Saturday 4 May 2024

Morning tour: 10am to 12.30pm
Afternoon tour: 2pm to 4.30pm

Take a guided walk in the Griffins’ Castlecrag and visit the interiors of two beautifully restored homes designed by Walter Burley Griffin.

Both houses have fascinating and innovative architectural features.

The Felstead House built in 1924 has a central open courtyard, now an atrium, and is built of knitlock, an interlocking building tile developed by Griffin.

The Duncan House, as seen on ABC TV’s ‘Restoration Australia’ last year, has an unusual design combining sandstone corner piers with French doors and knitlock.

On the guided walk between the two houses discover this unique Middle Harbour peninsula and its distinctive walkway and reserve network where the guiding Griffin principle was for the buildings to be subordinate to the landscape.

All proceeds from the event will go towards the sculpture to honour Marion Mahony Griffin, to be installed at Castlecrag later this year. Designed by artist Sandra Pitkin, the sculpture has been commissioned by the Walter Burley Griffin Society.

Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water.

Adults $80, Members $65

Tickets are strictly limited and essential for this special event. Book at Trybooking
https://www.trybooking.com/CPKCI

Note: Nearby on the same day, the Castlecrag Progress Association will be screening a short film The Paradise Plan which explores connections between Canberra and Castlecrag told through the gigante puppets of Walter and Marion. See National Trust Heritage Festival event The Paradise Plan, Castlecrag to book free tickets. The screenings will be at 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 4.45pm.

Castlecrag has two cafes: Ganache Patisserie Francaise and Walter Providore. The Incinerator Cafe at Willoughby is 2km away in a building designed by Walter Burley Griffin.

Sunday 13 August 2023
Time 10.30am to 11.30am

We are delighted to announce that Professor Anthony Burke, the presenter of “Restoration Australia” will give a talk on his discovery of Castlecrag and the Duncan House, and how he sees the Griffins’ work relate to Australian architecture, and behind the scenes stories of the filming of the Duncan House. 

Anthony Burke is Professor of Architecture and Course Director for the Master of Architecture in the Faculty of Design Architecture and Building at the University of Technology Sydney. He has been host and presenter of the ABC TV’s “Restoration Australia” since 2019.

Tickets are strictly limited and essential for this special event at the Marion Mahony Griffin Hall, Glenaeon Infants School, Castlecrag.

Adults $40, Members $30

Book at Trybooking

https://www.trybooking.com/1088873

Also on Sunday 13 August 2023

Special viewing of the Duncan House’s interiors and garden.

Designed by Walter Burley Griffin and built in 1934 with a unique combination of knitlock and sandstone corner piers this minimalist house was testament to the Griffin’s design philosophy of subordinating buildings in the landscape. As documented on ABC TV’s “Restoration Australia”, the Duncan House has been sensitively restored and the large 1990s addition transformed to be more sympathetic to the original Griffin house. Shoes will need to be removed before entering the house.

Landscape architect James Smallson will lead the 20 minute walk down to the Duncan House through a couple of reserves in this model suburb developed by the Griffins in 1921. Please wear sensible walking shoes suited to walking on uneven steps and dirt walkway.

Choose one of two guided walks to the Duncan House and then a special viewing of its interiors and garden.
1st tour time: 11.45am to 1.15pm
2nd tour time: 1.45pm to 3.15pm

Adults $50, Members $40

Tickets are strictly limited and essential for this special event. Book at Trybooking
https://www.trybooking.com/1088947

Note: People wishing to do both the talk at the hall in the morning, and one of these open house tours may wish to have lunch at Castlecrag café Walter Providore or at The Incinerator café, Small Street, Willoughby.

Guest speaker Emily Catt, exhibition curator at the National Archives of Australia (NAA) will give a talk titled Well and wiry: the life and work of Marion Mahony Griffin.

