Darlinghurst: Heritage Items: Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh

- Register of the National Estate, NSW Heritage Act

Oh, to live in Stoneleigh,

If only it could be.

Ms Violet Tingle of Stoneleigh,

Sounds so right to me.

I so badly want to live in this mansion at 1A Darley Street, but it hasn't been on the market since 1990 - when it sold for $3.18 million. I wonder how much I would have to pay for the keys 20-years later? It's my dream Darlinghurst pad and I haven't even been inside. I can only imagine what it's like . . . the marble floors, high ceilings and the parties I would host. And how I would have a room each, dedicated to day dresses, evening gowns, high-heeled shoes and feathered head-pieces. And a library, of course. And maybe even a room purely for flower arrangement, with a sink, custom shelves to hold vases and a large bench stocked with scissors and ribbons. And it would be really useful to have a writing room, flooded in sunshine with a desk next to the largest window. I'd also definitely have a little cocktail lounge with big comfortable chairs, an old record player and a well-stocked bar.

But this two-storey Victorian Regency home, with its beautiful colonnades and fine hedge, is not only grand, glamorous and unattainable, it has an interesting history too.

Stoneleigh was built for distinguished solicitor William Barker in 1860 - the same year Abraham Lincoln was elected US President, Anton Chekhov was born and Charles Dickins published the first instalment of Great Expectations.

Mr Barker, a church-going colonist, was born in Ireland in 1815 and came to Australia in 1830, at the wee-age of 15. By the time he was 38, Mr Barker was important enough to be granted 28 parcels of land in Darlinghurst and the surrounding area. Seven years later he built Stoneleigh, on the highest point in the hood.

Mr Barker once ran as the candidate for the seat of East Sydney and lost, not surprisingly in retrospect, to Sir Henry Parkes, the Father of Federation who went on to serve five terms as NSW Premier (and who also had his own mansion, Kenilworth, designed by John Young in distinctive Gothic style on Johnston Street, Annandale, in Sydney's inner west - it sold for a measly $3.35 million in 2007).

Mr Barker was a partner in the firm, Norton, Son and Barker, and was once offered a District Court Judgeship, but declined the position because he preferred private practice. He died suddenly at his home in Bondi in 1879, aged just 64.

I am not certain of when Mr Barker vacated Stoneleigh for Bondi but from 1870, ten years after it was built, the grand home belonged to Richard Jones, founder of the Maitland Mercury newspaper (still published by Fairfax) and a former chairman of the Commonwealth Bank. Jones died inside Stoneleigh on August 25, 1892. Apparently on that day, each year, his ghost appears in the kitchen asking for a cup of tea.

I made that bit up, but it's highly possible.

In 1895 the home moved into the hands of another banking big-wig, Sir J. Russell French, general manager of the Bank of NSW, and he stayed at Stoneleigh for ten years.

From 1907 the building operated as a boarding house and was owned by Henry Tongue. I could find no further details about this boarding house period or the curious Mr Tongue, but in 1912 Stoneleigh was snapped up by the Marist Brothers High School, which occupied the neighbouring building, now known as Alexandra Flats.

When the Marist Brothers sold up in '68, I can only assume that Stoneleigh - which for a brief spell went under the decidedly less romantic name, Greencourt - was resumed as a private residence.

I'm not sure who is living there today - there is often a black Porsche in the driveway - but two rather obscure businesses have their address at Stoneleigh.

The first is called Stoneleigh Gallery and judging by their website, they are a wholesaler of deluxe silk flowers. At one time they were listed with NSW Tourism and appear to have invited travellers in to the property to peruse the gardens and its artfully placed urns - drats that I missed this!

The other business is called Liberon Waxes, which is the name of a cult bees' wax polish for wooden furnishing. Just listen to this guff from a wax website:

''Liberon Beeswax Polish brings back that memory of a time when the pace of life was less hectic and when drying and wood-denaturing aerosol waxes had yet to be invented.''

I guess Stoneleigh evokes the same memories . . . I often sit around, idly day-dreaming about the less hectic pace of life I would have at Stoneleigh, and how I would definitely employ a cleaner, because there was no way I was looking after that big old mansion on my own.

