I went to Stangate House and Garden on Saturday. It was open to the public for a $10 ticket. You pay at the gate and walk in.
I’m still getting used to this part of Australia. A heritage property opens its gates and anyone can turn up. Nobody checks who you are. Nobody hovers. Be decent and respectful and you’re set.
The place has a story. The house was built in 1940 by Adelaide architect Eric McMichael for Reverend Raymond Cornish and his wife Gwyneth, and named after Stangate in London. It went to the National Trust in the early 1970s. The garden was influenced by the Reverend’s sister, Elsie Cornish, a landscape designer known for a loose, informal style. You can tell. There are no straight lines. Every path bends, so you never see what’s next. In 2012 it was recognised as an International Camellia Garden of Excellence, and it has one of the largest oak trees in Australia.
There’s water, a small bridge, a green slatted gate and a bench under the trees. The grey shed is the cutest toilet that most visitors missed because they tend to focus on the toilet in the main building.
They also had a restaurant open, where visitors could get food and drinks. Each table had been set with a handful of plucked Camellias, a jug of milk and a pot with sugar sachets.
I photographed myself quite a bit. Even though I was carrying my DSLR, I decided to relax and take a ton of selfies on my Google Pixel smartphone. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the picture-making process, that I forget that I am in the environment and would love to see what that looks like.
I was wearing one of my brooches and one of the things I like to do is to photograph my brooches in nature – next to a Camellia seemed appealing.
The address is 3 Edgeware Road, and it’s open on set days, so check before you drive up.
What I keep noticing is how casual it all is. In India, a garden like this would come with a guide, a rope and someone telling you where to stand. Here, it’s a ticket, a gate and a lot of people quietly photographing flowers.
Stangate House & Garden on Instagram
If you would like me to visit your location or venue and write about it, please reach out via email on [email protected] or call / text / whatsapp on +61429048917. You can download and view my media kit here.