Emily Catt curated the exhibition Marion: the other Griffin at the NAA in February to May 2022. In her talk she will explore some of the stories she was able to tell in the exhibition and some she couldn’t.  In addition she will be talking about bringing Marion’s story to life in an exhibition format.  “Well and wiry” was a description Marion used to describe herself in her grand memoir “The Magic of America” (circa 1942).

The lecture will be held in both Canberra and Sydney with Emily kindly giving the talk in both cities.

SYDNEY
Date: Sunday 20 November 2022
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Marion Mahony Griffin Hall, Glenaeon Infants School, 121 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag.
Bookings essential
General admission      $20
Members                     $15
Students / Concession  $5
https://www.trybooking.com/CDTDD

_______________________________

CANBERRA
Date: Saturday 26 November 2022.
Time: 3.00pm
Venue: National Archives of Australia function room, Kings Avenue, Parkes.
Bookings essential
General admission      $20
Members                     $15
Students / Concession  $5
https://www.trybooking.com/CDTDR

We encourage audience members to wear masks.

Celebrate the centenary of the Griffins’ Castlecrag and immerse yourself in its unique heritage. This is a rare opportunity to see the interiors, special design features and gardens of some of the Griffin designed houses built in the 1920s and early 30s in their “ideal suburb” that they created at Castlecrag.

There are tickets to visit 4 houses or 2 houses. Covid safe rules will apply. Tickets are essential and strictly limited. Book at www.trybooking.com/BOQLQ

All profits from the open house day will go towards funding an exciting contemporary sculpture to honour Marion Mahony Griffin (1871–1961) in her sesquicentenary, by a prominent artist that the Walter Burley Griffin Society is commissioning. The sculpture will take pride of place in a new community park, being created by Willoughby City Council at Castlecrag village, which is planned to be opened in late 2021.

Join us for a guided tour through some of the walkways and reserves of this unique suburb designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin. Displayed along the route will be historic photos from the 1920s to 1960s. Supported by a Willoughby City Council grant. The photo exhibition, displayed on various nature strips, is free.

For the guided tours of the exhibition, tickets are essential at www.trybooking.com/BOYTJ

Museum of Sydney, Bridge Street, Sydney

To celebrate Marion Mahony’s sesquicentenary and the centenary of the Griffins’ Castlecrag, guest speaker Dr Anne Watson will give a talk titled

‘What made Marion’s Hair Stand on End?’ An exploration of Marion Mahony Griffin’s pioneering role as an environmentalist and urban planning advocate in Australia through her art, architecture and writing.

Tickets $30 and include FREE entry to the museum and Paradise on Earth exhibition. Tickets for members $20 and students $5. Bookings essential as seats at half capacity for covid social distancing
https://www.trybooking.com/BNFTF

Speaker Dr Anne Watson is curator of Paradise on Earth (Museum of Sydney, November 2020-April 2021) celebrating the sesquicentenary of Marion Mahony Griffin’s birth. Dr Watson has had a long association with the Griffins including as curator/editor of the 1998 Powerhouse Museum exhibition/catalogue Beyond Architecture: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin in America, Australia and India, editor of Visionaries in Suburbia: Griffin Houses in the Sydney Landscape (2015). She has also written and lectured extensively on the history of the Sydney Opera House including as author of The Poisoned Chalice: Peter Hall and the Sydney Opera House (2017) based on her 2014 PhD thesis.

Celebrate the centenary of the Griffins’ Castlecrag and immerse yourself in its unique heritage. This is a rare opportunity to see the interiors, special design features and gardens of some of the Griffin designed houses built in the 1920s and early 30s in their “ideal suburb” that they created at Castlecrag.

There will be tickets to visit 4 houses or 2 houses. Tickets are strictly limited and will go on sale in March. Covid safe rules will apply.

All profits from the open house day will go towards funding an exciting contemporary sculpture to honour Marion Mahony Griffin (1871–1961) in her sesquicentenary, by a prominent artist that the Walter Burley Griffin Society is commissioning. The sculpture will take pride of place in a new community park being created by Willoughby City Council at Castlecrag village which is planned to be opened in late 2021.