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"Mansfield"
315 High Street |             | "MANSFIELD"
1887 **SOLD**
HERITAGE LISTED - STATE SIGNIFICANT
Offers elegance, splendour, solidity and good living in the most impressive architectural building of High Street Maitland, heritage Centre of NSW. Named after its celebrated architect George Allen Mansfield, it's one of the grandest of the 53 buildings he designed for the Commercial Banking of Sydney Ltd. Richly modelled in masonry, it is a magnificent example of the Victorian Academic Classical Style, influenced by the grandeur of the Italian renaissance Period. Its perfectly symmetrical facade displays sandstone-arched windows and commanding columned portico, each with ornamentation popular in Europe at the time. The ground floor offers cedar rich function rooms with
- 18 to 22 foot ceilings,
- a commercial kitchen,
- bar,
- bathrooms,
- and an office, then
- 2 floors of quality living areas.
First of these has:
- drawing room,
- 3 grand bedrooms,
- family kitchen with modern amenities,
- entertainment room,
- 2 luxury bathrooms, and
- 2 balconies with views of city and country scape.
Second floor: has
- 4 bedrooms,
- 2 luxury bathrooms, and
- a billiard room.
- Original marble and wooden fireplaces abound.
- There are compelling views of countryside to mountains from this level.
- All floors are wrapped around a beautifully crafted cedar staircase.
Mansfield has a landscaped courtyard garden with spacious grounds at the rear of the building, suitable for pool, court or family entertainment. Land size is 1909m2 as per title plan with space for further development. Currently operating for functions, fine dining and family living, its extensive wing accommodation complies with B&B standards. Would suit boutique hotel, professional offices, B&B or special function Centre with accommodation. Mansfield's powerful architecture and flexible spaciousness presents a range of commercial possibilities together with congenial, family living areas, This property offers a unique opportunity in Hunter River Country, which is burgeoning in value as a business, tourism and good lifestyle location, only 2 hours from Sydney, 30 minutes from sandy beaches and minutes from wineries. Located in busy High Street the three storey building can be purchased with or without the existing business. The asking price for the real estate is $2.8m and $400k for the business. FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT
DOWLING REAL ESTATE
MAITLAND
DAVID RALPH ON 0418 492 435 OR 49341147
36 CHURCH STREET, MAITLAND | Maitland,
315 High Street | 
1859
1911
1939
1949
1950
1969
1970
1979
1979-80 | 1970s UBD NSW Street Directory Pg 98:- Maitland is 191 km by rail north of Sydney; 34 km north-west of Newcastle. On the Hunter River, New England Highway.
Junction for the Great Northern, North Coast and South Maitland Railway lines. 1801 Lieutenant-Colonel Paterson of New South Wales Corps named it Schanck's Forest Plains 1810 the cedar-getters had arrived 1818 Governor Macquarie renamed it Wallis Plains 1817-1820 good-conduct convicts were given land for agricultural development 1820 land was open to free settlers and the first land grants were offered
1828 area had been renamed Maitland from Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland, Admiral of the Fleet, to whom Napoleon surrendered in July 1815, or Major-General Sir Pelegrine Maitland, a compatriot of Governor Darling.
1835 an Agency was conducted, only 4 months after the bank was founded. Later closed.
1841 Agency established.
1845 Notice which appeared in the Maitland Mercury of 19 April:
BANK NOTICE
The Chairman and Directors of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney beg to repeat their Notice of 4th April 1844, viz:-
"That the branches of this Bank established at Maitland, Windsor and Goulburn, were discontinued on and after the 31st March then next preceding" and that they further give notice, that this Bank will not be responsible for any monies which are not received at the Banking House, George Street, Sydney
L Duguid Managing Director 4/4/1845
Geoff Chapman states: I do not know what to make of Notices appearing 12 months apart It looks like they night have given 12 months notice of closure of the Branches.
1845 April 5 Sydney Herald wrote:- "Commercial of Sydney had to advertise that it had closed Maitland Windsor & Goulburn branches - apparently residents were being defrauded by fictitious agencies" explains why 1844 notice re-appeared in 1845. See Foundations of the Australian Monetary System Pg 371.
