Wentworth Mausoleum and site

Item details


Name of item:	Wentworth Mausoleum and site
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Cemeteries and Burial Sites
Category:	Mausoleum/Tomb/Funeral Vault/Ossario
Location:	Lat: -33.8515637286 Long: 151.2749703850
Primary address:	Chapel Road, Vaucluse, NSW 2030
Parish:	Alexandria
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Woollahra
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	La Perouse

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	2		DP	871485
LOT	3		DP	871485

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Chapel Road	Vaucluse	Woollahra	Alexandria	Cumberland	Primary Address
Wentworth Road (off)	Vaucluse	Woollahra	Alexandria	Cumberland	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Anglican Church Property Trust	Religious Organisation

Statement of significance:


	The Wentworth Mausoleum’s significance is related to Vaucluse House, one of the few 19th century houses on Sydney Harbour retaining a significant part of its original estate setting. The Wentworth Mausoleum (by Mansfield Brothers, architects, 1872 - 1874) with its combination of built (chapel, vault, palisade fence and gates) and natural elements (rock plinth, sheltering rock escarpment and plantings) is significant as a work that demonstrates a continuity of Picturesque Movement landscape planning and architectural design (generally employing the Gothic Revival style) on the Vaucluse estate. This architectural and landscape planning were influenced by Sydney’s first and second Government Houses with a result that inner Sydney Harbour was ‘bookended’ by Gothic Revival complexes. The Wentworth Mausoleum is significant as it houses the remains of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and members of his family. Wentworth’s achievements included the first European crossing of the Blue Mountains (1813); campaigning for trial by jury and co-publishing the colony’s first independent newspaper, The Australian in 1824; the formation of the University of Sydney (Australia’s first university) in 1852; and drafting the bill for Representative Government of NSW, achieved in 1856.
	Date significance updated: 11 Jun 09
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Builder/Maker:	Mansfield Brothers, architects
Construction years:	1872-1874
Physical description:	The Wentworth Mausoleum site is between Chapel and Fitzwilliam Roads, Vaucluse. The lot occupies 128' of Chapel Road frontage and its north and south boundaries extend 162' and 218' respectively (CLSP, 1991). A vegetation survey of the site was undertaken in 1992 by Lorna Harrison, Landscape Architects P/L (Appendix B, CLSP, 1991). The earlier images of the site from the mid-19th century paintings clearly show the sandstone escarpment to the immediate east of the mausoleum. To the west of this unusual rock formation, agricultural clearing has taken place and the coastal forest has been replaced by open grassland. This unusual site was popular with the Wentworth family and appears in their correspondence as 'Parsley Hill' (CLSP, 1991). The Wentworth Mausoleum was commissioned by Sarah Wentworth (1805-1880) to house the remains of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and other members of her family. It was designed by Mansfield Brothers architects, in March 1872 - March 1874, having been conceived as a combination of built (mausoleum chapel, vault, palisade fence and gates) and natural elements. It was built over a rock from which Wentworth liked to view Sydney Harbour during his residence at Vaucluse (1827-1853 and 1861-62). This rock had an important role in vistas to and from Vaucluse House (owing to its siting north-east of the house) and in relation to the carriage drive by which visitors approached the house. The rock was overshadowed by a ridge / escarpment immediately to the east, which, with associated boulders, was to give the Mausoleum chapel and appropriately picturesque backdrop. By the early 20th century the Mausoleum was surrounded on three sides by lineal plantings of brushbox (Lophostemon confertus). The site also contains an evergreen / Southern magnolia / bull bay (Magnolia grandiflora) and regenerated sweet pittosporums (P.undulatum), a Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa) and coastal honeysuckle (Banksia integrifolia). 'The small sandstone chapel retains much of its original details. The roof retains its original polychrome terracotta tiles [in bands of red and cream] although the pinnacle at each corner has lost its finial [these were re-instated as part of restoration work by Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners in c. 1993]. Externally, the building's east and west elevations have been painted and lined in imitation of smooth ashlar [i.e. over actual stone ashlar], while the interior has a marble dado and plastered and painted upper walls. Cast plaster corbels in the shape of an angel support the roof trusses, and, at each junction of the purlins and rafters, there is a timber star. Dominating the chapel's interior is a large Carrara marble neo-classical sarcophagus commissioned by Sarah Wentworth in Europe in 1872. The floor is marble with black and white marble laid in a chequerboard forming a wide border. At the centre of the room is a raised slab that conceals the actual entrance to the crypt. The western elevation contains a stained glass window incorporating the Wentworth coat of arms and brass plaques on the walls commemorate members of the family. The original solid timber outer door was removed in the 1960s when the copper hood was installed over the entrance. The decorative iron inner gates are original.' Posthumous portrait busts of William Charles Wentworth (marked Bellman and Ivey of London) and Sarah Wentworth (by Achille Simonetti of Sydney), 1885, formerly located in the mausoleum, were transferred to Vaucluse House by the family in 1928, where they stand at the eastern end of the entrance hall. (Robert Griffin & Joy Hughes, Vaucluse House - A history & guide, Sydney, HHT, 2006). Just inside the door to the Mausoleum, after a section of hexagonal terracotta tiles, is a black and white marble mosaic depicting the twin-tailed Triton (the son of Neptune in Roman mythology) blowing his shell trumpet forms the threshold. The mosaic, laid in opus vermiculatum, was described as a 'Pompeian pavement' and is most likely a copy of a c. 1st-2nd century AD Roman mosaic acquired by Wentworth during the family's Grand Tour to Italy in 1858-59. The tails and fins of fish, fragments of the larger mosaic from which it has been cut, can be seen above the head and horn. A similar mosaic can be seen in the apodryterium of the Women's Baths at Pompeii. (pers.comm., Scott Hill, Historic Houses Trust of NSW). The Mausoleum's interior has three commemorative plaques on its side walls. Two are on the left hand side looking in, one on the right. Of the two on the left, the one nearest the door dates to c.1960 and commemorates William Charles Wentworth (1871-1949) and his wife Florence Denise Griffiths (1883-1960). The other further from the door and close to the sarcophagus is a plaque to Sarah Eleanor Wentworth (daughter of W.C. & Sarah Wentworth), who died 1847 in Corfu and of Isabella Christina Wentworth (daughter of W.C. & Sarah Wentworth)(1840-1856) who is interred here.The plaque on the right hand side wall close to the sarcophagus is to William Charles Wentworth, eldest son of W.C. & Sarah Wentworth (1827-1859) and Fitzwilliam Wentworth, second son of W.C & Sarah Wentworth (1833-1915). In 2015, a fourth commemorative plaque was installed within the Masoluem's interior in memory of Sarah Wentworth herself (1805-1880).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Physical condition is good.
	Date condition updated:11 Jun 09
Modifications and dates:	c. 1965 Mausoleum original solid timber outer door was removed (probably owing to decay) when the copper hood was installed over the entrance. Footpath and stairs to the Wentworth Memorial Church on the rock plateau above the Mausoleum added at this period.


