The Judge's House

A true gem, tucked away between city office blocks, this one is my favourite.

Built in 1827, this Georgian cottage is the only surviving colonial house in the heart of the city and is Sydney's second oldest building. The house was built as a single storey, stone walled rectangle containing six rooms and a hall. Of typical symmetrical Georgian design, the verandah is supported on Doric columns on the eastern, northern and southern sides, an adaptation of this style to the Australian conditions. The exterior walls are of sandstone, bonded with shell-lime mortar.

The cottage bas built for William Harper, a Scottish migrant who worked as an assistant surveyor. Ill health caused Harper to retire young and his home was rented to the second Chief Justice of New South Wales, Sir James Dowling, in 1828, from where it gets its name. The house has had various tenants including a vinegar maker, a master mariner, a surgeon and a butcher. In 1997 the Capital Investment Group purchased the Judge's House for its corporate headquarters. It remains in their ownership and they continue the policy of preservation of this unique property.