Framed photo undated J.R. Burgess from NAB Archives
1846 Frank Maundrell has come across a reference to Maitland contained in "Select Documents of the Nineteenth Century, Vol. 1", page 95. It quotes a Bank Notice published in "Sydney Herald" as follows:
"COMMERCIAL BANKING COMPANY OF SYDNEY
NOTICE is hereby given, that a General Half yearly Meeting of the Proprietors of this Bank will be held at the Banking House, Sydney, on Friday the 15th July next, at 12 o'clock for the purpose of declaring a Dividend for the Half-Year ending 30th June - of considering the propriety of converting the present Agency at Maitland into a permanent Branch of the Bank - and of proceeding to the election of two of their Body duly qualified to fill the office of Directors in the room of John Lamb, and J.H. Grose, Esquires, who retire by lot, and are not eligible for re-election before the expiry of twelve months.
LESSLIE DUGUID Managing Director Commercial Bank June 7, 1846. ibid."
1859 Opened 11th April. See text of advertisement in Maitland Mercury April 1859 at left.
1864 rail line established through Maitland replaced Morpeth as the major port.
1883 December 31 Report lists Waddy P M as manager.
1887 The impressive 3 storey building was constructed. (from Current Accounts July 1959)
1890 June 30 Report lists Waddy P M as manager.
1893 January Listed in 89th Report;
1911 photo of interior Maitland Office from NAB Archives.
1926 see under West Maitland.
1934 Listed in Century of Banking
1939 photo 14/11/39 from JCG ClulowColour photo 1970 and all copies of old photos by Ron Armstrong.
Monochrome photo of rear of premises showing caretaker's quarters.
1949 flood photo - branch 2nd from right.
1950 November photo provided by John Ramsay. On the reverse is typed:
Back Row from left: Bert Dare, Keith Prowse, Bert Scott, Ivor Davies, John Culf, Brice Youll.
Front: Pat Clarke, Clive Avery, self (being Alec N. Ramsay), Pat Dare, Helen Cunningham.
1984 Ian S. Watts retired from Maitland. He stated: "The Banking chamber of Maitland Branch (315 High Street) was furnished with beautiful cedar counters and tellers boxes. The second storey of the residence was part of the residence and included a large ballroom. At the back of the ground floor was the former maid’s quarters which in my time were occupied by the caretaker and his wife. On the top storey was a former radio broadcasting room where, I was reliably informed, John Laws started his broadcasting career.
I retired from Maitland in 1984 when the merger with the NAB was nearing completion. The previous year 2 robbers had forced their way into the branch during the night, and as the staff arrived the next morning, they were tied up and gagged with black tape. Three of us with keys to open the strongroom and the combination of the safe were marched into the general office with 2 sawn off shotguns aimed at our backs. We were then locked in the Manager’s Office with the others. The two robbers escaped with a substantial amount of cash, as it was the day the armoured car was due to pick up the surplus cash. They were never captured. I had no trouble in deciding it was time to retire."
1980s Ron Armstrong states that 315 High Street closed around 1986-87 after the Business was migrated to 461a High St ( High & Church Sts). Steve Gregson was the last manager there.
1979 photos 6/6/79 and 1979-80 from NAB Archives
2008 May John Munro states "I was recently in Maitland and the old High St Building now seems to be a private residence - pretty grand for such - there is no sign showing it as a B&B or Reception Centre as it became some time ago."
2017 November Caroline Moore advised Hi, I was an employee of the CBC Bank from 1964-1976, mostly at 315 High Street, Maitland, NSW. I'm attaching some photos, etc. which might be of interest to you. The first is of staff at 315 High St., taken in September 1969 in the banking chamber, from left to right, back: Graeme Davison, Peter Lucas, John Campbell, Bob Smith; front: Angela Lashwood, Fay Grant, Charles Frederick Stephens (Manager), Margaret Richardson, Caroline Moore.
Also a photo taken from the top of the Maitland Town Hall flagpole in May, 1970 - it shows a side view of CBC 315 High Street, (on the left hand side of the photo, towards the top). |
Last modified: 08/07/2008 19:44
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