Current use:	private family mausoleum, historic site
Former use:	Aboriginal land, colonial farm estate, private mausoleum

History

Historical notes:

Aboriginal Sydney:
When Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet landed, first in Botany Bay and then in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), in January 1788, he was met by people who had lived on this land for many thousands of years. At least 1,500 people lived in the area between Botany Bay and Broken Bay and the intermediate coast (Attenbrow, n.d.)

There were two main languages spoken in the Sydney region - Darug and Tharawal. The Darug language had two main dialects - one spoken along the coast and the other in the hinterland (west of present-day Parramatta). Tharawal was spoken to the south of Botany Bay and as far west as the Georges River and possibly Camden (ibid, n.d.)

People belonged to small groups (territorial clans) through which they were spiritually related to specific tracts of land - these clans included the Gadigal, Wanngal, Gamaragal, Wallumedegal and Boromedegal. The suffix 'gal' denotes 'people of', thus, for example, the Gadigal were the people of Gadi (also spelled Cadigal and Cadi respectively) (ibid, n.d.).

The 'district of Gadi' was reported to have stretched from South Head west to 'the cove adjoining this settlement' (Darling Harbour) - an area that would have included Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks. Watkin Tench referred to the Gadigal as 'those who reside in the bay of Cadi'. The 'bay of Cadi' is probably Kutti, the Aboriginal place name recorded for present-day Watsons Bay, and the present name of a small beach in the bay (ibid, n.d.).

