LIVING LEGACY

This iconic slice of Australia's architectural history in Castlecrag has been exquisitely restored and extended, channelling the ideology of the original architects

- STORY SHELLEY TUSTIN STYLING LUCY GOUGH PHOTOGRAPHY ALANA LANDSBERRY

In an architectural sleight of hand, a new landscaped path bypasses the seldom-used front door and guides guests down past the extension, encouraging them to enter at the courtyard junction between old and new. “The idea was to enter the building at the original Burley Griffin piece, so that courtyard is kind of an external lobby. There’s no real, discernible front door, but Burley Griffin didn’t have one, either! You just arrived at the building and there were a whole lot of French doors and you could walk in any one you wanted to,” explains architect Robert Weir.

Living in a building of architectural significance, one is not so much a homeowner as a custodian – but there are few so well-suited to the role as Annette. The CEO of Museums of History NSW, Annette's work is driven by a passion for the past. This has overflowed into her personal life, as she and her husband Michael are the owners and meticulous caretakers of the Walter Burley Griffin-designed Duncan House in Castlecrag.

Annette and Michael’s love of heritage homes is longstanding, and when the couple moved from Melbourne to Sydney and began house hunting, a period gem was high on their list of must-haves. “We were looking for something that hadn’t realised its full potential, that had architectural significance and heritage value to it. I love a project,” says Annette.

The suburb of Castlecrag piqued the couple’s interest – surrounded on three sides by Sydney Harbour, the land was originally developed in the 1920s by Walter Burley Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin, architects who formed a groundbreaking vision of a community built in sympathy with the natural bush landscape. Duncan House is one of 13 Griffin homes in this unique area. It had been largely preserved, but also bore the scars of questionable design decisions made in recent decades. “The house was in a state of promise. But not a lot of realisation of that promise,” explains Annette.