Not that The Abbey didn’t draw more than its fair share of interest during its sale campaign, with the likes of Russell Crowe rumoured to have shown interest.
The neo-gothic mansion was built in 1881 by Sydney Lord Mayor John Young.Credit:
The landmark mansion last traded in a near derelict state at a packed auction in 2009 for $4.86 million.
“It was in a pretty frightening condition in certain parts of the place. It was derelict. Floors disintegrating, smoke damage, walls near collapse,” Hogan told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2015 soon after a four-year restoration was completed.
The couple’s restoration included converting it back into a single residence and original tessellated tiles, stained-glass windows, fireplace, original tiles and wallpaper were all repaired.
The Abbey dates back to 1881 when it was built by Sydney Lord Mayor and architect John Young, and remains the most impressive of a row of four “witches houses” thanks to its distinctive copper-clad tower, intricate stonework and gargoyles.
The nine-bedroom residence includes a converted chapel with stained-glass windows.Credit:
Young, whose commissions included St John’s College at Sydney University and a large portion of St Mary’s Cathedral, never lived in The Abbey, instead residing at Kentville next door, and The Abbey was leased until the 1920s when it was converted into flats.
In 1959, surgeon Geoffrey Davis purchased it for £4500, at which point the mansion’s infamy for ghosts and hidden tunnels became the stuff of legend, fuelled by the rumoured wild parties thanks to Dr Davis’s membership in Sydney’s Bohemian movement The Push.
Thirteen years after Sherry and Hogan purchased it, it has been sold in immaculate condition, with a vast floor plan that includes nine bedrooms, six bathrooms, yoga room, cellar, home office, music room in a converted chapel and a swimming pool on 1300 square metres.
Recent Comments