The Centennial Parklands Conservation Management Plan contains the following report that provides in depth detail of the pre-colonial history of the lands that are present day Centennial Parklands, which is where the text on this page comes from: Pre-colonial Aboriginal land and resource use in Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks - assessment of historical and archaeological evidence for Centennial Parklands Conservation Management Plan (ibid, n.d.).

Vaucluse Estate:
Vaucluse Estate comprised the land originally granted to Thomas Laycock (80 acres, in 1793), Robert Cardell (25 acres, in 1795), Francis MacGlynn (40 acres) and William Charles Wentworth (370 acres granted, which, with his purchase of 145 acres in 1827, took the estate to a total size of 515 acres).

Vaucluse House commenced as a small stone cottage built for the eccentric Irish knight, Sir Henry Browne Hayes, who had purchased two adjacent grants Laycock's 80 acres and Cardell's 25 acres) in August 1803 (the house was actually sited on part of MacGlynn's holding). In April 1805 Hayes' friend and land agent, Samuel Breakwell, wrote that Sir Henry was 'building an handsome Stone House, where he intends to reside entirely at the Close [of] this year'. The remains of this cottage survive at the heart of Vaucluse House and determined its subsequent development. Hayes' house appears to have been L-shaped, with a terrace on its eastern side. While without a veranda, the cottage may have had French doors connecting the principal ground floor rooms with the garden. It was almost certainly conceived as a cottage orne or ornamental cottage for a gentleman.

The Vaucluse estate was purchased by William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) in 1827. Wentworth set about improving it, adding stables designed by George Cookney in 1829. Many of Wentworth's additions (those seen from Sydney Harbour) were in the Gothic Revival style of Sydney's Government House and included extensions of c. 1834-1842 attributed to James Hume, a drawing room attributed to Mortimer Lewis (1844-47) and a veranda with Gothic Revival detailing by J. F. Hilly, added in 1861-62. Wentworth's choice of the fashionably antiquarian Gothic Revival style was probably to suggest his ancient family lineage - he was related to the Wentworths of Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire, England and could trace his ancestry over twenty generations. Wentworth's immediate family connections were not so prestigious. His wife, Sarah (nee Cox, 1805-1880), the daughter of ex-convicts, worked as a milliner before their marriage in 1829 and suffered social isolation for having borne two of their children out of wedlock. Wentworth's own illegitimacy, convict mother and father's near conviction for highway robbery also were known. His attacks on the 'Exclusives' in colonial politics put him at odds with leading colonial families.

'As early as 1831, following the death of Sarah Wentworth's father, Francis Cox, William Charles Wentworth intended to have land consecrated and to build a family vault at Vaucluse. This did not eventuate in his lifetime but Wentworth had informed his family that he wished to be buried near a rocky outcrop on the hill above Parsley Bay. The site was visible from the front verandah of the house and overlooked both the harbour and the estate.

Earlier images of the site from the mid-19th century paintings clearly show the sandstone escarpment to the immediate east of the mausoleum. To the west of this unusual rock formation, agricultural clearing took place and the coastal forest was replaced by open grassland. This unusual site was popular with the Wentworth family and appears in their correspondence as 'Parsley Hill'. A burial site at Vaucluse had been chosen many years earlier and a letter from Sarah Wentworth in 1831 mentions the family's intention to construct a vault at Vaucluse. She insisted that the family vault be consecrated ground and the consecration ceremony was finally performed on the day of W.C. Wentworth's funeral at the tomb (CLSP, 1991, 1).

After Wentworth's death at the family's rented estate, Merly House, near Wimborne, Dorset, England in March 1872, Sarah Wentworth sent her son-in-law Thomas Fisher a sketch of the location and instructions that a vault was to be hewn out of a large single rock on the slope but 'left in its natural state outside'. Sarah informed Fisher that she would travel to Brussels to order marble for the vault and would also bring 'some Iron gates and railing to enclose it'. The vault was to be large - Eliza wrote: 'it was Papa's wish to have my grandfather, my Uncle & Willie & Bell & poor Nellie & we should all like to be there when our time comes.

