Mansfield House, at 315 High St, Maitland, is often regarded as the 'Jewel in the Crown', architecturally speaking, of the City of Maitland. It is named for George Allen Mansfield (1834-1908), the architect responsible for its design. Mansfield was born in Parramatta and educated at WT Cape's private school. In 1850 he was articled to the architect John Fredrick Hilly, then the leading Sydney architect.
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Soon after completing his articles, he became a partner in Hilly and Mansfield, Architects, and carried out business in the city. He later ventured into enterprise on his own account and became a successful architect/businessman. He is responsible for many prominent colonial buildings, including churches, schools, houses and commercial buildings in Sydney, country NSW and QLD - 10 listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. In 1871, the first Institute of Architects was established in Sydney and Mansfield was chosen unanimously as first president. He was also later elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the first Australian-born architect to be so honoured.
One of his successful commissions was to be retained by the Commercial Banking Company (CBC) of Sydney to design and build banking chambers for the company. During his career he created designs for 53 of these buildings. One of them is Mansfield House in High Street, Maitland, designed in the Italianate Classical Revival style and built in 1887 costing £20,000. It operated as a banking chamber until 1990, first as the CBC and in later years as the National Australia Bank (NAB).
The three-storey building is listed on the State Heritage Register and remains largely preserved in its original state. The facade is made of 1000 tonnes of Pyrmont sandstone finely carved with masks, fruit, flowers, pillars and pediments. The internal timber fittings consist entirely of cedar locally sourced from the Paterson area. The ornate doors, staircase and windows are of this highly polished timber and the floor is of black and white terrazzo chequer-tile. Two large granite fireplaces complete the ensemble. The ceilings are seven metres high. By any standard, Mansfield House is an imposing building.
On 28 December, 1989, the devastating Newcastle earthquake and was felt very strongly in Maitland. Unlike Newcastle, Maitland suffered very little damage but the worst of the destruction was to Mansfield House. Mansfield's design had two ornate sandstone urns adorning the parapet above the main entrance and during the earthquake they broke off and fell to the ground, smashing the concrete and lying half buried in the footpath. They were never replaced and remain in the rear garden.
The building ceased operating as a bank in 1990 and remained boarded up for the next eight years. It later became a function centre with a grand foyer, function rooms, bar, kitchen and cool room. The building has been renamed as Mansfield House, a fitting tribute to the architectural designer.
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