Elizabeth Bay Manor is a sprawling house in the suburbs of Sydney that has a historical value. Built between 1835 and 1839 in the style of the English Empire style, it was known as "the finest house in the colony". It was once surrounded a 22-hectare garden of remarkable beauty, but long ago, instead of greenery the house-museum is surrounded by a densely populated urban area. Today Elizabeth Bay is a magnificent example of Australian colonial architecture, known primarily for its oval main hall with its domed lantern tower and staircase.
The mansion was built for the secretary of the colony of New South Wales, Alexander Maclay in the second quarter of the 19th century. The architect of the project is unknown - it is speculated it may have been John Verge, however there is no reliable evidence for this. The façade of the house is rather plain due to the fact that the house itself is unfinished: the construction of most colonial houses of the late 1830s were not completed due to the due to the economic depression. Interestingly, the central axis of the house is aligned with the winter solstice. There are no documents that could explain this peculiarity, but it is unlikely to be a simple coincidence.
The interior of the manor house, restored from the records, reflects the lifestyle of the family Maclay and generally gives an insight into early 19th-century Sydney life. In the large Library one can see a small collection of insects that belonged to Alexander Maclay himself Alexander Maclay himself - he was a renowned entomologist. There's also a collection of 19th-century furniture from Sydney and Tasmania.
Next to the manor house is a small grotto with a stone wall and steps surrounded by a few trees - it's all there surrounded by a few trees - all that remains of the once extensive garden, which contained exotic plants from Maclay's collection, a greenhouse and a vegetable garden.
