In 1859, independently wealthy Mathew Blangden Hale, the first Anglican Bishop of Western Australia (WA), bought five lots of land on the western edge of Perth’s central business district in order to build a home for his family. He liked this site because the large grounds already contained a house (which he planned to renovate) and stables. It also included a natural spring running through the property. Hale added a fruit garden and by 1860, a small cottage next door for visiting clergy. Twelve years later, Bishop Hale built another home a short distance away to house aboriginal children. This became known as “Hale House.” When Hale was re-assigned as bishop of Brisbane in 1875, he gave his WA property to the Perth Diocesan Trust to be used by bishops following him. By 1946, however, the succeeding bishops stopped living on the property, so it was leased to Legacy Australia and the building became known as “Legacy House.” In 2010, after having gone through a number of different ownerships, the building was converted into a multi-level restaurant known as “Lamont’s.” We had the good fortune to be shown around the house and gardens by the manager of the restaurant.
Now known as Lamont’s Restaurant, this building was, originally, the home of the first Anglican Bishop of Western Australia.
At one time, the waterfront came up to the back edge of the gardens behind the house.
One of the features that attracted Bishop Hale to this site was the natural spring (just visible below the trees and behind the sculpture) that ran through the property.
While the restaurant now occupying the site was not yet open, the manager was gracious enough to show us around.
It was not too hard for us to imagine what this house was like during the time Bishop Hale and his family lived here.
We particularly loved the wrap-around balcony on the second floor...
...while the sculptured gardens on a level above the front of the building came in a close second.
A short distance away (along St. George’s Terrace) is “Hale House” which the Bishop had constructed for Aboriginal children. A statue of Bishop Hale stands in front of the building.
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