Tresco, Victorian heritage house in Elizabeth Bay, Australia
Tresco is a two-storey sandstone house with a slate roof, built by Thomas Rowe from 1867 to 1868 at 97 Elizabeth Bay Road. Its Italianate entrance portico faces the street, while an open verandah on the north side overlooks Elizabeth Bay. The original 13-room plan included a coach house, stables and a single-storey kitchen to the south.
Thomas Rowe designed and built this Italianate villa between 1867 and 1883 on land originally part of Alexander Macleay's estate. The house was erected during Sydney's peak wealth period and reflects the construction ambitions of affluent residents of that era.
The name Tresco comes from the Isles of Scilly, and the house was one of the first built on the 1865 Macleay Point subdivision, where deeds required a house worth at least A£500 within five years. George Westgarth, resident from 1880 to 1891, laid out the summerhouse, fernery, boathouse and boat pound, and several of his eight children were born here.
The grounds feature eight bedrooms, two studies, and a separate two-bedroom flat situated across approximately 3,300 square meters. The property includes double garaging and immediate water access through multiple private moorings.
The 1865 subdivision covenant required a house worth at least £500 within five years; Thomas Rowe secured lot 48 and was among the first leaseholders to build. George Westgarth, resident from 1880 to 1891, added the east wing and laid out the summerhouse, fernery, boathouse and boat pound.
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