Darlinghurst: Food: Tigerbakers Cafe

With gale force winds hitting Sydney and Plane tree dust hazard-alerts issued by the Bureau of Allergies, I ditched my usual Saturday morning food trip to the Kings Cross Markets yesterday for the safety of indoors at the cosy and colourful Tigerbakers Cafe.

It was a well-timed visit too, because the cafe at 292 Victoria Street only reopened a couple of weeks ago following a mini-renovation and makeover.

I'm not a regular at Tigerbakers so it is hard to notice the changes, but it seems cleaner and more comfortable. The outdoor tables have been upgraded, the inside bar has been redesigned, embroidered cushions appear new and the walls are now lined with little boxes containing curios. There's also a chainsaw sitting on a top shelf, just in case some rogue Daleks should make an appearance.

I suppose it could also come in handy for night-time Plane tree removal.

On this Saturday morning Tigerbakers was packed with a diverse range of people, from modellish-looking young trendies, to older men in love, mothers with their daughters and lone women with laptops.

Tigerbakers recently introduced free wi-fi. It also now has a liquor licence and offers bar food and drinks in the evenings, when previously it was closed.

Tigerbakers is not just about the food and drinks though, art takes a starring role: a brilliant tiger leaps across an emerald blue backdrop on the cafe's roller-shutter and the same beast can be found on an inside wall:

There's also a mural decorating the ceiling and canvases and framed paintings lining the walls from the front door, all the way to the bathrooms out back. Tigerbakers's website features profiles of the artists, which include Justin Feuerring, whose chalk, pavement illustrations of men's faces were once a regular part of the Darlinghurst street-scene.

Despite all these great visual distractions, the chef hasn't forgotten to take care with the food, which is lovingly prepared. My friend, Hildred Moore, had hotcakes with berries and maple syrup, which she described between mouthfuls as ''really good''.

I ordered a BLT, which came within a hot, crispy round bun:

It was a perfectly balanced sandwich and a bit of a bargain too at only $8.

On top of everything, Tigerbakers's waiters were very friendly and super-efficient. I was so happy and comfortable on my cushioned bench that this could easily become my new brunch haunt.

*

Tigerbakers Cafe

292 Victoria Street

0415 200 474

www.tigerbakers.com

Across the Border: Surry Hills: Maya Vegetarian

Even just writing about Maya Vegetarian, at 468-472 Cleveland Street, in Surry Hills, makes me crave Indian food. Maya is worth crossing the border for and I do so regularly just to eat there (but I dash back to Darlinghurst once I have eaten).

Maya is one of those restaurants that you need to eat at, at least once every one or two months, for nourishment. Even on the days when I have gone to Maya, and not been that excited or hungry, the moment I walk inside and I'm hit by the smell of their curries, I'm suddenly famished and end up eating like a pig. My excuse for eating so much is because nothing else tastes like it, and I'd never be able to replicate the dishes at home. I almost always go there with my friend, photo-meister John Webber, so that I am not alone in my pigginess.

Maya is nothing fancy, just a little canteen on busy Cleveland Street that has wooden chairs and tables without cloths, spread across two dining rooms with tiled floors. You order at the counter, take a number on a stand, find some cutlery, napkins and plastic cups of water, and then hopefully gain a seat facing out towards Cleveland Street so you can watch the world go by.

There are a few large-screen televisions mounted on the walls, which feature the latest Bollywood extravaganza, just to set the mood.

For a while the walls were decorated in photographs of the owner's expensive sports car, but at the moment they are dotted with small blackboards with cute quotes, such as, ''I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals, I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants - A. Whitney Brown''.

I almost always go to Maya on Sundays when I am feeling a little rat-shit from the night before and need pepping up. I was there last Sunday, with John Webber, and we ordered what we always order on Sundays. First up, Lassi:

And before we have even taken three sips, the waiter arrives with our Aloo Tikki:

The Aloo Tikki is only available on weekends and is a bargain at $5.90. Aloo means potato and Tikki means cake - I think - so it is basically two large potato cakes, dressed with chickpea curry, spicy sauces, some crunchy Indian noodle-ish snacks, slices of fresh red onion and coriander leaves.

This is perhaps not the best photograph, because once again I have dived in before remembering to take a picture (because it is just so tasty) but you must go to Maya this weekend and order it.