The site was on the western slope of what the family called 'Parsley Hill' within view of Vaucluse House. The 1872 instructions for the tomb from Sarah were quite precise: '...on no account (are you) to allow the outside interfered with', she wrote to her son-in-law, John Fisher in May 1872 (CLSP, 1991, 1-2).

Sarah accepted the New South Wales Government's proposal to accord her husband the honours of a public funeral. The funeral service for William Charles Wentworth was held at St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral, Sydney, on 6 May 1873. The only women admitted to the congregation of 2,000 were female members of Wentworth's family. The cathedral's interior was entirely draped in black cloth, including the floor. On the polished cedar coffin lay 'two wreaths of immortelles and other plants mostly indigenous to Vaucluse'. At the conclusion of the service mourners proceeded to Vaucluse, the procession being so lengthy that 'when the first portion had reached ... Rushcutters Bay, the last of the carriages had not left George Street'. The day had been proclaimed a public holiday and 60,000 to 70,000 people lined the route to pay their respects.

Wentworth's state funeral service was the first ever state-funded funeral in colonial NSW. It was also the largest state funeral of 19th century Australia. By the time of his death, Wentworth was probably the most famous Australian. For many reasons, he had permeated most people's lives, in one way or another. He was the founder of the free press in Australia. He founded Sydney University, the colony's first place of tertiary education. He was the key driver behind NSW developing its own Parliamentary system. He was responsible, with a small core of others, for lobbying England to give this prison colony its own governing body in the form of a legislative assembly and council. As a lawyer he brought several very high profile cases against powerful people including colonial secretaries and found himself the target of counter libel and slander suits, which led to him being lionised as this figure standing against the establishment by the masses, who were reading these newly independent newspapers. He was an orator, a politician and an influential landowner (one of the largest land owners in the colony). He was a giant of a man...A man of the people in many ways, arrested a couple of times for being drunk and disorderly. I think he was someone that people believed they could relate to. He was also an incredibly intelligent man (Crockett/Champion, 2018).

The little church chapel (mausoleum) was not completed in time for the (funeral) ceremony. The mausoleum was actually finished later that year in 1873, so people were standing around this hollowed-out rock. A couple of prayers were said, words of praise and sympathy from the govenror - a large funeral oration where he talked at length about Wentworth's achievements. Interestingly, there was no mention of the Blue Mountains crossing, with most of the oration focussing on his political achievements. Then he was buried. And slightly later in the day, when the crowds had dissipated and the VIPs had left, three of his children were buried in there with him. These were members of the family who had also died in England - who had settlemed there on one of the family trips and married, but they had died before William Charles. Their bodies were also brought from England and given a small, private burial (Crockett/Champion, 2018).

At the vault, the consecration of the burial site was followed by an address by Frederic Barker, the Bishop of Sydney. Sir James Martin delivered a lengthy oration praising Wentworth's many achievements. He lamented there was 'no Westminster Abbey in which to place the bones of our illustrious dead' but that 'here, under the blue Australian sky, and by the shores of the broad and blue Pacific, and in a corner of one of Nature's loveliest landscapes we are about to lay his remains ... This monument will be a lasting and conspicuous memorial, visible to all who enter and to all who leave our port'.

Following the sentence of burial, Wentworth's coffin was lowered into the vault, which, according to newspaper descriptions, was constructed as Sarah had desired:
'... between some of these boulders ... the vault had been prepared, cut out of the solid rock, and built of brick and cemented inside. It is 28 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 7 feet high. It is shelved all round with large slabs of slate resting upon stone supports, and arches of brick rise upon iron girders. The inner space is 7 feet by 13 feet and the whole vault is thoroughly drained and complete. Mr Alexander Dean, builder ... constructed ... it. It is intended that in a short time a chapel shall be built over the vault to contain the sarcophagus.'

The remains of three Wentworth children - William Charles, Sarah Eleanor and Isabella - had been brought from Europe to be re-interred in the vault. Sarah commissioned the architects Mansfield Brothers to design a chapel to be constructed over the vault. The chapel's Gothic Revival design seemingly was intended to complement the estate's other Gothic style buildings. By November 1873 the chapel was still incomplete: 'Men are working, but as Miss W said they are drunk and away oftener than at work'. The stone and iron palisade fence was erected by early March 1874.

