A Haunting at Ayers House
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Figure 1: Ayers House on North Terrace, Adelaide - Photo © 2014 Allen Tiller
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Built in
1846 for William Paxton, a Chemist who worked out of Hindley Street, Austral House,
as it was known then, was a much smaller residence than the grand house that
stands on North Terrace today.
The original property was bought by Robert
Thomber in 1845, who sold it to Paxton. Paxton originally leased the property
to Ayers from 1855, then sold it to him in 1871.
Henry Ayers started making big changes
to the property in 1857 with the addition of rooms at the rear of the house. In
1859 he built the ballroom on the eastern side, and in 1871 he added the dining
room on the western side, which gave the house a sense of symmetry. In 1874,
six bedrooms were added at the back in a new two-story section.
Ayers’ spared no expense, rooms featured hand
stencilled wall and ceiling decorations. The walls were constructed with local
bluestone, and it was one of the first properties in Adelaide to feature gaslighting. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, much of which is still
present today.
Hand-painted ceilings in the ballroom and dining room
were beautifully painted by an artist named “Williams”, who had to lay on his
back, on a mattress supported by ladders, for three days to achieve the look.
In the dining room, Sir Ayers had his family crest
painted of three doves and an olive branch above the fireplace.
The ballroom featured cedar flooring,
with folding cedar doors that allowed extra space to be opened up for guests,
which in Henry Ayers time, was a regular occurrence, as he enjoyed being the
centre of social life from the upper echelon of Adelaide society.
Sir Ayers’ daughter, Mrs Lucy Bagot gave an
interview describing the property when she was a child in “The Mail” in 1928:
'The
property originally extended to Tavistock Street on the west, Rundle Street on
the south, and on the east to what is now the site of the East-End Market.
Where the row of two-story- houses now stands next to the Botanic Hotel
were two Indian bungalows, one of which was occupied by Rev. John Gardner,
minister of Chalmers Church and father of the late Mr. Gavin Gardner, and the
other by Mr Wentworth Cavanagh— afterward Cavanagh-Mainwaring, father of Dr.
Cavenagh-Mainwaring and Mrs. Arthur Cudmore, of Adelaide. 'On the western side
Dr. W. Moore, father of Mr. H. P. Moore, purchased the block on the corner of
Tavistock Street and built the house there which is now called Frome House.
When my father died in 1897 the house was empty for 18 years with the exception
of a housekeeper, maid, and boy, who looked after it. Then in six months, it
was let four times.'
In 1914 it
was bought by Henry Woodcock and following Mr Woodcock, by a syndicate who
built an open-air garden and dancing Palais. They named the previously un-named
house “Austral Gardens” and set the property up
as a multi-use business, including the RSL who used it as their headquarters
until they moved to Angas Street in 1923.
The property was purchased
by the Government in 1926 and used to accommodate nurses from the Royal
Adelaide Hospital across the road until 1969.
The Dunstan Government approved
restoration work to the grand old mansion in 1972, which saw some structural
damage repaired.
Around this period the National Trust of
South Australia used the house as their headquarters and began public tours
through the building.
Today the house is known as “Ayers House” in recognition of Sir
Henry Ayers, Minister and President of the Legislative Council, and Premier of
South Australia a record 5 times!
It is local
legend that Sir Henry Ayers returns to haunt his former abode. A story related
to me a long time ago from a then-current volunteer involved seeing the spirit
of an older gentleman walking through the house.
The description fitted Ayer’s description, and what is known of his look from
portraits, almost perfectly.
The possibility that Sir Ayers would
return to his home isn’t completely “out there”, it's actually a common
haunting occurrence for old mansions and homes that deceased owners return to
the places they loved most, so why not Sir Henry Ayers, returning to his much
beloved home, and the place he died?
Since the writing of my first book “The Haunts of Adelaide: History, Mystery
and the Paranormal”, I have since heard that the spirit of Henry’s much-beloved wife, Anne, has been sighted by staff in the grand old mansion as well.
Another
spirit is said to be a small child, but as of yet, she has not been identified.
Perhaps the spookiest encounter in Ayers house belongs to a staff worker who
was working late one evening when all six phones in the house began to ring
simultaneously as the lights went on and off repeatedly at the same time!
Please use the
following when referencing the above information for your research or
publication.
© Allen
Tiller 2016 – “Historian in
Residence” – Adelaide City Council: “History Hub” – “Haunted Buildings in Adelaide”
- This work is produced in collaboration
with Adelaide City Libraries
References:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/printArticlePdf/48173745/3?print=n
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/48271429?searchTerm=austral%20gardens%20history&searchLimits=l-state=South+Australia|||l-category=Article
http://www.adelaideheritage.net.au/all-site-profiles/ayers-house/
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ayers-sir-henry-2914
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ayers
Books:
Henry Ayers: The Man Who Became a Rock - By Jason Shute
The Haunts of Adelaide: History, Mystery and the Paranormal
– Allen Tiller
Ghosts and Hauntings of South Australia – Gordon de L
Marshall
Allen Tiller is Australia’s most recognised paranormal
investigator, eminent paranormal historian, and star of the international smash
hit television show “Haunting: Australia”.
Allen is also the founder of Eidolon Paranormal, South Australian Paranormal
and the author of book and blog, “The Haunts of Adelaide: History, Mystery and
the Paranormal”.
Allen is the winner of the 2017 “Emerging South Australian Historian of The
Year Award” as presented by The History Council of South Australia.
Allen has also been employed as “Historian in Residence” in
2016/2017 with the Adelaide City Council Libraries and employed by the City of
Port Adelaide Enfield Council to write the popular, “Ghosts of the Port
Self-Guided Walking Tour”
First published in MEGAscene issue 12
© Allen Tiller
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