Cintra House is a heritage-listed residence and one-time private hospital at 34 Regent Street, Maitland, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia.

Cintra as a private hospital was operated under the auspices of Nurse Eileen Long until its closure in the late 1930s or early 1940s due to lack of resources.

Although there is an extensive movable heritage collection, inclusive of personal possessions from the last century onwards which contribute to Cintra's appearance, these are not original to the property.

[1] In 1990–92 Cintra received two loans allowing the owners to conserve its original intact verandah over a two-year period of works.

More importantly, the families of the David Cohen Company played a central role in the development of commercial ventures in the region and expanded the trade of the colony.

In 1888 Lewis Levy's family gave to Sydney the marble fountain topped by a bronze figure near the Woolloomooloo gates of the Botanical Gardens.

George, Samuel and Neville all held office in the Great Synagogue of Sydney and the family exercised influential leadership in the small Jewish communities of Maitland and Newcastle.

[1][5] A review of Hunter Region heritage listings identifies a small number of large Victorian Italianate boom style villas constructed in the 1870-90s, which originally enjoyed substantial gardens and outbuildings.

Regional Victorian villas of similar age to Cintra, but smaller in scale, in more restricted settings and internally altered include Grossman House, Bishops Residence, Benholm, Moncrieff and 86-88 Victoria Street in Maitland, and Atherstone in Muswellbrook.

[1] JW Pender's architectural practice operated for 125 years, with his son Walter, and grandson Ian continuing his work.

Pender's work includes aforementioned Benhome, Leeholme and numerous civic and business buildings around the Hunter Valley and further afield.

The firm's original drawings, specifications and other records are now conserved in the University of Newcastle library, including the documents for their grand Villa design, Cintra.

[1] Cintra is a large two-storey villa built in the late Victorian era in the Italianate boom style of architecture.

The cast iron verandah friezes feature a design of grape vine and leaf with pendant fruit painted and highlighted.

[1] Beneath the house is a cellar and a strong room arched in solid brickwork, which may have been fitted with an iron safe door prior to 1915.

[1] When Benn W. Levy relocated from Cintra back to London in 1887 to operate the Cohen company there, the original household furniture and effects were put up for sale by auction.

[1] The formal late nineteenth century town/ villa garden is entered through the original wrought iron carriage and pedestrian gates hung on moulded sandstone posts at the front of the property.

To the north of the house another open rectangular lawn, originally described as being for croquet and bowls, has two very large elaborate cast and wrought iron flower jardinieres along the path on the eastern end.

Throughout Cintra's grounds are significant mature Bunya Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii), hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), Cape chestnut (Calodendrum capense), lemon scented gums (Corymbia citriodora), jacarandas (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), Brazilian pepper trees (Schinus molle var.areira), small leafed figs (Ficus sp.)

[1] As at 24 April 2014, the house and garden have been maintained to an excellent standard, with the aim of conserving the property's authenticity and original architectural features, plantings and landscape elements.

Post holes may exist in an archaeological context where the horse yards were situated to the south east of the coach house and stables building.

[1] Cintra House, Garden and Stables is of State heritage significance for its exceptional aesthetic value as an outstanding, highly intact example of a Victorian Italianate style town villa with original and early interiors and extant outbuildings and service wings, including the original stables, kitchen, scullery and laundry, set within an historic landscaped garden setting.

It contributes to the heritage of the Hunter Valley, demonstrating the pattern of settlement and commercial expansion of the region prior to the growth of Newcastle.

Its detailed architectural design and complementary outbuilding and gates are evidence of the development of Maitland's permanent settlement and the expansion of Jewish commercial interests in the region.

The house and garden form a cultural landscape demonstrating the continuous pattern of residential use and occupation by the Cohen and Long families over 125 years.

Cintra has significance for its strong and lengthy association with John W. Pender, a Maitland architect prominent in the development of the Hunter region in the nineteenth century.

The property's curved carriage loop, ornamental specimen plants, decorative urns, elaborate gates, intricate cast iron verandah friezes, asymmetrical massing, prominent tower, grouped openings, colonnaded loggia, rendered wall finish, stepped lintels, bracketed eaves, low pitched hipped verandah roof, charm, formality and status in the landscape, are all characteristics that epitomise the Victorian period Italianate design (c. 1840-c. 1890).

Not only is the house aesthetically significant at a State level, it is complemented by a garden of "attractive enclosed scenes with detail and focii, and a heart shaped carriage way".

Many descendants of the original owners and others associated with these two Jewish families have visited Cintra both from the local area and as far as Jamaica, Montana and London.

Cintra is State significant as a benchmark property, important in demonstrating accurately the architectural and landscaping style of an Italianate Victorian country town villa, remarkably retaining special features including of note, the heart shaped carriage loop and lawn.