John Frederick Hilly (c.1810 – 3 September 1883) was a surveyor and architect who designed commercial buildings, churches and houses in mid-nineteenth-century Sydney.[1] He was born in
Warwickshire and arrived in Australia in 1839. On 8 January 1842 Hilly married Ellen Morgan at
Christ Church St Laurence in Sydney.[2] Hilly Street in
Mortlake, New South Wales, is named in his honour.[3] Works attributed to Hilly include:
In 1842 Hilly designed a Victorian Gothic Revival sandstone house for the widow of Thomas Smith. The property is now part of the
Ascham School campus in
Edgecliff.[4]
In 1846 Hilly designed a two-storey stone cottage known as Percyville and that house forms most of the front of the present house is that is now
Bishopscourt at
Darling Point.[6]
In 1847 Hilly designed St Thomas's Anglican Church in
Enfield consisting of a sanctuary, chancel, nave and vestry, surmounted by a spire on a square
Norman tower.[7]
In 1860 Hilly designed the first grandstand at
Randwick Racecourse. It was constructed for the first race meeting and was built of American timber. Although it was intended to be temporary it stood for 15 years.[13]
In 1864 Hilly designed Fiona for
Edward Knox of the
Colonial Sugar Refining Company and it is also part of the Ascham School campus in Edgecliff. It has an identical front elevation to Bomera in Potts Point.[14]
Hilly designed two Victorian Rustic Gothic style stone houses that have since been demolished in the
Inner Western Suburbs of Sydney. The Sydney physician, Dr George Fortescue, bought an estate on the
Parramatta River in 1851. He named the area
Chiswick after the village on the
Thames River in Devonshire. His home Wymston was built in the 1860s on Blackwall Point Road.[15] In the same era Hilly designed Barnstaple Manor on
Rodd Point in
Iron Cove for the Sydney solicitor Brent Clements Rodd.[16]
The 1860s additions to the
John Verge designed mansion
Tusculum in Potts Point, including the cast iron balustrade design, are attributed to Hilly. The design is very similar to his work at Fiona and Guntawang.
In 1869 Hilly designed the homestead at Guntawang at
Mudgee. The building is a single-storey version of his design for Carrara at Vaucluse.[17]
In 1870 Hilly designed The Oddfellows Hall at 38 Queen Street
Woollahra for the Lodge of the Manchester United Independent Order of Oddfellows. It was restored in the 1970s by
Leo and Anne Schofield as Queen Street Galleries.[19]
^"Family Notices". The Sydney Herald. Vol. XIII, no. 1449. New South Wales, Australia. 10 January 1842. p. 3. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^Dunn, Mark (2008), "St Patrick's Catholic church, Church Hill", The Dictionary of Sydney, retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Bishopscourt". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00362. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Greycliffe Flats – house, grounds and sandstone retaining wall to street". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Strickland House". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00722. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
^"Bomera & Tarana". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01400. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
John Frederick Hilly (c.1810 – 3 September 1883) was a surveyor and architect who designed commercial buildings, churches and houses in mid-nineteenth-century Sydney.[1] He was born in
Warwickshire and arrived in Australia in 1839. On 8 January 1842 Hilly married Ellen Morgan at
Christ Church St Laurence in Sydney.[2] Hilly Street in
Mortlake, New South Wales, is named in his honour.[3] Works attributed to Hilly include:
In 1842 Hilly designed a Victorian Gothic Revival sandstone house for the widow of Thomas Smith. The property is now part of the
Ascham School campus in
Edgecliff.[4]
In 1846 Hilly designed a two-storey stone cottage known as Percyville and that house forms most of the front of the present house is that is now
Bishopscourt at
Darling Point.[6]
In 1847 Hilly designed St Thomas's Anglican Church in
Enfield consisting of a sanctuary, chancel, nave and vestry, surmounted by a spire on a square
Norman tower.[7]
In 1860 Hilly designed the first grandstand at
Randwick Racecourse. It was constructed for the first race meeting and was built of American timber. Although it was intended to be temporary it stood for 15 years.[13]
In 1864 Hilly designed Fiona for
Edward Knox of the
Colonial Sugar Refining Company and it is also part of the Ascham School campus in Edgecliff. It has an identical front elevation to Bomera in Potts Point.[14]
Hilly designed two Victorian Rustic Gothic style stone houses that have since been demolished in the
Inner Western Suburbs of Sydney. The Sydney physician, Dr George Fortescue, bought an estate on the
Parramatta River in 1851. He named the area
Chiswick after the village on the
Thames River in Devonshire. His home Wymston was built in the 1860s on Blackwall Point Road.[15] In the same era Hilly designed Barnstaple Manor on
Rodd Point in
Iron Cove for the Sydney solicitor Brent Clements Rodd.[16]
The 1860s additions to the
John Verge designed mansion
Tusculum in Potts Point, including the cast iron balustrade design, are attributed to Hilly. The design is very similar to his work at Fiona and Guntawang.
In 1869 Hilly designed the homestead at Guntawang at
Mudgee. The building is a single-storey version of his design for Carrara at Vaucluse.[17]
In 1870 Hilly designed The Oddfellows Hall at 38 Queen Street
Woollahra for the Lodge of the Manchester United Independent Order of Oddfellows. It was restored in the 1970s by
Leo and Anne Schofield as Queen Street Galleries.[19]
^"Family Notices". The Sydney Herald. Vol. XIII, no. 1449. New South Wales, Australia. 10 January 1842. p. 3. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^Dunn, Mark (2008), "St Patrick's Catholic church, Church Hill", The Dictionary of Sydney, retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Bishopscourt". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00362. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Greycliffe Flats – house, grounds and sandstone retaining wall to street". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
^"Strickland House". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00722. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
^"Bomera & Tarana". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01400. Retrieved 11 September 2023. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.