The other dish we always share is the South Indian Thali for $13.90. I prefer the South to the North, because you are given pooris with the South, and japatis with the North. And I love pooris, those flaky, hot, puffy rounds of bread that are best torn apart and then used as a claw to pick up the curries.

Thali refers to the round metal dish that the seven little metal pots, rice, pooris, pickle, papadum, fresh cucumber and tomato are served upon. The seven little pots contain four overly-yummy curries, rasam, which is a sourish, thin, lentil and tomato soup, raita and a creamy rice and pistachio dessert.

My favourite curry, which we weren't given this weekend, is made from kidney beans or some dark, small bean, which is sitting in the most scrumptious sauce that maybe has a dash of cream. I have no idea what it is called but one day I am going to plead our favourite, dark-eyed waiter for the recipe. That curry is so good, it could pass for meat, but it is all, purely vego.

The other curries, either dry or in gravy, are usually a mix of vegetables or lentils or a combination of both, but each have their own unique flavours, textures and levels of spiciness.

Maya Vegetarian must have been so successful the owners were able to open a meat version, Maya Da Dhaba, across the road about six years ago. Then about four years ago they opened Maya Tandoori in the floor above Maya Vegetarian. Business is booming and I am so happy for them because in about 2001 the kitchen of Maya Vegetarian burnt down and they had to close the doors and start from scratch.

Maya Da Dhaba and Maya Tandoori are good, but I have only eaten there a few times, whereas I continually return to Maya Vegetarian.

And despite the fact that I am always so disgustingly full when I have finished the thali, I always make sure to grab a take-out gulab jaman in sugary syrup from their extensive sweets selection, to eat later.

*

Maya Vegetarian

468-472 Cleveland Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

02 9699 8633

www.mayavegetarian.com.au

Darlinghurst: Heritage Items: Alexandra Flats

Alexandra Flats

- Register of the National Estate, City of Sydney Council Heritage List

This three-storey, sprawling Federation Free Style building, taking up 280-296 Liverpool Street, was home to the Marist Brothers High School from 1911 to 1968. There were then plans to demolish the building and construct some Canberra-style, 13-story apartment building on the site. How fortunate that this never happened.

While the plans were put on hold and the building sat dormant, some very clever artists, actors and musicians decided to use the large rooms for rehearsals, gigs and studio space. One such group, known as the Side F/X collective, squatted in the building for about 20 years. The building is just a hop away from the National Art School so it was very convenient.

I had a friend who squatted at a disused building in Woolloomooloo during the 1970s and 80s. When the state government wanted the site back, my friend and his squatter colleagues refused to budge. The fight went on for a while until the government promised it would subsidise the squatters' rents if they would just move the hell out.

To this day my friend only pays 25 per cent of the market rate for the lease of his very fancy apartment in Rose Bay, in Sydney's east.

The Side F/X collective was evicted from Alexandra Flats in March 1981 when a developer purchased the building for $600,000 and converted the former school into 17 residential apartments.

The following year a three-bedroom apartment with a balcony would have set you back $180,000, which was actually quite a lot for the early 80s.

In March this year a similar property in Alexandra Flats sold for $1.305 million, which is actually quite a lot too.

I've never been inside the flats, so I don't know what I am missing.

Darlinghurst: Plant Life: City of Sydney Council's Potted Colour

Every now and then the City of Sydney Council reveals its truly potted side, by installing unusual flower and leaf planter-box sculptures on the footpaths in a bid to spruce up the neighbourhood.

The latest crop of kooky-shaped, green-sculptures arrived last week and if I had more time on my hands, I would have gone to Reverse Garbage in Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west, to purchase art and craft supplies, off-cuts and other materials, so I could creep out in the middle of the night and turn these:

Into these:

I wouldn't need much, just some old tennis balls, pieces of cardboard, maybe some kind of round-ducted device and a handful of sticks, and in a few crafty minutes the streets of Darlinghurst would be invaded by Daleks:

Perhaps I do have too much time on my hands though, because I also dreamt up an idea for a budget craft attack, whereby I would find some old vacuum-cleaner hoses to transform the planter-boxes into that dinky robot from Lost in Space:

But the Dalek urge is much stronger and the similarity uncanny, so despite the City of Sydney Council's intention to inspire thoughts of Spring-growth and plant lovin', I only think, ''Ex-ter-minate! Ex-ter-minate!''

