Throsby Park is a heritage-listed homestead at Church Road, Moss Vale, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1820 to 1836. The property is owned by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales, but is leased to banker Tim Throsby of Barclays, a descendant of the original owners. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
History In 1819, retired Naval Surgeon Dr Charles Throsby was granted 1000 acres by Governor Macquarie in appreciation of his services to the colony. Macquarie stated that Throsby was to select the 1000 acres in any part of the area Throsby had discovered. Dr Throsby's services to the colony included involvement in the exploration of routes down the Illawarra Escarpment, from Sutton Forest to Jervis Bay and from the Cowpastures to Bathurst. This exploration was undertaken by himself, Hamilton Hume, James Meehan the surveyor, and Joseph Wild, through Camden, Bargo, Marulan and the Kangaroo Valley. Dr Throsby later explored with Wild the route through Bong Bong and Wingecarribee and Wollondilly and this is part of the site where he chose to settle.
His glowing reports of the Southern Tablelands had prompted Macquarie to open up the area placing Throsby in charge of the building of the 75 mile long road from Picton to the Wingecarribee River, west to the Wollondilly River over the Cook Bundanoon Mountains to Tarlo.
During a tour of inspection, Macquarie gave the name Throsby Park to the property that Throsby had selected. By 1820, a hut had been constructed on the property and by 1823 Throsby's nephew, also named Charles had erected a small cottage on the property. The nephew managed the property during Throsby's absences. The cottage is reported to have been used as a court when Throsby was required to act as Magistrate.
Dr Throsby was appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1825 and served on it for three years. In 1825 Governor Darling visited the property. By 1828 Dr Charles Throsby was named on a list of the 12 largest stockholders in the country. Throsby also built Glenfield Farm at Casula.Silink, HHT, 2010, 12 Throsby continued to add to the Throsby Park property by both grant and purchase. At the time of his death, by suicide, in 1828 he held 21,600 acres (8,770 hectares). His estate including Glenfield and Throsby Park was left to his nephew Charles Throsby. His nephew Charles Throsby married Elizabeth (Betsy) Broughton in 1824.
Dr Throsby died in 1828 following a bout of severe depression. His nephew Charles inherited the estate and continued to make improvements, expanding both the property holdings and associated infrastructure. In 1828, the property had a small house, large barn and other outhouses. The number of employees grew steadily from 30, mainly assigned servants including labourers, stockmen, shepherds, watchman, hutkeepers, overseer, ploughman, gardener, fencer and shoemaker, to 50 workers in 1841.
The 1830s were a time of great pastoral opportunities in NSW, particularly for pastoralists. Throsby took advantage of these opportunities and became a major producer of food for the colony, supplying by tender much of his produce of beef, mutton, maize, flour, straw, bran and spirits. to road parties and the mounted police. Throsby moved much of his pastoral operation to the Monaro and Deniliquin areas in 1837. Throsby Park was in the ideal position to supply these properties, which Throsby did by bullock and dray.
Construction of Throsby Park House by (the nephew) Charles and Elizabeth Throsby began around 1833 and was completed by 1836 when James Backhouse described the house as a "noble mansion" during his visit.
By 1842 Charles Throsby was one of the largest shareholders in the Bank of Australia and continued to make improvements to Throsby Park. He was actively involved in community affairs being appointed District Warden by Governor Fitzroy in 1843, a position he held until his death in 1854. He donated the land for, and erected Christ Church Bong Bong nearby in 1845.
Charles' widow Elizabeth leased out many of the functions of the property to tenants, a situation that continued until 1891. In 1868 she moved into the cottage and leased Throsby Park house to the Governor of New South Wales, Lord Belmore as his summer residence. During 1873–74 the Anglican Bishop of Sydney, the Rt Reverend Frederic Barker used it as his summer residence. In 1874-75 H. E. Southey used the premises as a school. The history of occupation of the house is sketchy after this period except for 1882 - 1887 when Edward Ross Fairfax occupied it. The Bong Bong Picnic Race Club which formed in 1886 held its race meeting on the Throsby Estate.
Elizabeth Throsby died in 1891 leaving the property to Patrick Hill Throsby who died in 1894 leaving the property to Francis Henry Throsby. Patrick was a successful breeder and racer of horses. The Moss Vale Jockey Club formed in 1900 and held its race meetings on the Bong Bong track which was on the Throsby estate.
In 1905, the area was threatened by bushfires. Francis Throsby became concerned for the safety of the house and had the shingle roof removed and replaced by corrugated galvanised iron. He also had major alterations and additions made to the house in 1910.
A clay tennis court was built on terraced ground to the rear of Throsby Park house 1915-16 and became the social hub of the property up until World War II. It was modified some time in the 1940s-70s to become a horse exercise yard, which included installation of timber post-and-rail fencing.TKD, 2015, 2
Francis and his wife Jeannie settled Throsby Park House and the surrounding 181 acres on their son Francis Henry Osborne Throsby in 1930, but they continued to occupy the house until 1938.
