Toorak House
Encyclopedia
Toorak House is a mansion located in Melbourne
, Australia
built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson. It is notable for its use as Melbourne's first Government House
and having inspired the name for the suburb of Toorak
.
Jackson is believed to have borrowed from Woiwurrung language, with words of similar pronunciation, meaning either black crow or reedy swamp.
Toorak House is presently owned by the Church of Sweden
abroad. It also houses the Consulate of Sweden. The Swedish Church is open for visitors daily.
Victorian architecture
style.
When Jackson died in 1851 it was leased to the Victorian government
in 1854 for use by the first Governor of Victoria, Captain
Sir
Charles Hotham
KCB
RN
and four of his successors until 1874 -- Sir
Henry Barkly
GCMG KCB, Sir
Charles Darling
KCB, John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury
and Sir
George Bowen PC
GCMG. Bishopscourt
in East Melbourne was then used before the present Government House
was occupied in 1876.
It reverted to being a private home in 1876, and was used as a Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
hostel during World War II
. In 1956 it was purchased by the Church of Sweden
, who converted the property into a church and community centre.
Exterior shots of the property and grounds were used in the 1980s Australian drama series Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
, where Toorak House doubled as the South Yarra/Toorak mansion inherited by central character Patricia Hamilton, and was featured in the series from 1982 to 1985.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson. It is notable for its use as Melbourne's first Government House
Government House, Melbourne
Government House, Melbourne is the office and official residence of the Governor of Victoria. It is set next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and surrounded by Kings Domain in Melbourne. It was the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia from 1901 to 1930...
and having inspired the name for the suburb of Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
.
Jackson is believed to have borrowed from Woiwurrung language, with words of similar pronunciation, meaning either black crow or reedy swamp.
Toorak House is presently owned by the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
abroad. It also houses the Consulate of Sweden. The Swedish Church is open for visitors daily.
History
Toorak House was built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson and designed by Samuel Jackson in the ItalianateItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
style.
When Jackson died in 1851 it was leased to the Victorian government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
in 1854 for use by the first Governor of Victoria, Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Charles Hotham
Charles Hotham
Sir Charles Hotham, KCB, RN was Lieutenant-governor and, later, Governor of Victoria, Australia from 22 June 1854 to 10 November 1855.-Early life:...
KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and four of his successors until 1874 -- Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Henry Barkly
Henry Barkly
Sir Henry Barkly, GCMG, KCB, FRS, FRGS was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences.-Early life and education:...
GCMG KCB, Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Charles Darling
Charles Henry Darling
Sir Charles Henry Darling KCB was a British colonial governor.He was born at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, the son of Major-General Henry Darling and nephew of General Sir Ralph Darling....
KCB, John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury
John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury
John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton, 3rd Viscount Canterbury KCB, GCMG , known as the Honourable Sir John Manners-Sutton between 1866 and 1869, was a British Tory politician and colonial administrator....
and Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
George Bowen PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
GCMG. Bishopscourt
Bishopscourt, East Melbourne
Bishopscourt is a large colonial mansion, located on Clarendon Street in East Melbourne, Australia.Designed by Newson & Blackburn using blue stone in a style of gothic architecture, it was completed in 1853. The red brick wing was added in 1903....
in East Melbourne was then used before the present Government House
Government House, Melbourne
Government House, Melbourne is the office and official residence of the Governor of Victoria. It is set next to the Royal Botanic Gardens and surrounded by Kings Domain in Melbourne. It was the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia from 1901 to 1930...
was occupied in 1876.
It reverted to being a private home in 1876, and was used as a Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II...
hostel during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1956 it was purchased by the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
, who converted the property into a church and community centre.
Exterior shots of the property and grounds were used in the 1980s Australian drama series Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
, where Toorak House doubled as the South Yarra/Toorak mansion inherited by central character Patricia Hamilton, and was featured in the series from 1982 to 1985.