In eye of heritage storm: [2 All-round First Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 19 Nov 2004: 7.
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Abstract
The much-loved home of the notoriously cantankerous author, Highbury, in the Sydney suburb of Centennial Park, is expected today to be recommended for listing by the NSW Heritage Council.
[Patrick White] lived at Highbury from 1964 until his death in 1990 and his passionate love of the house is mentioned repeatedly in his later work. Under theterms of his will, his partner, Manoly Lascarus, continued to live in the house until his death, when its contents were donated to the Art Gallery of NSW and theState Library.
THE Hills Hoist is ramshackle, the grapevine over the rear pergola half-dead, and the potted cacti look very sad.
But you can still peek into the study where Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick White wrote some of his best-known books, including Flaws in the Glass, The Eye of the Storm and The Vivisector.
The much-loved home of the notoriously cantankerous author, Highbury, in the Sydney suburb of Centennial Park, is expected today to be recommended for listing by the NSW Heritage Council.
The listing comes only days before the house is to go to auction, with proceeds distributed between four charities, including the Smith Family and theAboriginal Dance Theatre. Bids are expected to top $3.5 million.
Under the terms of the listing, the purchaser can make sympathetic changes with Heritage Council approval, but cannot demolish the building.
Patrick White lived at Highbury from 1964 until his death in 1990 and his passionate love of the house is mentioned repeatedly in his later work. Under the terms of his will, his partner, Manoly Lascarus, continued to live in the house until his death, when its contents were donated to the Art Gallery of NSW and the State Library.
The house has already been stripped of its furniture, including the famous desk on which White wrote many of his later novels, the paintings he collected over a lifetime and his collection of rare and valuable books.
The listing follows a series of public consultations, but for some literary aficionados the move is too little too late, and the home should have been maintained as a museum.
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