Camden

Item details


Name of item:	Camden
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Location:	Lat: -33.8239095731 Long: 151.0152798830
Primary address:	60 Prospect Street, Rosehill, NSW 2142
Parish:	St John
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	City of Parramatta
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	C		DP	337810

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
60 Prospect Street	Rosehill	City of Parramatta	St John	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
	Private

Statement of significance:


	Larger house than those in locality possibly associated with a notable person. Professional, trade and manufacturing practice - example of an intact house. Camden is one of the best examples of a mid-Victorian villa house in the Parramatta district. Only six other buildings of similar period and architectural style exist in the Parramatta region (Harris Park Action Group,1983).
	Date significance updated: 26 Sep 03
	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


Construction years:	1883-1883
Physical description:	Two storey Victorian Italianate villa of stuccoed brickwork with gabled corrugated iron roof. Three sided bay front on gabled wing with stucco string courses and label moulds, and large elaborately fretted bargeboards. The verandah on the northern and western facades has cast iron columns and lace balustrades, bullnose corrugated iron roof, and timber floors. Flourishing gardens and trees surround the property (NSW Heriatge Office, Branch Managers Report; Harris Park Action Group1983).
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The house has been divided into two self-contained flats by sealing off the internal stair and rebuilding it within the external verandah. Original internal joinery and fireplaces are intact and only minor alterations have occurred. Some work is required to repair cracked plaster ceilings and brickwork, otherwise the structure is in good condition and has been well maintained ((NSW Heriatge Office, Branch Managers Report; Harris Park Action Group1983).
	Date condition updated:12 Sep 03
Modifications and dates:	Kitchen and bathroom added c.1970
Further information:	Subd plans (ML) - Harris Park; Water Board plans; CPS


Current use:	residences
Former use:	Aboriginal land, colonial farm, residence

History

Historical notes:

In February 1883, the land was auctioned as part of the first subdivision of Elizabeth Farm.

In 1888, there were only three houses recorded in Prospect Street, but by 1989 there were five, including number 60, built by Thomas S. Staff. In 1891, the house was transferred within the family to James S. Staff, who remained there until 1904.

The term 'villa' was first used in England in the 17th century, partly from the Latin and Italian 'country house, farm', perhaps derived from the stem of vicus (village). The villa was a country mansion or residence, together with a farm, farm-buildings, or other house attached, built or occupied by a person of some position and wealth. It was taken to include a country seat or estate and later a residence in the country or in the neighbourhood of a town, usually standing in its own grounds. From this is was appropriated by the middleof the 18th century to mean a residence of a superior type, in the suburbs of a town or in a residential district, such as that occupied by a person of the middle class, and also a small, better-class dwelling house, usually detached or semi-detached. The term 'villa garden' was used in the context of Hobart and Sydney residences in the 1830s, and if near the coast or harbour, the appellation 'marine villa' was often applied. Australian origins probably date from the grant conditions applied to Sydney's Woolloomooloo Hill (1827, under Governor Darling), which obligated the construction of villas fulfilling certain conditions... 'with garden like domain, and external offices for stables and domestic economy' (John Buonarotti Papworth, 1825, quoted in James Broadbent's 1997 book, 'The Australian Colonial House'). Many gardens of 19th century villas followed Gardenesque conventions, with garden ornaments often complementing the architecture of the house. The term had acquired such widespread usage by the 1850s that when Jane Loudon issued a new editiion of her husband (John Claudius Loudon)'s 'Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion' (1838) she merely entitled the revised work 'The Villa Gardener' (1850). This coincided with a growing period of suburbanisation in Australia with consequent fostering of the nursery trade... By the 1880s, descriptions of Australian villas implied sufficient room for a lawn on two or three fronts of the residence. By the 1920s, a garden attached to a large suburban house was often described as a villa garden... after WW2 the term villa was rarely used..(Aitken, 2002, 619-20).

The house appears to have been occupied by John G. Cousins, then Robert Howarth, who named it 'Chelsea' in 1907. In 1908 David Irons moved in, to be replaced by Pascoe E. Pearce in 1911.

In 1913 ownership of 'Chelsea' was again transferred back to the Staff family and Sydney N. Staff renamed the house 'I-dun-no' in 1916, remaining there until 1919.

William Turnock then occupied the house from 1921 until 1924, Spencer W. Bates from 1925 until 1929 and Percival Whiteside at least until 1932-33.

According to descendants of the original owners the residence became used as a private nursing home and at that time acquired the name of Camden.

The house was subdivided into two flats with the original internal staircase removed and located externally for access to the upper flat. It is understood that the Craft family resided there between 1940 and 1952 and that in or about 1953 the house was purchased for approximately 2,000 pounds.

Shown on the Sydney Water Board plan of December 1913 (Harris Park Action Group, 1983).

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.	Other open space-
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.	Introduce cultural planting-
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-
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
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.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
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.	Residential-
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 townsfolk - urban villas-
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 (suburbs)-
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.	A Picturesque Residential Suburb-
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	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.	Federation era residence-
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	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	Sub-division of large estates-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th century suburban developments-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Subdivision of urban estates-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	This item historically significant.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	This item is representative.
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:

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
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	00250	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00250	19 Aug 83	114	3842
Local Environmental Plan		21 Jul 89	084	4636
Local Environmental Plan		27 Feb 97	20

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
City of Parramatta Heritage Study	1993	449	Meredith Walker		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Aitken, Richard	2002	Villa Garden (entry)	View detail
Written	Crestani, Kim	1983	Harris Park Action Group
Written	NSW Heritage Office	1982	Branch Managers Report

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:	5051408
File number:	S90/05436 & HC 32804

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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