Places of Interest

Mayfield was one of Newcastle’s most desirable and fashionable places to live, especially from the 1870s until the arrival of the BHP steelworks in 1913. For several generations Mayfield has been seen as a workers’ suburb. The overwhelming presence of BHP and other heavy industries left a black shadow over the suburb literally and figuratively. But many of the people of Mayfield were immune to this negative image knowing they lived in a suburb that had many places of beauty and heritage and, more importantly, a community spirit that was unbowed by the critical attitude many had of their area.

What the residents of Mayfield know is that their suburb has one of the richest histories of any in Newcastle. Named after the daughter of one of the original settlers, it was once the country retreat of Newcastle’s wealthy, much like the Toorak or Vaucluse of Newcastle. Mayfield was home to Newcastle’s finest and was the site of the first vineyards in the Hunter Region. Beautiful stately homes were abundant and the wide streets and beautiful parks were a feature.

Today, this historic suburb is being rediscovered. The local property market is booming, the commercial centre is reinventing itself and the community spirit is being reinvigorated.

Interesting Mayfield Links- www.newcastle.edu.au/service/archives/mayfield/index.html

Mayfield is one of Newcastle’s oldest suburbs.  What was it like to live in Mayfield a hundred years ago?  Who lived here then?  What did people do for work and play?  What remains of the earlier years of Mayfield’s existence?

Why not take a walk and discover some interesting things….

Mayfield the Toorak of Newcastle – brochure_toorak 

Living the Life - brochure_living the life

Mayfield Main Street
Whilst the area which became known as Mayfield began to be settled in the mid 1850s, and started attracting wealthy families by the 1880s, the main street commercial district didn’t begin to consolidate until the 1920s and later.

The rapid growth in population in the 1920s and 30s following the arrival of BHP in 1913 (and the other steel fabricating   firms a little later on) meant that more services began locating along Maitland Road, forming a Main Street. Prior to the 1930s people would buy most of their goods from men or boys who would deliver them by horse and cart, or by walking door to door. Bread, meat, clothes, milk, ice and vegetables were all delivered. Today, Maitland Road is home to a resilient business community keen to continue the tradition of ‘strip-shopping’ in an era of enclosed mega-shopping malls.

John Scholey was a butcher, property developer, businessman and later Mayor of Waratah (which included Mayfield) three times. He chose the highest point on the ridge to build his magnificent house, which was completed by 1884, and the gardens extended all the way to Crebert Street. The Scholeys were like the royal family of Mayfield. It is said that when Mrs. Scholey wanted one of her servants to do something, she would simply clap her hands. She and other members of the ‘Mayfieldocracy’ were sometimes known as the ‘Handclappers’.

Arnott Holme (1885)
Originally built on a 5 acre block by Charles Uphold, owner of the Soap and Candle Factory which opened in Mayfield from 1886 east of Ingall St. The estate was sold to William Arnott in 1888 and named Arnott Holme. The Arnotts remained here until 1898. The bakery was in Hunter Street, while members of the family resided here in Mayfield. The house was then sold to Isaac Winn, who renamed it Winn Court. Many social functions, including fetes and Bible classes, were held n the home and grounds. In 1921 the house was acquired by the Church of England and became St Elizabeth’s Girls Home and, later, St. Albans Boys Home. It is now part of Annersley Court. This could be a ‘Tim-Tam’ stop! Turn right into Highfi eld St and pass the rear of ‘Mayfield House’, Where you can see the Essington Lewis Building.
  

Burrundulla (1886)
This house was built for John Ritchie, the manager of Hudson Bros. Ltd, which became Goninans, the major Newcastle engineering firm that built many of the state’s rail carriages. In 1918 it was owned by the Lintott family. Lintott was the local milkman and had a dairy on nearby Ash Island in the Hunter River. Transporting the milk by punt and cart, he would bring it to the house and put the pails down the well to keep them cool. From the 1930s to 1960s an ice cream factory operated out of a brick shed at the rear of the property known as Lush’s Ice-cream. The small park across the road may have been the location of a well. Palm trees were often planted next to wells. Imagine what it would have been like to walk to a well to obtain water instead of simply turning on a tap. In 1887, Mayfield was one of the first suburbs in Newcastle to be connected to the water. The water main was piped down from Walka Waterworks, near Maitland. No doubt, poorer people still had to use wells.