(untitled)

The original house, now called The Cedars in Hansdorf, was built in the late 1870s by Alfred Wheelwright, then he sold the property to a North Adelaide gent and onto other moneyed families. Lastly the house and its 36 acres were sold to artist Hans Heysen (1877-1968) in 1912. Hans, his wife and eight children lived in the house, the original studios of both Hans and daughter Nora Heysen. Hans’ studio was completed in 1913, designed by Adelaide architect Albert Conrad and was a unique example of C19th German Arts and Crafts influence. I have examined Hans and Nora’s art works a number of times in this blog eg bushland images and war paintings. But I have never seen their house or studios, and have never included any photos of the architecture and gardens in my posts. Clearly it is one of Adelaide’s best preserved historic homes. The famous chalet style studio has recently been identified as the Nation’s oldest surviving purpose-built artist’s studio while the homestead has a charm that…