Tulkiyan is a heritage-listed former suburban residence and former house museum at 707 Pacific Highway, in the Sydney suburb of Gordon in the Ku-ring-gai Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia.
The Ku-ring-gai Shire Council was also temporarily occupying the St John's Church of England Hall, a wooden building facing the main street.
[1] The house continued in family ownership until 1994, when Margaret died (aged 91) and based on her wishes, Tulkiyan became the property of Ku-ring-gai Municipal council for the use of the community.
A number of tentative steps were attempted to overcome this situation, including recruitment of a caretaker (discontinued after a short period) and the preparation of a discussion paper on the future of use of the property.
[13] She recalled that bouvardias were among the original annuals planted (actually these are a perennial shrub but frost tender - perhaps they were discarded each year and more bought the following season)(pers.comm, Stuart Read, 7 July 2008)).
During its first decade of practice, the firm designed many houses in the Neutral Bay-Cremorne-Mosman areas, which was being developed rapidly as a "desirable" harbourside residential locality.
[1] Waterhouse had a gift for composing shapes, textures, solids and voids into seemingly casual, informal architecture; he was particularly aware of the needs to build in scale and sympathy with people.
[1] Waterhouse in his early architecture followed the precepts of the English Arts and Crafts movement and his work has a close affinity to that of Voysey, Bailey Scott and Macintosh.
[1] Waterhouse could be described as the Sydney equivalent of English architect C. F. A. Voysey, whose Arts and Crafts houses in England were widely admired in the early twentieth century.
A typical Waterhouse residence featured asymmetrical, picturesque massing, strongly expressed roofs, usually with dominant gables; porches, balconies and verandahs; and at least one facetted oriel or bay external wall finish, together with areas of timber shingling or tile-hanging.
In later years Miss Donaldson liked colourful annuals here, and chided the Council to hurry up and plant each season after they had started to do some of the maintenance when she had signed the house over, but still had residence.
[17][1] The two almost symmetrical lily pilly trees on either side of the main gate were apparently planted in 1914 and dominate the front, draped in Spanish moss (Tillandsia sp.).
The back lawn is flattened, originally a tennis court, now featuring a mature macadamia, a Barklya syringifolia and new sandstone edging around 2 sides, built by Council.
The other half is the site of the bricked vegetable beds, a lemon tree, formerly a picking garden and lawn, originally with clothes prop line, now removed.
A matching pair of timber vehicular gates at the driveway entry in engraved with the name Tulkiyan, an aboriginal word meaning "happy memories".
Waterhouse wrote: 'The cast shadow on rough cast or brick broken by the light on glass and shutter is most beautiful, and the unifying value of the shadow is very great Balconies and verandahs should either be absorbed within the structural bounding lines of the mass, or be large enough to avoid that meagre and disjointed appearance so detrimental to the design, and should provide sufficient space for living or sleeping and out accommodation now so customary.
'[1] The principal wall material unlike many of Waterhouse's contemporary designs is a dark mahogany/brown brick combined with beautiful red/brown plane tiles and gables which are heavily half-timbered and pargetted with rough cast.
The large semi-circular arch which defined the front verandah of Tulkiyan echoes a favourite architectural motif of the great American architect, Henry Hobson Richardson.
[1] The house is approached from a side entrance porch into a large entry and stair hall around which radiate the principal ground floor rooms.
[1] Contents: Still furnished and decorated exactly as it was when new with many items from David Jones and Beard Watsons: visitors can compare downstairs photos from 1914's The Sydney Mail with today.
[1] There is an amazing set of records - receipts for furniture and garden plants, personal items - postcards and souvenirs brought home for the children from an overseas trip.
[1] Other alterations and additions throughout its history: As at 19 January 2005, Tulkiyan is of State significance as an important, intact example of a fine Arts & Crafts suburban villa, designed by eminent Edwardian architect B.J.
Tulkiyan is of State and local significance as the house and its contents form a unique representative collection that demonstrate the lifestyle and taste of the upper middle class in suburban Sydney during the early decades of the twentieth century.
[1] Tulkiyan is of State significance as an important and intact example of the work of the eminent architect Bertrand James Waterhouse, OBE, FRIBA, LFRAIA (1876 - 1965).
It is an outstanding example of Arts and Crafts period design, arranging forms in a picturesque manner, utilising high quality materials and detail.
Tulkiyan is of State and local significance as its contents provide an excellent source of information on the lifestyle and taste of an upper-middle-class family in suburban Sydney between the First and Second World Wars.
The house is a rare and intact work of B. J. Waterhouse and survives with its full documentation, including documentary evidence of the interior decorations and furnishings, thus allowing considerable research and education opportunities into the methods of design, construction, as well as the lifestyle of the occupants.
Tulkiyan is of State and local significance as its setting and contents combine to form a rare example of an intact Arts and Crafts style residence, reflecting the tastes and lifestyle of an upper-middle-class family during the inter-war period in Sydney.
[1] The architectural style and materials of the house, its well known architect, the common use provenance of the furniture, chattels and documents, and the original and uninterrupted occupation and use by a single family make Tulkiyan unique.
It is outstanding because of the integrity and condition of the house and its contents which demonstrate the lifestyle and tastes of the upper middle class in suburban Sydney during the early decades of the twentieth century.