The rock outcrops and native vegetation on Parsley Hill that once formed a backdrop to the mausoleum have been supplanted by residential development and it has lost its visual relationship to Vaucluse House, however, the chapel and vault remain relatively isolated within the stone and iron palisading...The brass plaque commemorating Sarah Eleanor may have been responsible for the long-held belief that her mother, Sarah Wentworth, was buried in the mausoleum. Despite her desire for the family to 'all rest together in our native place', Sarah was buried in July 1880 in Ocklynge Cemetery at Eastbourne, Sussex. The Wentworths' second son, Fitzwilliam, died in Sydney on 8 August 1915 and following a service at St Michael's Church, Vaucluse, he was buried in the mausoleum. The vault was then permanently sealed.

On 14 October 1927 the Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Sydney, executed a deed of covenant to administer the mausoleum (Griffin & Hughes, 2006).

In 1997 the Historic Houses Trust (now Sydney Living Museums), with the approval of the Wentworth family, leased the mausoleum from the Anglican Church Property Trust for 99 years and is responsible for its conservation and maintenance. Although now separated from Vaucluse House by residential development, the mausoleum is still regarded as an integral part of the remaining estate. It is located in nearby Chapel Road and the grounds are open to visitors.' (Griffin & Hughes, 2006).

The Friends of the Historic Houses Trust fundraised through events and tours to contribute $12,500 towards the cost of conservation of the Wentworth Mausoleum (Watts, 2014).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Gardens-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural - Coasts and coastal features supporting human activities-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk nation - sites of first contact or early interaction with colonisers-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Convict labour-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Convict barracks-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Farming by emancipated convicts on land grants-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Creating a gentleman's estate-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Working on private assignment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Demonstrating convicts' experiences and activities-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Convict-Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in NSW (1788-1850) - does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in NSW that are unrelated to the imperial 'convict system': use the theme of Law & Order for such activities	Housing convicts in communal or shared accommodation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Ethnic influences-Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.	Irish rural building practises-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Ethnic influences-Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.	Irish migrants-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Private farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Improving agricultural production-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Cereal production-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Rural Estates-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Arboretums - collections of trees for ornament or forestry-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Farming by detainees and prisoners-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Clearing land for farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Attempting to transplant European farming practices to Australian environments-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Significant Places: How are significant places marked in the landscape of Parramatta by, or for, different groups?-Monuments and Sites
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Creating environments evocative of the 'old country'-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes and parklands of distinctive styles-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of scenic beauty-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Significant tree(s) providing urban amenity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of urban amenity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes and gardens of domestic accommodation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of food production-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Gardens and landscapes reminiscent of an 'old country'-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Places important in developing conservation processes-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes and countryside of rural charm-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing farming families-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing the prosperous - mansions in town and country-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing working animals-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing for farm and station hands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Housing famous families-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Country mansion-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	early settlement or worker's cottage-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	gentlemen's residences-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Eccentric residence-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Adapted heritage building or structure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	1820s-1850s land grants-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from suburban lots to public gardens-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early farming (Cattle grazing)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	avenue of trees-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Surveying by Augustus Alt-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Sub-division of large estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Granting Crown lands for private farming-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Fencing boundaries - iron estate fencing-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Fencing boundaries - wooden post and rail-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Naming places (toponymy)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Marking and maintaining affiliations with places