Woolley House, Heritage residence in New South Wales, Australia
Woolley House is a split-level residence at 34 Bullecourt Avenue, Mosman, designed by Ken Woolley and built in 1962 by Pettit, Sevitt and Partners. Its timber roof sections slope parallel to the land, following a series of garden terraces. The plan uses staggered internal levels, clinker brick, western red cedar boarding and quarry tiles.
The lot was subdivided from 11 Bickell Road in 1958. Ken Woolley designed the house, built in 1962 by Pettit, Sevitt and Partners; it won the AIA NSW Wilkinson Award that year. It joined the NSW State Heritage Register on 25 May 2001, was bequeathed to UNSW in 2016, and received the AIA National Award for Enduring Architecture in 2022.
The house takes its name from architect Ken Woolley, who designed it in 1962 before joining Ancher, Mortlock and Murray in 1964. A plaque below the Wilkinson Award plaque commemorates Yuana Hesketh, who lived here from 1985 to 2014, created the garden as it is now and worked for the house's conservation. Her husband Stephen Kenneth Hesketh bequeathed the property to the University of New South Wales in 2016 as a residence for visiting academics.
The house stands at 34 Bullecourt Avenue in Mosman, on a steep bushland block subdivided in 1958 from 11 Bickell Road. It is a private residence bequeathed to the University of New South Wales in 2016 as accommodation for visiting academics, so it is not open to the public. Views of the split-level form and the stone retaining walls laid by landscape architect Bruce McKenzie are possible from the street.
The stone retaining walls in the steep garden were laid by landscape architect Bruce McKenzie, who also did some planting; his private garden work is rare. A plaque below the Wilkinson Award plaque commemorates Yuana Hesketh, who lived here from 1985 to 2014 and created the garden as it is now.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,410 contributors worldwide.