Since Dr Who's foes were installed, near Poos on Sticks on Victoria Street, I have also started having peculiar day-dreams that a seemingly innocent floral-Dalek such as this . . .

. . . would one day pop open to reveal this:

Argh!

But I'm still trying to work out what to make of this:

Darlinghurst: Heritage Items: Novar

Novar

- Register of the National Estate, City of Sydney Council Heritage List

This Victorian Italianate-style villa at 298 Liverpool Street, on the corner of Darley Street, was built way back in 1880, so is now 130-years-old. And it doesn't look too bad for an old fella.

The NSW Heritage Branch says changes were made to the building in the 1930s, significantly an overlay of ''stripped Classical style'', which I assume means the once decorative facade was pared back, although there are still elements of Victorian decoration along the rim of the roof.

There's also an ugly, white drain-pipe running down the building, which I believe was added in the late 20th or early 21st Century.

I would love to look inside this building, which sold for $1.95 million in 2000, because it's one of the area's few mansion-houses that hasn't been converted into flats.

I have seen a young family coming and going from its Darley Street doorway and while I am slightly jealous of their home, this still isn't one of my favourite Darlinghurst buildings.

Again, it's a privacy issue for me: Novar's windows open right on to the street, so if left open, passers-by could easily stick their heads in.

My friend, Ruby Molteno, said she saw a For Sale sign outside Novar a few weeks ago, but I can find no record of it being listed for sale.

Across the Border: Kings Cross: New York Restaurant Photographs by John Webber

Take-Out Roast, The New York Restaurant, Kings Cross

Photograph by John Webber, 2010

When my photographer friend, John Webber, heard about the impending closure of the New York Restaurant, which I wrote about in a previous post, he grabbed his Canon camera and zipped over to the diner at 18 Kellett Street.

And I am so glad he did.

John Webber has lived in and around Kings Cross and Surry Hills for most of his adult life - if indeed he could be termed a "grown-up". He began his career in photography in the 1970s, shooting jewellery for magazines and advertisements and later took food shots for restaurant light-box displays (if you've ever seen a photograph of a Mr Whippy ice-cream, chances are John Webber took it).

In the 1980s he was employed as the staff photographer for Countdown magazine, which was a tie-in with the ABC TV music-program hosted by Molly Meldrum. During his years with Countdown, John Webber photographed hundreds of Australian and international musicians, including Hunters and Collectors, Mental As Anything, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol and Madonna.

As a result, he has dozens of stories to tell too.

In the 1990s he moved to Terraplanet publishing, based in Surry Hills, and worked across their titles, which included Australian Style, Monument, Juice and HQ. It was on Juice, a dedicated music magazine, that John Webber was able to express his creative side by each year shooting and printing a photo series for the Juice Annual.

The Juice Annual photos were heavily styled, quirky and published in punchy, vibrant colour. One such photo was of Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin in a 1950s kitchen. Luhrmann wore a dress and apron and was holding up a plate of lamingtons, while Martin, dressed as a little school boy, sat perched on the kitchen bench.

Other photos included musician Kylie Minogue sitting on the bonnet of a hoon-car eating watermelon, actor David Wenham in a strip-joint (shot at the original Dancers Cabaret), and my favourite Darlinghurst-based actor, Hugo Weaving, playing a game of pool.

All the pictures were shot on John Webber's medium-format Hasselblad and printed on his home colour-machine as large broad-sheet sized prints.

These days John Webber uses the much less expensive digital method, but as you can see in the following pictures the results are still fabulous, even though he considers them his ''spares'' (he's keeping the even better ones for himself).

John Webber is presently working on a project with writer Louis Nowra to document the Kings Cross area. If you would like to contact him about photography, his email address is johnwebber33@hotmail.com

He took these photographs on the last night of the New York Restaurant on Saturday October 2, 2010.

New Yorker, New York Restaurant, Kings Cross

Photograph by John Webber, 2010

The Boss, New York Restaurant, Kings Cross

Photograph by John Webber, 2010

Last Supper, New York Restaurant, Kings Cross

Photograph by John Webber, 2010

Diners, New York Restaurant, Kings Cross

Photograph by John Webber, 2010