Carrick Hill: Why 70,000 are visiting this old Adelaide house each year

ALMOST 70,000 people visited this grand old Adelaide home last year — even more are expected to roam its grounds in 2016. So what’s driving the interest?

Supplied Real Estate Home mag: free Adelaide gardens to take the children, for Sophie Thomson's gardening page

THIRTY years after its gates were thrown open to the public, Carrick Hill is booming.

About 69,000 people visited Carrick Hill in 2014/15, up from 57,000 in 2013/2014 — a 20 per cent rise.

More high profile shows, such as Alice in Wonderland and the Fabulous Petals art show, were drawing bigger crowds to the heritage house and gardens.

“We are probably one of those well-kept secrets that once people discover us it excites them, which makes them want to come back,” Carrick Hill director Richard Heathcote said.

“We are getting more exhibitors ... and even more bookings for weddings and funerals because it is a stunning location.”

Splash Theatre presents Mr Badger Tells the Story of The Wind in the Willows as part of the Adelaide Fringe next month.

The performance, based on Kenneth Grahame’s book of the same name, celebrates nature, animals and friendship.

Director Christopher John said Carrick Hill was an ideal location because it appealed to both parents and children.

“We were asked to do a show at Carrick Hill in September last year and it was successful, so when (the) Fringe came around, I asked if I could perform there again,” he said.

“These shows make people want to come back to Carrick Hill … maybe visit the house, cafe and maybe go look at an exhibition.”

The show is on from Friday, March 11, to Sunday, March 13.

The former family home of Sir Edward and Lady Ursula Hayward, Carrick Hill was opened to the public by the Queen in 1986.

HISTORIC HOME IN FOCUS

CARRICK Hill is a publicly accessible historic property at the foot of the Adelaide Hills, in the suburb of Springfield, in South Australia.

IT was the Adelaide home of Sir Edward “Bill” Hayward and his wife Lady Ursula (née Barr-Smith) and contains a large collection of drawings, sculptures, antiques and paintings.

COMPLETED in 1939 and built in the style of an English manor, it is one of the few period homes in Australia to have survived with its grounds undiminished and most of its original contents intact.

THE nearly 40-hectare property was the wedding gift of Ursula’s father to the Haywards- after their marriage in 1935, the couple spent a year-long honeymoon in Europe. They bought many of the furnishings for their new home, including an imposing staircase, at the sale of Beaudesert House in Staffordshire, England.

CONSTRUCTION of Carrick House began in 1937 and was completed in 1939. During this time Lady Ursula designed the gardens.

THE Haywards claimed a number of well-known artists as close friends, and some of their work features in the collection that fills the house. Ursula was an artist in her own right, and her work is also represented.

CARRICK Hill was bequeathed to the state on Sir Edward’s death in 1983 (his wife having predeceased him). It is open to the public for most of the year, but is closed during July for essential maintenance. An admission charge applies to the house, but not the gardens.

CARRICK Hill regularly houses themed art exhibitions. On 13 November 2005, it hosted a reunion picnic for former staff of John Martin’s, which was for many years owned by the Hayward family.

THE event coincided with the opening of a social history exhibition entitled “Johnnies Spirit of a State” and was held on the weekend of the Adelaide Christmas Pageant, which was founded by Sir Edward.

— As taken from Wikipedia