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Newington House is a historic house in Silverwater, New South Wales, Australia and is located 20 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council. The house and chapel are situated on the southern bank of the Parramatta River and are now enclosed by the Silverwater Correctional Centre. With Elizabeth Bay House and Camden Park, it is considered to be one of the three great houses of the County of Cumberland.〔''Early colonial houses of New South Wales'', by Rachel Roxburgh, Ure Smith in association with The National Trust of Australia (N.S.W.), 1974, Published in Australia ISBN 0-7254-0173-7〕 Newington is a substantial and intact example of a rural colonial villa, and demonstrates the quality of life of prominent citizens and families from early settlements. It is associated with a notable New South Wales family, being built for John Blaxland, whose entrepreneurial business activities were among the oldest in the colony, and whose brother Gregory Blaxland assisted in activities generally relative to the site. Its use since the occupation of the Blaxland family has reflected a number of social changes as the founding site of Newington College,〔(Newington College - A short history of the College )〕 and as an asylum, hospital, and prison administration building.〔(Afloat - John Blaxland, an English country gentleman )〕 ==The estate== The Newington estate was established on Aboriginal lands of the ''Wann-gal'' which encompassed the southern side of the Parramatta River from Cockle Bay to Rose Hill. In the first 40 years of European settlement, grants of land in this area, ranging from 100 to 10,000 acres (40 km²), were made to settlers. These land grants were inked in on County of Cumberland maps, with names of owners and land granted clearly indicated. In 1807, John Blaxland acquired 520 hectares of land, reserving the original grants of Waterhouse, Shortland, Archer and Haslam. He named the estate Newington after his family estate in Kent, England.〔''The Book of Sydney Suburbs'', Compiled by Frances Pollon, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia ISBN 0-207-14495-8〕 Blaxland established a series of salt pans on the banks of the Parramatta River and by 1827 was producing 8 tons of salt each week for the Sydney market. Blaxland also established a tweed mill, lime kiln and flour mill. In 1843, Blaxland mortgaged the property to the Australian Trust Company. After he died in 1851 the Trust Company sold the property to John Dobie to recover the mortgage. The Blaxland family re-purchased the estate from Dobie in 1854 but offered it as security against a large loan. The property was transferred to the Official Assignee of the Insolvent Estate of Edward James Blaxland in 1860 and subsequently leased to the Methodist Church, who established Newington College on the estate. The College remained on the site until 1880. The property, extending from near the current Holker Street to the current Carnarvon Street, was sold to John Wetherill in 1877. The following year, John Wetherill registered a subdivision plan for the entire 520 hectare Newington Estate. This proposal comprised an extensive grid layout, of some 114 lots, which extended well into the mud flats and mangroves of Wentworth Bay and Homebush Bay. In 1906 and 1909, Wetherill further subdivided his property as ''Riverside Heights'', with the first allotments sold in that year. It was hoped that the location of the subdivision in proximity to the developing State Abattoir and Brickworks would attract people to the area in association with the employment opportunities offered by these establishments. This venture was largely unsuccessful, with only a few lots being sold. However the layout of the western part of the Newington subdivision remains obvious in the current street pattern and street names.〔(Sydney Olympic Park Authority - Five Layers of History )〕 Newington was first offered to the Government for use as an Asylum for the Insane in 1874. The Government did not accept this offer, however in 1879, Government Architect James Barnett prepared a report on the suitability of the Newington estate for a Reformatory School for Boys. His report concluded that the site was suitable for a Boys Reformatory or a Benevolent Asylum for Aged Women. In September 1897 the Crown Solicitor confirmed that 5000 pounds would be paid to John Wetherill to acquire about 19 hectares of land, which included Newington House. A new Aged Women's Asylum was constructed to replace the existing asylum which was housed within the Immigrant Depot at the Hyde Park Barracks. The first buildings were established in 1886 on this new site to house 300 patients. At this time, the hospital was categorised as a state asylum for dependent adults' with infirmity or illness of 'incurable character'. Various additional buildings and structures were added to the Newington Hospital over the years. In 1960 it was proposed that the hospital should be closed and the site sold to industry. The significance of the site, however, stimulated significant public opposition to the plans. In 1968, after a series of drawn out negotiations, the Government of the day decided to close the hospital and transfer the property to the then NSW Department of Prisons.〔(Sydney Olympic Park - Colonial History at Homebush Bay )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Newington House」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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