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A Burwood estate that includes a 200-year-old mansion as well as Australia’s first ever prefabricated home is going to auction.
‘Wellings’ is located at 4 Woodside Avenue East and is one of the oldest and largest estates in the Inner West, sitting on nearly an acre of land (3,679m²) and built in 1813 circa.
The estate offers not only the main residence but also ‘The Gatehouse’ a separate three bedroom home that sits in the front yard and was originally the first ever kit-home designed in Germany.
“After being on exhibition in Paris in 1854, The Gatehouse was transported to Hunters Hill for the French Consul General to live in. It was then relocated to the front yard of ‘Wellings’ in 1967 and set up as a museum of an 1800s English home which people paid to come and view.
“When the museum opened in 1970, Prime Minister, Billy McMahon and his wife attended the launch,” Janeta Biviano, selling agent at Ray White Burwood explains.
The current owners, Franceso and Marcellina Civardi, purchased the property for over $900,000 in 1990. The previous owners lived in the property from 1953 up until the property sold in 1990.
“In those days $900,000 was a huge amount of money. Both residences were dilapidated and unlivable when Mr and Mrs Civardi bought the estate. The last renovation was made in 1947 and took away a lot of the property’s original grandeur.
“Mr Civardi, who is a craftsman, rebuilt the home alongside a heritage architect from the foundations up and restored all the original features,” Ms Biviano said.
Creating custom-made finishings, it took several years to complete the main residence and the gatehouse, followed by another year of furnishing the home.
“The facade of the property was restored identical to the original building - you can’t spot the difference.
“Some of the furniture was custom built for the home, some sourced from antique auctions and there are a few original pieces that came with the property,” Ms Biviano said.
After the main residence was complete, Mr Civardi extended ‘The Gatehouse’ - again identical to the original design - and created a two storey, three bedroom residence.
As Mr and Mrs Civardi’s children have grown up, they have decided to downsize and spend more time travelling in their retirement years.
“We’ll go through a few boxes of tissues when we leave here. Lots of wonderful memories, even weddings under a marquee in the garden with 200 of our family and friends."
“We love the space and privacy of the home; it’s completely tranquil but still so close to the City and Burwood’s town centre - you really get the best of both worlds here,” Mrs Civardi said.
The Colonial style mansion and Gatehouse are both National Heritage Listed properties and part of the Burwood heritage walk. The estate also featured in the 2005 movie, Son of Mask.
‘Wellings’ will go to auction on 16 August at 2.30pm. Viewing throughout the auction campaign will be by appointment. Mrs Biviano says the market will play a significant role in determining the value of the property.
“There aren’t any comparable properties in the area - ‘Wellings’ is truly the only estate of its kind,” Mrs Biviano concludes.
