Cintra (which can be seen in the right hand corner of this photograph taken in 1955) was designed by Hunter ­architectural firm of J.W. Pender and completed in 1878. 

The two-storey villa, including garden and stables, has strong links to Maitland’s Jewish community having been designed for the famous Jewish merchant families of Levy and Cohen. 

According to the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage, Cintra was initially designed and ­constructed as a private residence for Benn W. Levy but he became the head of the Cohen business in London in 1886 and moved there the following year. 

Ownership of the house was transferred to his cousin Neville Cohen and in 1887 Pender added another eight rooms and a second wing. 

What began as a 23 room house became 31 rooms including an attic and cellar.  

The home was sold to the Long family in 1917 and operated as a private hospital from the first World War until the 1930s when it returned to being a private residence. 

The NSW Department of Environment and Heritage said Cintra House, Garden and Stables is of State heritage significance for its exceptional aesthetic value as an ­outstanding, highly intact example of a Victorian Italianate-style town villa. 

The house is a widely recognised architectural landmark in Maitland and contributes to the heritage of the Hunter Valley, demonstrating the pattern of settlement and ­commercial expansion of the region prior to the growth of Newcastle.