Halcyon

Halcyon Newcomen House is a heritage home built about 1857 within the Colonial Reserve of Newcastle.

Remembering how naked the house was 4 years ago, only a row of agapanthus behind the fence. Now we have a lush green san...
21/11/2019

Remembering how naked the house was 4 years ago, only a row of agapanthus behind the fence. Now we have a lush green sanctuary at the front. Geoffrey grew the loquat tree immediately behind the fence and it loved the location. Birds, flying foxes and insects love it too. I doubt we will ever get to eat the olives thanks to the flying foxes...

Spring at Halcyon! After the first winter with apartments on the eastern boundary, we are relieved the elm tree has burs...
19/10/2019

Spring at Halcyon!
After the first winter with apartments on the eastern boundary, we are relieved the elm tree has burst into green garb. We can now plan the garden proper. Meanwhile the bamboos , pomegranate, loquat, jacaranda, and silky oak are now beginning to screen us from the apartments and read as more of a garden.
My first beautiful flag iris has convinced me to plant more. Some surprises include tomato , nasturtium , sunflowers, while potted specimens are moving into the ground.
Offsetting recent flights, two native frangipani are delighting the bees- European and native, with their lovely flowers cycling from yellow to cream. The black mulberry is in the ground and fruiting! The back garden is still in rehabilitation mode after decades of being a carpark. Now the neighbouring redevelopment is finished, we can enjoy the peace and quiet amidst a little urban forest.

The original folding doors which lead from the dining room onto the back verandah, were closed for the first time and ho...
03/07/2019

The original folding doors which lead from the dining room onto the back verandah, were closed for the first time and how beautiful they are.
Looking forward to completing the room.

Geoffrey Beevers has finished reglazing the window light for above the double doors in the kitchen, illuminating the pas...
02/07/2019

Geoffrey Beevers has finished reglazing the window light for above the double doors in the kitchen, illuminating the passage beyond. The original glass determined the colour scheme, which meshes perfectly with the kitchen green.

Geoffrey Beevers with the newly glazed window light for above the kitchen doors. The colours retain the original glass c...
02/07/2019

Geoffrey Beevers with the newly glazed window light for above the kitchen doors. The colours retain the original glass colour scheme. This colour makes for a remarkable shift from the inherited colour scheme of the past forty years.

A chandelier for Mrs Rankin, to make up for the one they bought from the Duckenfield Park House auction, prior to the de...
02/07/2019

A chandelier for Mrs Rankin, to make up for the one they bought from the Duckenfield Park House auction, prior to the demolition of the great sandstone house by BHP. It was never successfully reassembled, and Mrs Rankin kept the pieces in a beautiful desk in the Ingle.
This chandelier is located in Mrs Rankin’s dining room.

Yesterday we spontaneously planted a black mulberry tree we have had in a pot for ages. It was a case of determining the...
21/06/2019

Yesterday we spontaneously planted a black mulberry tree we have had in a pot for ages. It was a case of determining the right location for this fruit tree which originally came from the temperate zones of Western Asia. Naturally I am after the mulberries, but the fact that it is of a hardy disposition + can tolerate salt conditions + drought, is perfect for erosion control, is primarily pest + disease free + has a lifespan of centuries, well it is perfect for the old house’s garden. It is also deciduous so will provide shade in summer. In winter, it will encourage its neighbours to prosper! I know the birds, bats, hens and possums will be catered for as well!
There is the issue of mulberry stains which I choose to consider natural dyes. This bountiful species also delivers mulberry paper ....
It is not the white mulberry from China, grown for silk culture.

KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING Local coal most likely fueled the original fireplaces in Halcyon, currently six in number...
13/06/2019

KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING
Local coal most likely fueled the original fireplaces in Halcyon, currently six in number although probably there were 10 originally, given the ten chimneys on the roof. At some point in the 20th century, many of the fireplaces were converted to gas. More recently gas was replaced by reverse cycle and ducted heating systems, with their convenience offset by their unattractive fixtures, especially on the building’s exterior. Drainage issues from fixtures can also be a hazard to interiors, relating to leaks affecting plaster walls and ceilings.
Two fireplaces were decommissioned at some point - one on the top floor - converted to a cupboard. The big open fire place was totally blocked over in the lower ground floor. We have revealed and restored it, had it professionally cleaned and this winter’s plan is to use it on bitter days.
Meanwhile, the house came with a battery of fire extinguishers, so we are covered for dramas!

Toasted marshmallows were also a surprise!

Halcyon’s rear garden has regained a poetic dimension. Geoffrey’s lighting of the garden, projects the shadows of our ga...
28/05/2019

Halcyon’s rear garden has regained a poetic dimension. Geoffrey’s lighting of the garden, projects the shadows of our garden foliage onto the looming blank walls of the neighbouring apartment development. A dominating construction site for the past few years, Halcyon’s night garden transcends that experience.

On May 1 Spiraea cantoniensis suddenly bloomed. As a child in Port Macquarie a friend’s very old garden had a marvellou...
02/05/2019

On May 1 Spiraea cantoniensis suddenly bloomed. As a child in Port Macquarie a friend’s very old garden had a marvellous old specimen which we knew as May, which is understandable after this event. Our nursery bought specimen describes it as Reeves’ Spiraea.

Interior works: A new kitchen install underway now Geoffrey has laid replacement flooring in Tallowood, on the footprint...
10/04/2019

Interior works: A new kitchen install underway now Geoffrey has laid replacement flooring in Tallowood, on the footprint of an early verandah, and a great ramp, acknowledging the progressive falls of the earliest structure where future services developed.
There will be no fitted kitchen with marble benches. This is a bespoke and contemporary response to the business of cooking activity, with art on the walls. It retains timber floors, with a traditional finish. The pressed tin ceiling survives and the rediscovered walls reveal a diverse collection of traces of original finishes - acting as a palimpsest of the building’s history. Given the property was a home for its first three owners in its first century century, before converting to legal offices, Anglican offices and Grammar School offices, Halcyon became a business realm. As the current owners, we can not predict the future uses of the property. We are committed as a priority, to managing the building’s systems and establishing our home in the meantime.

The south eastern corner of Halcyon with framing gratefully supplied by our old Chinese elm, arching over to the centre....
10/04/2019

The south eastern corner of Halcyon with framing gratefully supplied by our old Chinese elm, arching over to the centre. I can not imagine how I will feel when the tree loses its leaves. Optimistically this will allow more sun to develop the plantings currently shaded. The new apartments extend the full width of the block.

Address

Newcomen Street
Newcastle, NSW
2300

Telephone

0412405504

Website

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