Francis Henry Osborne Throsby and his wife Joan had been occupying the Mill where they had operated a guesthouse prior to their move to Throsby Park House in 1938. They transferred the operation of the guesthouse as well as a riding school to Throsby Park. During World War II, Throsby Park was home to a number of families whose men were either away at the war or working in Sydney. The riding school continued operating after the war with up to 35 children in residence during school holidays. Share farmers still operated on the property at various times.
Various alterations and additions continued to be made to the property and its associated infrastructure. Francis Henry Osborne Throsby died in 1960. In 1963 Delicia and Joan Hester Throsby purchased Throsby Park house. The Government of New South Wales under Premier Tom Lewis acquired the house in 1975 under the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Act, but Joan and Delicia continued to occupy the rear section of the house. A condition of acquisition was that Delicia be entitled to reside in part of the house and continue to operate her renowned riding school on the site. Joan Throsby died in 1977. Throsby Cottage was purchased by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in 1991.
The house was in a dilapidated state before the NSW NPWS began conservation works. Under NSW NPWS management from the 1970s it was opened to the public on an occasional basis, with guided tours, open days and special events.
Several buildings formed part of the original property are now privately owned. These include the Mill, Barn and original stables.
The barn at Throsby Park was built by Dr. Charles Throsby soon after he had taken possession of the land and built a small wooden cottage by the 1820s. It is of brick construction set on sandstone foundation with 60 centimetre thick walls. The roof was originally shingled but now covered with corrugated iron. The barn was one of two buildings erected soon after Dr Throsby took possession of his land grant. The property has a Wingecarribee Local Government Heritage Listing as well as being included as an item of significance within the Throsby Park group.Brown, pers.comm., 3/6/10
In 2010 the property was transferred to the Historic Houses Trust (HHT) of NSW to use its expertise to build on the restoration works undertaken by the NPWS. By returning Throsby Park to its original use as a residence, HHT was to maintain its heritage values while ensuring regular opportunities for the public to visit and appreciate the property.
Between 2010 and 2013, the HHT undertook essential conservation and maintenance projects to repair damage to the building. A major task was repairing the 26 verandah columns' lower decayed sections - cut off and replaced with brick and render base "plates". Spliced in sections of recycled hardwood (ironbark, tallowwood) replacing rotten sections only. A fibro room added under a corner of the internal verandah was dismantled, its missing shaped support posts replaced in recycled hardwood, A wooden trapdoor discovered in this room cut into the flagstone floor was the old entrance to the cellar. The hinged door was in good condition but its frame decayed. A new support frame was inserted, carefully modelled on the original and a damp-proof course added between the two surfaces. Inside the house's main rooms some minor patch repairs, painting and cleaning was done. The current planned works, including painting most of the exterior, was completed in February 2013. The HHT then sought a new tenant under the Endangered Houses Program.Insites, 2/2013
In April 2014 a forty-year lease over the 74 ha estate was granted to descendant, expatriate banker, Tim Throsby. One of twelve submissions for the leasehold, Throsby won not only because of family connection, but based on a $2.5m investment in conserving the house itself and a remaining $1.3m in annual rental over 40 years. Throsby's father Pat was related to Del Throsby (the last family member to live there, until her death in 2006) and had lived at the property when he was young. 'There's nothing economically sensible about all this. It's a labour of love on our part' Throsby told the Sun-Herald. 'The plan for us now is to spend some time turning it into a comfortable family home and we'll move back here in a few years to live in it'.
The lease decision in April over the 74 hectare estate with its own Act of Parliamentmakes it the largest and one of the most significant historic properties to be entrusted to a member of the public, Historic Houses Trust of NSW chair Michael Rose said. 'This is a real success in terms of taking a state-owned property, which was not in great condition and not being used, and bringing it back to life and conserving it in a way that won't cost the state', Rose said. The adjoining property, called Barnham Stables, predates Throsby Park and was where workers lived while the homestead was being built. Throsby purchased that 8396 square metre property in 2007 for $1.425m from artist John Olsen and his wife, Katherine.Macken, in SMH, 19/10/2014
Description Throsby Park is located about 140 km south of Sydney, about 2 km east of Moss Vale Railway Station. The site contains 74 hectares of the original 1000 acres grant made to Dr Charles Throsby in 1819.
The historic site consists of 43 elements: the main house, a drainage ditch, a site of convict huts, a dump, truck and fence posts, horse dray, stock loading ramp, piggery and boiling down vat, dams, roadways, horse yards, stables, gardens, stable yards, dairy, hayshed, dairyman's cottage, meat house, latrine block site, windbreak, sheep dip, the Throsby grave, the Throsby quarry, fencing, a site of various former structures, the site of the horse mill, drainage channel, orchard paddock, dairy shed, machinery shed site, groom's outhouse, kennel shed, site of grave, harvester and farm equipment, cottage and garden, collection and cottage laundry. The grounds also include a summer house and orchards.
Several buildings which originally formed part of the property are now privately owned. These include the Mill, Barn and original stables.