by burials-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Private assignment-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working independently on the land-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Servants quarters-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Maintaining libraries and museums for educational purposes-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Providing public lectures, demonstrations for educational purposes-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Colonial government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Open Space Provision-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	resumption for heritage conservation-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Direct vice-regal governance (pre 1856)-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - parks and open spaces-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - public land administration-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - providing museums-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Developing cultural institutions and ways of life-National Theme 8
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Capturing iconic landscapes in art-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Parks and public gardens-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - colonial Gothic-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Interior design styles and periods - Edwardian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Interior design styles and periods - Colonial-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (mid)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Designing landscapes in an exemplary style-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Building in response to climate - bushfires-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Designing making and using coats of arms and heraldry-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Building in response to natural landscape features.-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Designing in an exemplary architectural style-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - colonial homestead-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Vernacular structures and building techniques-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Landscaping - colonial period-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Landscaping - Victorian gardenesque style-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Landscaping - Federation period-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Adaptation of overseas design for local use-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian Gothic Revival-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Interior design styles and periods - Victorian-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Ways of life 1788-1850-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Ways of life 1850-1900-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Ways of life 1900-1950-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Living in a bushland setting-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Living in suburbia-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Valuing women's contributions-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Physical evidence of creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses, through domestic artefacts scatters, ar-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Living on the urban fringe-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Living in a rural homestead-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	Kitchens and servants-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Domestic life-Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.	At home with a national leader-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	musical gatherings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	house museum-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Developing collections of items-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going to talks and lectures-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	community park-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Outdoor concerts and performances-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Enjoying public parks and gardens-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Gathering at landmark places to socialise-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Visiting heritage places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Activities associated with relaxation and recreation-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Gardening-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going to a museum-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Community volunteering-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Community volunteering-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Belonging to an historical society or heritage organisation-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Places of informal community gatherings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Social institutions-Activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities	Developing and maintaining a local museum-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Burying and remembering notable persons-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Isolated graves / Remnant headstones-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Giving birth at home-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	Erecting and visiting monuments and memorials-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Birth and Death-Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.	