Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 15 December 1928, page 14


Stately Homes of Adelaide—Paringa Hall

AMONG the beautiful homes of Adelaide, Paringa Hall, Glenelg, stands out as one of the most picturesque. The land, compris-ing 11 acres, was bought by the

late Mr. James Francis Cudmore, and building operations began in 1880. The work, however, took two years, and it was not until 1882 that the family lived there. The house of 30 rooms was renowned for its woodwork and beautiful fittings. The stained-glass windows at the entrance hall depicted the Cudmore coat of arms. Entertaining was run on a lavish scale, and visitors to the house will remember the beautiful stained windows in the ball-room which represented the seasons of the year. Many of the rooms had walls of embossed oak leaves, and the Marshall Wood statuary, the wonderful pictures

and china, and rare old silver kept con-noisseurs in a state of rapture. The entrance hall was remarkable for its Italian tiles, and beautiful parquetry floored most of the rooms. The clock at the stables at Paringa kept the correct time for South Australia, and a large bell which hung in a belfrey outside summoned the men on the place to meals and also did duty for a time-piece. If Paringa Hall was lovely inside, the gardens were also a wilderness of beauty. Sun and shade made a wonderful picture in an avenue of cork elms, and rare Eng-lish trees and shrubs mingled their charms with flowers of many varieties. Quaint moss hedges bordered the flower beds, and here and there wonderful statuary mel-owed by age kept vigil in the garden. A beautiful bronze horse became a well-

known denizen of the many-shrubbed gar-den, and tennis courts and the quaint old lodge at the corner of Brighton road added their quota of charm to a delightful home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cudmore died in 1912, and in 1914 Paringa Hall was sold to the Marist Brothers, who have trans-formed it into Sacred Heart College. The old bell now does duty as a summons to school, and the gardens have become play-ing fields for the students. Members of the Cudmore family now living are Mr. James Cudmore, Quirindi, New South Wales; Dr. A. M. Cudmore, of North Adelaide; Mrs. W. F. Andrews, of Western Australia; Mr. Kenneth Cud-more, of Sydney; Mrs. Reginald Bickford, of Glenelg; Mr. D. C. Cudmore, of Ed-wardstown; Mrs. Hugh Crawford, of Somerton; Mrs. A. M. Toll, of Glenelg; and Mr. R. M. Cudmore, of Mount Lofty.