Addington House

Addington House is a heritage-listed former farm, residence and orchard and now community facility located at 813 Victoria Road, Ryde, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1794 to 1841 in different stages by James Stewart, James Shepherd, Thomas Bowden. It is also known as New Farm. The property is owned by City of Ryde. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The Ryde area was highly suitable for farming and orchards, and early grants to marines were given to encourage agriculture. In 1792 land in the area was granted to 8 marines; two of the grants were in the modern area of Ryde. Isaac Archer and John Colethread each received 32 hectares (80 acres) of land on the site of the present Ryde-Parramatta Golf Links, now in West Ryde. Later in 1792, in the Eastern Farms area, twelve grants, most of them about 12 hectares (30 acres), were made to convicts. Much later these farms were bought by John Macarthur, Gregory Blaxland and the Reverend Samuel Marsden. The district remained an important orchard area throughout the 19th century.

Between 1794 and 1806 emancipated convict James Stewart owned this 12-hectare (30-acre) grant, (the area) named "New Farm" – it was now 1/12 of the original grants made at "Kissing Point" as the area was then known. He built a small three-room cottage of sandstock bricks. In 1798 farmers at Kissing Point registered complaints to Governor Hunter about poor control exercised over the receipt of grain at the public stores in Sydney. One of these farmers was James Stewart. Stewart died in 1806 and the estate was auctioned, including "a good dwelling house" and effects.

James Shepherd owned New Farm's 12 hectares (30 acres) between 1809 and 1933. Shepherd acquired the farm in 1809 for A£70. It is uncertain when Addington was first built. Architectural evidence suggests that the earliest part of the house may date to 1810 and it was first occupied by Isaac Shepherd. In 1810 the property was taken over by Shepherd, who completed the central section by building a six-room sandstone house around the original three-room cottage. 1822 Thomas Bowden, the colony's first professional school teacher, added the west wing and in 1840 the east wing was added. It is of rubble sandstone. In 1820 Thomas Bowden, the colony's second school master, added three rooms and attics in front of the cottage. In 1825 the west wing was added (part has since been demolished) and Bowden started the first Boarding School in the colony here. In 1830 40 rods of New Farm were sold by James Shepherd (son of the James Shepherd who bought the farm in 1809), on the south-east boundary of the original 12-hectare (30-acre) grant. Between 1833 and 1876 Isaac Shepherd (son of James) "leased and released" New Farm. Shepherd was noted as being "at Kissing Point, Parramatta" in 1834–36. During the 1860s and 1870s Thomas Kendall Bowden and his wife Mary Elizabeth (née Shepherd) occupied Addington. The western wing of two bedrooms and a verandah were added in about 1832. The first phase of building (Area 1 north and south wings) is attributed to the period 1833–1876. The 1846 mortgage provides evidence which is critical for this interpretation. It is the earliest documentary evidence that relates to standing structures on the site. Also it specifies that after the transaction of 1833 a residence was erected for Isaac Shepherd on the site. Neither archaeological nor architectural evidence can conclusively indicate any earlier date for this construction. The map of 1841 records this first phase of building. Hence on the evidence available it is possible to narrow the dating of this phase to the 1833–41 period. An 1841 map of Ryde bearing the name James Shepherd on the land originally granted to James Stewart sh

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