State Funerals for dignitaries and key persons-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Sarah Wentworth, convict wife of W.C.Wentworth, matron-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with the Hon. William Charles Wentworth, explorer, politician, fathor of the Constitution-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	It houses the remains of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and members of his family. Wentworth, who acquired the Vaucluse estate in 1827, was a gifted but restless lawyer and politician and one of the most influential Australian-born colonists. His achievements included the first European crossing of the Blue Mountains (1813); campaigning for civil rights (such as trial by jury) and co-publishing the colony's first independent newspaper, The Australian in 1824; the formation of the University of Sydney (Australia's first university) in 1852; and drafting the bill for Representative Government of NSW, achieved in 1856. On 6 May 1873 the New South Wales Parliament accorded Wentworth the honour of a public funeral (believed to be the first in New South Wales) whose procession left St Andrew's Cathedral for the near-completed mausoleum at Vaucluse. Vaucluse House was purchased by the State Government in 1911 to provide public access to the Sydney Harbour foreshores. By 1912, it had opened to the public as Australia's first historical museum, with a focus on NSW constitutional history as seen through the life of the patriot and statesman, William Charles Wentworth (this museum presentation was probably inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA, which had opened to the public in 1858). From c. 1915 the Trustees instituted annual commemorations at Vaucluse House on Wentworth's birthday (26 October) with tributes being paid to Wentworth at the Mausoleum. Nielsen-Vaucluse Park album 5 includes a photograph of 'Sir William and Lady Cullen at the Mausoleum 1923' (Historic Houses Trust of NSW library, Sir William Cullen was NSW Chief Justice). Vaucluse House, through its association with an important public figure and changing attitudes to the interpretation of historic sites, is an important place for historiography in Australia.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Wentworth Mausoleum is significant because it provides the opportunity to demonstrate the architectural and functional interdependence of house, estate buildings and landscape setting in a colonial rural estate and therefore enables an understanding of the social and cultural values of the owners and their period. It reflects a continuity of Picturesque Movement landscape planning and the use of the Gothic Revival style at Vaucluse House from Sir Henry Browne Hayes’ cottage orné of 1805 to George Cookney’s stables 1829 and James Hume and Mortimer Lewis’s extensions to the house of c. 1834-1847, whose detailing was based on that of Government House, Sydney. A veranda with Gothic Revival detailing was added to Vaucluse House by architect, John Frederick Hilly in 1861-62. The mausoleum was built by the Sydney architects Mansfield Brothers (Charles Shelley Mansfield (1843-1896) and his more prominent brother George Allen Mansfield, 1834-1908). The Masoleum’s red and cream banded tile treatment reflects the late 19th century Gothic Revival’s emphasis on structural polychromy (i.e. the incorporation of architectural elements of different colours and textures, as advocated by the British writer, John Ruskin). The mausoleum partly covers a large rock from which Wentworth liked to view Sydney Harbour and the Vaucluse estate. Other intentions of the Wentworth family are known through Sarah Wentworth’s instructions, 'so that we may all rest together in our native place'. The Mausoleum’s combination of built (chapel, vault, palisade fence and gates) and natural elements (rock plinth, sheltering ridge / escarpment and Lophostemon confertus plantings) reflect a continued romantic association between the Gothic Revival style and the rocky Sydney Harbour topography. Vaucluse’s architectural and landscape planning was influenced by Sydney’s first and second Government Houses with a result that inner Sydney Harbour was ‘bookended’ by Picturesque Gothic Revival complexes. The romantic association between Picturesque Movement landscape planning and the use of the Gothic Revival style first found expression in Governor & Mrs Macquarie’s Picturesque landscaping of the Government domain (with its rocky foreshores) in the early 1810s and structures such as Fort Macquarie (demolished), Billy Blue’s Cottage (demolished), and the Government House stables (now the NSW Conservatorium of Music). Improvements by the Macquaries and Darlings in turn influenced the style and siting of the present Government House, Sydney (1836-45). Wentworth, because of his ambiguous social position was to follow closely fashions set by Government House, Sydney. Other houses reflecting this architectural / topographical / romantic association are Lindesay, Darling Point (1834), Grantham Potts Point (c.1836) and Carthona, Darling Point (1842-44). In contrast with Gothic Revival houses sited right on the Sydney Harbour foreshores, Vaucluse House and the Mausoleum in ‘retired’ locations in a secluded valley at the head of Vaucluse Bay, directly in contrast with the expansive views (with their experience of Sublime nature) from New South Head Road and across South and North Heads. The Picturesque landscape compositions of Vaucluse House and the Mausoleum benefited from the rock escarpments behind the two buildings, particularly when viewed from Sydney Harbour. This approach, which ‘anchored’ a building into the landscape was praised by the landscape gardener, Thomas Shepherd in his description of Elizabeth Bay House in c. 1835. In the case of the Mausoleum, the escarpment is directly behind the building and now the site of the Wentworth Memorial Church. Although now separated from Vaucluse House by residential subdivisions, the rock on which the Wentworth Mausoleum stands played an important role in a landscape design based on cleared vistas, recorded in artworks by Jacob Janssen, George Edwards Peacock, Conrad Martens, Eugene Von Guerard, Constance Gordon Cumming and photographs in the Wentworth Papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. The rock site was visible from Vaucluse House’s front verandah and provided a focus for the carriage drive as it crossed the creek that emptied into Vaucluse Bay. In the context of vistas across the Vaucluse estate, the Mausoleum on its rock plinth, possibly reflected the view of the British architectural and gardening writer, John Claudius Loudon that in wilder countries, such as America and Australia, a more formal, geometric approach to the landscape was preferable. The Mausoleum has important associations with moveable cultural heritage at Vaucluse House. Portrait busts of William Charles Wentworth and Sarah Wentworth (1885) formerly located in the mausoleum were transferred to Vaucluse House by the family in 1928. The Mausoleum’s copy of a Roman c. 1st-2nd century AD black and white marble (opus musivum) Triton mosaic was probably acquired by Wentworth during the family’s Grand Tour to Italy in 1858-59. This provenance relates it to features at Vaucluse House such as the glazed Neapolitan tiles used to line planter boxes in the inner courtyard.