Carrick Hill

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Carrick House the main building on the Carrick Hill property.

Carrick Hill is a publicly accessible property at the foot of the Adelaide hills, in the suburb of Springfield, in South Australia. It was the Adelaide home of Sir Edward "Bill" Hayward and his wife Lady Ursula (née Barr-Smith), and contains a large collection of drawings, sculptures, antiques and paintings. Completed in 1939 and built in the style of an English manor, it is one of the few period homes in Australia to have survived with its grounds undiminished and most of its original contents intact.

[edit] History

The nearly 40-hectare property was the wedding gift of Ursula's father to the Haywards. After their marriage in 1935 the couple spent a year-long honeymoon in Europe. They bought many of the furnishings for their new home, including an imposing staircase, at the demolition sale of Beaudesert House in Staffordshire, England. Construction of Carrick House began in 1937 and was completed in 1939. During this time Ursula designed the gardens.

The Haywards claimed a number of well-known artists as close friends, and some of their work features in the collection that fills the house. Ursula was an artist in her own right, and her work is also represented.

[edit] Current usage

Carrick Hill was bequeathed to the state on Sir Edward's death in 1983 (his wife having predeceased him). It is open to the public for most of the year, but is closed during July for essential maintenance. An admission charge applies to the house, but not the gardens.

Carrick Hill regularly houses themed art exhibitions. On November 13, 2005 it hosted a reunion picnic for former staff of John Martin's, which was for many years owned by the Hayward family. The event coincided with the opening of a social history exhibition entitled "Johnnies Spirit of a State" and was held on the weekend of the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, which was founded by Sir Edward.