived with his wife Emily (née Arndell) until 1873. During this time he was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the Upper Hunter. He resigned from parliament in 1868.

In 1873 he bought Cranbrook and employed John Horbury Hunt,a prominent architect, to carry out large extensions on this property. He then moved in with his wife Emily and brought into his house expensive art treasures including pictures by Italian German and English painters. In 1874 he was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council and over the next decade held many important posts in the Societies of that day.

White's art treasures were described in detail in a publication of that time as follows;

These art treasures are shown below in photos of the hallway and drawing room.

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