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Wentworth Mausoleum is significant because of its association with the Wentworth family, a key family for the study of social relations in early Australia and themes such as wealth, status, class, the social ramifications of the convict system, changing social mores, marriage and dynastic aspirations. The fact that Sarah Wentworth (1805-1880) is not buried in the Mausoleum but the general cemetery of an English seaside town may reflect the Wentworth family’s response to their social exclusion over fifty years.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The Wentworth Mausoleum is significant because it houses the remains of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and his children - William Charles Wentworth II (1827-1859), Sarah Eleanor (1835-1857), Isabella (1840-1856) and Fitzwilliam Wentworth (1833-1915), which may have research potential for forensic anthropology and Victorian funerary practice. The remains of three Wentworth children - William Charles, Sarah Eleanor and Isabella - had been brought from Europe to be re-interred in the vault. The Mausoleum is surrounded on three sides by lineal plantings of brushbox (Lophostemon confertus), a little studied indigenous Australian tree assimilated into European-style gardening at the close of the 19th century. Linneal plantings are visible in photographs of the mausoleum from c.1880. Brushbox was also the species used by the Vaucluse House Trustees along the re-aligned VH carriage drive c. 1915.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	The Wentworth Mausoleum is part of a rare 19th century domestic complex with marine villa with some extant buildings. The garden is a rare extant example of a garden belonging to a 19th century mansion adjacent to the harbour which has not been entirely subdivided, and where substantial plant material survives from its original period.
Integrity/Intactness:	The Mausoleum, its rock platform, iron palisade fence and plantings are intact. The original site was subdivided for the construction of the Wentworth Memorial Church in 1965-7, which occupies a rock plateau that overshadows the Mausoleum.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Review a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act - Site Specific Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) I, the Minister for Planning, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, in pursuance of section 57(2) of the Heritage Act, 1977, do, by this my order: (1) revoke the existing exemptions made to the Historic Houses Trust under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act; and (2) under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act grant an exemption from all section 57(1) activities to properties owned or managed by the Historic Houses Trust and listed on the State Heritage Register as outlined in Schedule A with the following conditions: (a) that the Historic Houses Trust provide an annual report to the Heritage Council on future works proposed for its properties; (b) that the Historic Houses Trust advise the Heritage Office archaeologists of any proposed works requiring major excavation at its properties to allow due consideration of the need for additional archaeological work; (c) that the Director of the Historic Houses Trust must lodge all archaeological monitoring or excavation reports prepared with the Heritage Office library on completion after review by Heritage Office archaeologists; (d) that the Historic Houses Trust employ as required a consultant historical archaeologist with appropriate archaeological qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience and the Director of the HHT must obtain the advice of that person about the heritage significance of the archaeological resource and/or the impact of the development proposal on the heritage significance of the archaeological resource, and take that advice into account; (e) that the Director of the Historic Houses Trust must take into account as far as practicable the cumulative effect of approvals on the heritage significance of the item and on the heritage resource of its area; (f) that the Director of the Historic Houses Trust must ensure that approvals are in accordance with any requirements, guidelines, regulations and general conditions issued by the Heritage Council. The Director of the Historic Houses Trust may impose additional conditions which do not conflict with any Heritage Council conditions. The Hon Frank Sartor MP Minister for Planning Minister for Redfern Waterloo Minister for the Arts 11 April 2008 SCHEDULE A Item State Heritage Register Listing Number 1. Elizabeth Farm 00001 2. Rouse Hill House 00002 3. Elizabeth Bay House 00006 4. Glenfield Farm, Casula 00025 5. Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint 00190 6. Exeter Farm (Meurant's Cottage) 00205 7. The Rose Seidler House 00261 8. Wentworth Mausoleum 00622 9. Justice and Police Museum 00673 10. Meroogal, Nowra 00953 11. Vaucluse House 00955 12. Government House, Sydney 01070 13. First Government House Site (Museum of Sydney) 01309 14. Susannah Place 01310	Apr 24 2008
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	00622	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00622	14 Oct 88	153	5418
Local Environmental Plan		10 Mar 95
Register of the National Estate		21 Mar 78

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Attenbrow, Val		A pre-colonial history	View detail
Written	Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners	1993	Wentworth Mausoleum, Chapel Road, Vaucluse: archaeological watching brief
Written	Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners	1991	Wentworth Mausoleum, Chapel Road, Vaucluse: conservation analysis and conservation guidelines	View detail
Written	Crockett, Gary, interviewed by Champion, Edward	2018	'Putting Wentworth to Rest'	View detail
Written	Richard Aitken & Michael Looker (editors)		Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens, Melbourne, OUP, 2002, see Michael Bogle entry for Vaucluse House and Michael Lehany entry for Vistas
Written	Robert Griffin & Joy Hughes (editors)	2006	Vaucluse House, a history & guide
Written	Scott Carlin	2007	Vaucluse House draft conservation & management plan
Written	Watts, Peter	2014	(Open) Letter to Tim Duddy, Chairman, Friends of Historic Houses Trust Inc.

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045532
File number:	S90/05383; S96/00465 [S170]

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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