{"id":1300,"date":"2019-08-26T12:03:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T01:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1300"},"modified":"2019-11-03T16:02:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-03T05:32:55","slug":"mount-lofty-house-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1300","title":{"rendered":"Mount Lofty House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Text and Image: Rod Kemp<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This
Mt Lofty House Main Entrance c1979<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1855, Mount Lofty House was the first of the \u201cBig Houses\u201d to be built on what was then Ridge Road, the track from Crafers to Mount Lofty Summit (now Mt Lofty Summit Road).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally planned only as a summer house for the Hardy family, it became a permanent residence after a few years, and expanded to match Arthur Hardy\u2019s land-holdings in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entrepreneurial Hardy experimented with all manner of animal husbandry and agriculture on his 400 ha, including grape vines, walnuts and the exotic trees and shrubs which made up the gardens around his home.  He was, however, less successful in managing his finances and surrendered the property to the bank by 1865.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequent early residents include the politician Alfred Watts, whose wife Jane wrote \u201cFamily Life in SA\u201d, followed by his brother-in-law, Francis Stokes, but both families only stayed about 10 years.  In 1886, the well-known businessman, Arthur Waterhouse took over the property as his summer residence for the next 36 years during which he substantially extended and modified the house, introducing electricity and the telephone before selling in 1922.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solicitor George Cowan then owned the house for a few years, before it was sold to John Richardson, who moved from Burma, bringing a taste for exotic teak built-ins and again extending the gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later short-term owners included Geoffrey Rainsford, the jeweller, and Peter Chapman who moved from Akaroa in Stirling.  The last family to live for any significant time at Mt Lofty House were the Douglas- Hills who stayed for nearly 20 years.  In early 1979, the house and a small portion of the remaining land were sold to a Christian Community who were interested in exploring a sustainable and shared lifestyle for around 20 people.  When the Community ceased in 1982, James and Katherine Morgan and their young family moved in, only to experience the destruction of the house, and much of the garden, in the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local architect, Ross Sands, restored and later extended the house, converting it into a \u201cCountry House\u201d with five-star accommodation before a succession of subsequent owners continued to expand the business to what it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Reading: The MLDHS Archives contain many articles, photographs and books which further detail the history of this property and its owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have memories\/photos of this building and or the people who lived there? Contact us at mldhsgateways@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au <\/a>or drop into the History Centre at the Coventry Library, 63 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Text and Image: Rod Kemp In 1855, Mount Lofty House was the first of the \u201cBig Houses\u201d to be built on what was then Ridge Road, the track from Crafers to Mount Lofty Summit (now Mt Lofty Summit Road). Originally planned only as a summer house for the Hardy family, it became a permanent residence … Continue reading “Mount Lofty House”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":705,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-kY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3696,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3696","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":0},"title":"Mt Lofty Summit Redevelopment","date":"July 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ash Wednesday Bushfire of February 1983 swept over Mount Lofty Summit and destroyed the kiosk (controversial for its ugliness) which had served visitors since 1958. The Flinders Memorial Column survived. The Kiosk in the 1950s The Kiosk in the 1970s After the Fire For 14 years thereafter, the Summit\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/botanic-gardens-Glimpse-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2347,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=2347","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":1},"title":"Mount Lofty (Crafers Summit) Railway Station","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text : Chris Chardon Images: MLDHS and as described THE MOUNT LOFTY RAILWAY STATION The Mount Lofty Railway Station was originally named the Crafers Summit Railway Station. The Act of Parliament, to provide a line of railway from Adelaide to Nairne, was assented to on 30th November 1878. 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Text and images courtesy of Karen Agutter In 1948, the Board of Governors of the Adelaide Botanic Garden declared that land would be obtained in the Mt Lofty Ranges to establish a botanic garden suitable for the cultivation and exhibition of cool climate\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3769,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3769","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":3},"title":"Here are links to a\u2026","date":"July 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are links to a wide variety of \"Glimpses\" from the upcoming print publication of \"Beyond Mount Lofty\". The Society looks forward to bringing you ongoing and dynamic on-line stories from our history as \"The Book that Never Ends\".... 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