Homes with history: Why we love living in snapshots of Sydney's past

 We love to feel a part of history and while we can’t actually live in the past, we can certainly choose a home with a strong connection to an earlier time.

Whether Victorian, arts and crafts, federation, inter-war, Californian bungalow or mid-century modern, a classic older house, whatever its era, has a certain timeless appeal.

“The different styles of house reflect the various periods that have made Australia, and the changing tastes – and aspirations – of the population,” says heritage architect John Oultram, of Heritage and Design.

“English influence was strong in the past but gradually those styles morphed into our own Australian styles.

“We just love so much about them: the room sizes, the attractive features, the level of detail and design, the nostalgia – all the things we fear might be lost in the future.”

Those are the reasons that homes like 40 Wycombe Road, a magnificent 1909 two-storey, five-bedroom sandstone mansion in Neutral Bay that’s considered a fine example of the arts and crafts movement, are proving so popular.

One of the first people to come and view the grand residence was in fact the great grandson of the original owner. 

Lovingly renovated to provide modern comfort and with scope still to improve further, the $3.45 million property has the kind of period details  (such as high ceilings, ornate fireplaces, leadlights and wooden floorboards) that are so evocative of the past.

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Agent Nicole Robertson, of BresicWhitney Hunters Hill, says interested buyers have loved the sandstone and the character features. 

“It has a lovely sense of history, and is very flexible, able to be used as two separate residences or restored into one magnificent mansion,” she explains.

Memories are made by such classic homes, says Hamish Kyle, director of Raine & Horne Neutral Bay. While we might all seem so fearlessly modern today with our obsession with social media, we really haven’t changed much at all.

“What we’re trying to do with Facebook and Instagram is create memories of things that have just happened,” Kyle says. “Human beings live on their memories.

“We love remembering our youth and visiting our grandparents’ homes, and revisiting that essence of yesterday by seeing homes with old-world charm and character with the patina of yesteryear. It’s one thing to touch the veneer and feel a polished surface, but many of us like to touch and feel the roughness that comes with age.”

Many modern homes simply lack the kind of soul that older houses ooze,  says Jason Andrew, the CEO of Ray White Sydney.

“In Sydney, we love the old-world classics, which are part of our DNA and have been part of the fabric of our society for such a sustained period of time,” Andrew says. “Today, such homes are aspirational.

“And while some people want to move straight in and keep them as they are, others are keen to add their own personal style and taste and create a beautiful blend of old and new.”

Many of those older styles, like our Victorian terrace, lend themselves happily to a good renovation too, says Mary Anne Cronin, principal of Phillips Pantzer Donnelley, Woollahra.

“You can keep the timeless features like the beautiful ornate ceilings that make your heart sing to see, the cornices and the fireplaces, and still appreciate, and respect, the craftsmanship that went into them,” Cronin says. “And, of course, you can imagine the happy sounds of all the children that ran through such houses …”

See more of 40 Wycombe Road here or download the Domain app to find more historical homes near you