Cleveland Street

Cleveland Street in January 2001. Looking North from Number 8.

  

 “La Maison Verte”, 27 Cleveland Street

On entering the gates, one looks straight up the path to the recently renovated 1920’s Georgian home that was modeled by the first owners, the Robinson family, on the original Parliament House in Parramatta. The current owners completed renovations in 2005. In the 1950’s the house was rented to the Hollywood film director, producer and writer, John Meredyth Lucas (famous for ‘Mannix’, ‘The Fugitive’ and ‘Star Trek’). Lucas and his family were in Australia to make the western ‘Whiplash’. More recently the house has been featured in the “Underbelly” series, with many an ‘assassination’ attempt under the porte cochere and a ‘murder’ in the home theatre room occurring!

Scattered through the lawn area are mature species of trees such as Eucalyptus salignus, Cedrus deodar, Chryptomeria japonica, Sygium luchmunni, Macadamia and Araucaria heterophylla. The cedars were planted by the original family as ‘Christmas trees’ in the 1930’s. Beyond the lawns along the back fence line is a mixed border of screening plants such as Elaeocarpus reticulates (Blueberry Ash), Camellias, Buddelia, Oleander and NSW Christmas Bush.

At the rear the tennis court summer house, which is bordered with a hedge of Murraya paniculata, and beyond is a mature Phoenix canariensis.  In 2010 over 900 bulbs have been planted, including Freesias, Crocus, Jonquils and Tulips.

Click on the image below for a larger picture.