Buxton Manor – George Lowe Esquire Apartment North Adelaide review | SA’s Great Travel Planner

The lovely proportions and splendour of the Edwardian age, and decor from the Art Nouveau period, are on offer at the heritage-listed Buxton Manor Estate in North Adelaide.

The lovely proportions and splendour of the Edwardian age, and decor from the Art Nouveau period, are on offer at the heritage-listed Buxton Manor Estate in North Adelaide.

Divided into a range of different apartments, we booked the expansive five-roomed, two bedroom one of almost 150sq m, available for a single night if needed, and perfect for a grand, romantic getaway on the city fringe.

Coming through the huge entrance foyer, into a hallway half the size of our own home, we realised we were in for something special.

The suite of five rooms sits on the northwest corner of the grand red brick federation style building, designed by leading architect, F W Dancker and completed in 1908 for the Fisher family who were prominent Adelaide solicitors.

Buxton Manor is part of the North Adelaide Heritage Group’s long list of accommodation options.

Most impressive are the lounge/dining room and main bedroom that are both light and lavish, with spruce polished floors, high marbled ceilings, ornate fireplaces and beautiful and valuable artworks and furnishings.

The bathroom and superbly stocked kitchen are both a little pokey by comparison but more than serviceable.

With the delicious Flying Fig cafe just around the corner and the culinary treats of O’Connell and Melbourne streets available not too far away, there is no requirement to be slaving over the stove.

The design of the ‘gentleman’s residence’ with a Marseille Spanish tiled roof was unusual in North Adelaide at the time and caused interest and excitement among local residents.

Adelaide artist Stella Bowen, who lived with her mother in a house a little further west on Mills Tce, speaks of attending social events, including grand balls, at Buxton Manor just after it was built, in her autobiography Drawn From Life (1940).

The Fishers only lasted a decade in the house before it was bought by George Lowe Esq. the man our chosen apartment is named after and the great uncle of current owner Rodney Twiss. With his wife Regina, Twiss has the Manor as one of a number of glamorous properties under the banner of the North Adelaide Heritage Group.

One of the fathers of the Australian Constitution, Sir Josiah Symons, lived in the Manor with an entourage of staff during the winter months through 1922-1935.

The house was divided into four flats just after World War II and a fifth apartment has been created as a spa cottage in another building on the grounds.

Buxton Manor – George Lowe Esq apartment, North Adelaide.

The property is surrounded by half an acre of manicured English cottage garden with a mass of flowers and a sweep of lawn available to all guests.

For entertainment we chose to play the public North Adelaide Golf course just a crisp 5-iron away. As golf novices, we took on the pitch and putt course, and a full 18 holes in a glorious setting was a great treat.

Another entertainment option is to take a guided or self-guided heritage trail of North Adelaide provided by the National Trust and available on its website.

Reviews are unannounced and paid for by SAWeekend.

This review was first published in September 2018 and details updated in March 2021.

• 67-75 Buxton St, North Adelaide
• [phone]
• adelaideheritage.com
• LOCATION 1km from the CBD.
• ACCOMMODATION Two-bedroom apartment, which sleeps up to four guests.
• FACILITIES One large bedroom (Queen bed), second bedroom (two king single beds), huge sitting room, Wi-Fi, TV, CD, radio and DVD, kitchen, separate bathroom with shower, ducted airconditioning and fans, open fire (can be laid at a small charge), one car park and use of garden.
• BREAKFAST Available on request at a cost.
• PRICE From $295 a night.