John Macarthur

John Macarthur (1767 - April 10 1834), husband of Elizabeth Macarthur, was a British army officer, entreprenuer, politician, and architect. He is noted as the architect of the Elizabeth Farm House, his own residence in Parramatta, and as the man who commissioned architect John Verge to design Camden Park Estate in Camden, New South Wales.

## Architectural Legacy

### Elizabeth Farm

Elizabeth Farm House is one of the oldest remaining farmhouses in Australia, though all that remains of the initial house is said to be one room.

Macarthur wrote to his brother:

"In the centre of my farm I have built a most excellent brick house, 68 feet (21m) in front, and 18 feet (5.5m) in breadth. It has no upper story, but consists of four rooms on the ground floor…"

The initial house was rectangular in plan, divided down the middle by a hallway with two rooms on either side. The house underwent many changes both immediately after construction and over time, the first of which being the addition of the north verandah. The verandah was a sign of prestige which indicated that the occupant was of a more leisured social class. The Elizabeth Farm verandah is also believed to be one of the first of its nature in Australia giving birth to a feature which has become characteristic of rural homesteads in the country, a tradition that continues to the present day.

Hambleden Cottage was built in the early 1824 (by John Macarthur and Henry Kitchen), in the early Colonial Georgian style, a few hundred yards away at the bottom of the hill that Elizabeth Farm House sat upon making this homestead a group of buildings. The cottage was first occupied by John Macarthur's son, Edward, later becoming the home to a former governess.

Both the House and Cottage have managed to survive to the present day. Elizabeth Farm is managed by Sydney Living Museums (The Historic Houses Trust of NSW) while the cottage is run by the Parramatta and District Historical Society.

### Camden Park

The estate consisted of 5000 acres of prime pasture land with two notable dwellings; the Camden Park House and the Belgenny Cottage.

The original Belgenny Cottage was designed and built by Henry Kitchen in the 1820s. Its symmetrical Georgian style has been heavily altered from theoriginal, retaining only some of the original vernacular. The cottage stood as the John Macarthur's residence whilst he awaited completion of the Camden Park House.

Macarthur had then decided that the family would relocate to Camden and in turn, he commissioned Camden Park House. It was completed in 1835, just after the death of John Macarthur, having been supervised by his sons James and William Macarthur. John Verge and Mortimer Lewis drew up plans for Macarthur regarding the house and the design by Verge was subsequently chosen. The house stands on a rise amid its plantation of trees presenting its original Palladian style, columned portico towards the garden side. A two story wing was added in 1880 giving the overall look of the dwelling one akin with Old Colonial Regency. It is built of brick that has been stuccoed and limned like stone which combines with the use of local sandstone for the window surrounds and columns to add texture and color to the building.

The descendants of John Macarthur continue to live in the Camden Park House.