Gleniffer Brae is a heritage-listed former residence and school and now conservatorium of music and function centre at Murphys Avenue, Keiraville, City of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

It was designed by Geoffrey D. Loveridge and built from 1937 to 1939 by L. Benbow in conjunction with W. W. Todd & Son (joinery), W. Wilson & Co. (bricks/tiles) and Hawkesbury Sandstone Co. (stone).

[2] Sidney Hoskins purchased 75 acres of Fitzgerald's dairy farm around Murphy Lane, Wollongong and began plans for a family home, the same year the steel works commenced operation.

His building expertise was evident in his careful selection of the tradesmen for Gleniffer Brae: Benbow as builder, Todd and Son for joinery, Wilson's bricks and the Hawkesbury Sandstone Company.

[6][1] The extensive landscaped gardens surrounding the manor were largely attributed to the landscape designer Paul Sorensen, a Danish-Australian garden designer who had worked for Hoskins' brother Cecil at his estate "Invergowrie", Exeter and who had become known to Cecil Hoskins through his work for Henri Van der Velde at "Everglades", Leura.

In 1921 Hoskins gave Winter 2.5 acres of land on the eastern boundary of his property that included a house named Cratloe, which stands today as the Botanic Gardens Discovery Centre.

[8][1] The impressive location and style of Gleniffer Brae was in keeping with the position of the Hoskins family with the social and financial circles of the day.

In the immediate post-war years distinguished guests such as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Archbishop of York and Lady Baden-Powell were hosted at Gleniffer Brae.

[9][1] With the death of Sidney, part of the property was donated for use as a Botanic Garden while the house and remaining grounds were sold to the Sydney Anglican Diocese for its girls grammar school (SCEGGS) in 1954.

As a result, Council owned all the land that now comprises Gleniffer Brae, the University Soccer Fields (Kooloonbong Oval) and the Botanic Garden by 1978.

[5][1] Hoskins was civic-minded and desired that Gleniffer Brae be used for educational purposes and that the surrounding land would become a botanic garden once his family no longer used the residence.

[1] The grounds have been subdivided with over half of the area, now known as Hoskins Park, being used as the Wollongong Botanic Gardens (open to the public on a regular basis from 1971.

[15][1] A picturesque single storey Tudor Revival style building designed by architect Geoffrey Loveridge, of complex plan, built of red textured brick with rock-faced sandstone trims (doors, window surrounds).

Other details of note are pull-up flyscreens hidden in window sills, bathroom with original tiling and rainwater heads decorated with fleur-de-lis.

[1] Split level brick building first built as part of the girls' school then used by Council as a laboratory to test soils.

[1] The site slopes north-east gently into a valley, rising on the far side to form a low hill which screens the suburbs of Wollongong from the house.

Firstly he transplanted from the surrounding bush several large Illawarra flame trees (Brachychiton acerifolius) for immediate shelter and an appearance of maturity.

[1] Also planted at this time were many brush box (Lophostemon confertus), wild plum (Harpephyllum afrum), London planes (Platanus × hispanica), silky oak (Grevillea robusta) and Jacaranda mimosifolia trees.

An area known as the spinney, low on the nearside of the valley, was planted with hundreds of azaleas growing in the shade of a natural grove of turpentines (Syncarpia glomulifera).

Service areas to the south-east are separated from the formal garden with stone walls of similar construction and detailing as those at Everglades, Leura.

Sidney Hoskins, for whom the house and garden was designed and built, was instrumental establishing the Illawarra steel industry and made a significant contribution to the community life of Wollongong.

The detailing represents the finest in Australian building skills of the pre-war period and this is enhanced by the fact that its original fabric is more or less intact.

The English Tudor or Elizabethan Revival style very much reflected the orientation and values of wealthy families in the period to World War II, who tended to look to Britain as the "Home" country, who had Royalist sympathies and who promoted attachment to "King and Empire".

Their rarity is heightened by the fact that the pair of estates survive as relatively intact outstanding examples of Interwar period architecture and landscape design[18][1] Gleniffer Brae was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

Sydney Hoskins for whom the house was designed and built was instrumental in establishment of the Illawarra steel industry and made a significant contribution to the community life of Wollongong.

The detailing represents the finest in Australian building skills of the pre-war period and this is enhance by the fact that its original fabric is more or less intact.

The English Tudor or Elizabethan revival architectural style of Glennifer Brae very much reflected the orientation and values of wealthy families in the period to WWII, who tended to look to Britain as the "Home" country, who has Royalist sympathies and who promoted attachment to "King and Empire".