Frank Godart | Clovelly House, Watsons Bay 1886
Clovelly House, Watsons Bay 1886
Watercolour and Gouache on paper
21.3 x 31 cm
Signed lower left
inscribed verso in pencil
’Home of Sir John Robertson, Watsons Bay’
Frank Godart 1886
$1200
This drawing depicts the garden of ‘Clovelly’ House, now known as Robertson Park.
C;lovelly was originally known as one of the grand Harbourside mansions of Sydney.
A brief history of ‘Clovelly’
Robertson Park in Watsons Bay was the site of the house Clovelly, a property which could probably boast one of the proudest histories of occupation in the area.
The original house on the site was a six room dwelling built by Thomas Watson on land he was granted in 1834.
By 1838 it had been leased to Hannibal Hawkins MacArthur, a nephew of John MacArthur, and his wife Anna Maria, the daughter of Governor King. By 1840 the MacArthurs had purchased the home and had named it Clovelly after the coastal village in Devon from which their family had originated. Financial difficulties during the 1840s forced MacArthur to sell Clovelly in 1848 to Henry Watson Parker for £450. This, however, did not sever Clovelly’s ties to the MacArthur family, as Parker was married to John MacArthur’s daughter Emily. During his time at Clovelly Parker greatly altered the dwelling, resulting in a house which included five bedrooms, two dressing rooms, drawing room, dining room and library. The link between Clovelly and the MacArthur family was strengthened during this period, as it was here that Elizabeth MacArthur chose to spend her final summers from 1847 until her death, at the house in 1850. The Parkers owned Clovelly until 1860 when it was sold to James Flood. In 1878 the house once again became the home of a prominent person.
It was in this year that Sir John Robertson, five times Premier of New South Wales, purchased the home. Robertson lived in Clovelly until his death in 1891 and during that period became closely associated with the daily life of Watsons Bay.
After his death Clovelly remained unoccupied and was soon demolished (1903) to make way for the Park.
Frank Godart.(1857-1929- Died Woollahra, Sydney NSW)
Mr. Godart a draftsman, printmaker and artist arrived in Sydney in 1886. He was appointed to supervise the whole art department of the office of the Sydney Mail.
He is credited with bringing state of the art (for the 19th century) photoengraving to the Australian press and creating a better way to reproduce imagery that was viewed within the articles published.
‘How Sydney Mail Pictures are made’ (PAGE 8 25th May 1921- Sydney Mail)
