Denbigh, one of Australia's oldest working farms (circa 1812), is listed on the State Heritage Register as 'sited in a very rare and intact early colonial landscape of great beauty and integrity. of exceptional cultural significance.' Denbigh's serenity and charm come from its being encircled by hills and a remarkable cluster of convict built farm buildings. The stone stables,, hand-milking bails, calf shed, storage silos, slab barns and haysheds reflect the evolution of farming practices.
| Last open September 2024 | Check later for future dates |
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Limited tickets sold at the gate on the day
Garden entry fee donated to FOSTER A POTTER - a not-for-profit apprenticeship programme for potters
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Warning: Uneven surfaces, Not accessible for wheel chairs |
Note: Enter the roundabout at the Macquarie Grove and Cobbitty Road intersections. Turn right and then left into Denbigh Follow the signs and arrows to Denbigh and park in the paddock to the left of the garden
| Summer avg. Max: | 26°C | Winter avg. Min: | 3°C | |
| Avg Frost Days: | 38 | |||
| Annual Rainfall avg: | 960mm. | Summer avg. | 301mm. | |
| No. of rainy days: | 47 | Winter avg. | 159mm. | |
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Public Toilets nearbyDistances are approximate. When planning your trip please check open times etc by following links to National Public Toilet Map.
Denbigh is a rare historical remnant of the nineteenth century Cowpastures. For tens of thousands of years prior to colonial settlement the Dhurug and Gundungarra People were custodians of the land. They held ceremonial corroborees on Denbigh righ ...
The bungalow was built in 1817 by Charles Hook with wattle and daub walls and weatherboard cladding. Having spent time in India he adopted their wide verandahs providing shade from the hot summer sun. The cottage garden is planted with old roses, lavenders, salvias and iris and in spring the wisteria creeps its way along the verandah.
The two-storey section of the house was added in the 1820s by Reverend Thomas Hassall. It was where he conducted divine services and Sunday School until St Paul's church was built on his land in Cobbitty n 1842
During the 1830s Denbigh was transformed from an isolated farm into a bustling, self contained village. Residents included a carpenter, blacksmith, brick maker, shoemaker, schoolmaster, dairyman, gardener, nursery maid, waiter, cow boy, overseer, washerwoman, groom, shepherd, bullock driver and a watchman.
The garden is now looked after by Jodie Asher.
The service wing of the bungalow was on the western side of the courtyard where the cook and housemaids lived.
The kitchen and bakehouse were separated from the house in case of fires.
In 2021 James Haney, our heritage builder quarried stone from the old quarry on the hill and finished the paving of the courtyard which had never been completed. He will be exhibiting his stone sculptures in the new Exhibition space.
Walk through the old laundry (with its original copper tub over a fireplace) one notice the bricks, made over 200 years ago from clay dug and fired in pits on the farm, They are coated in lime wash paint which allows the moisture and salts from the bricks to escape.
This is our favourite part of the garden - an oasis in summer with the African Olives providing all day shade, as well as protecting us from the westerly winds in winter. The sound of the fountain echoes into the courtyard. Various birdbaths made with stone quarried on Denbigh are scattered around - some now covered in moss. They were carved by James Haney @wildwoodandstone. If you follow the winding path from the mulberry tree you will discover various sculptures - the copper tree made by ulanandrachel.com
A huge forest red gum pre-dates the stables and coach house constructed around 1810. Susie makes her functional pottery here and will be joined by members of the Macarthur Ceramics Group who will also be selling their ceramics. Together they will be demonstrating on the wheel, and offering hand-building classes for those keen to get their hands in mud.
Devonshire tea, coffee and cakes will be served at cafe style seating in the magnificent old hayshed.
The BBQ will be fired up with a sausage sizzle.
All proceeds from the hayshed cafe will be donated to FOSTER A POTTER
Toilets on site.
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