Beyond boundaries, a cricketing legacy restored. Built in 1890, the significance of '52 Shepherd Street' is not just cultural and historical; Test cricketers and cricket lovers worldwide, have travelled to Bowral to obtain a rarefied peek inside its walls.
Don Bradman lived at Shepherd Street between the ages of three and fifteen. Here, he developed his phenomenal cricketing skills by throwing a golf ball at the base of a tank stand and hitting the golf ball with a small cricket stump. Arguably, it is here where his status as the world's best batsman was born.
In 2008, the centenary year of Sir Donald's birth, the current owner commissioned a painstaking three-year renovation undertaken by Australia's most decorated heritage architectural firm, Clive Lucas Stapleton and Partners. The brief: restore the home to its late 19th-century glory in meticulous, thoroughly researched detail while adding hidden, luxurious modern comforts.
Winner of the National Trust Award for Conservation and Heritage, the house restoration was matched by the reinstatement of its garden: landscape heritage specialist Charlotte Webb transformed it back to a delightful period-perfect cottage garden filled with plants from the Victorian and Edwardian periods, with the addition of eleven Bradman rose bushes. The garden now features automatic irrigation and sensor lighting.
Now a stunning and comfortable four-bedroom, two-bathroom period house with 12-foot ceilings, the original fireplaces have been invisibly converted to gas heating. The kitchen is a joy to cook in, featuring a gas cooktop, Ilve oven, integrated double dish-drawer dishwasher, two separate sinks, high-end fittings and fixtures and plenty of hidden storage. A conversion of the original stables means the garden now hosts a delightful self-contained two-room study/ rumpus/apartment with a third bathroom and kitchenette.
The converted stables also include modern comforts. It is wired for sound (Bose), air-conditioned, and the stable doors open to entertain guests adjacent to the famous tank stand.
The home in its current iteration is a homage to the Bradman family's life: the owner says the restoration, from the exterior colouring to the interior décor, fixtures and fittings, is 99.94% accurate (the batting average of Sir Donald)! From the period-correct Metters cast iron stove down to the tiniest details around restoration and replication of the beaded fascia boards, pressed metal ventilators and boarded soffit eaves - original features have been returned. And yet, this is a home for the 21st Century: engineers have updated the drainage systems and modern conveniences in the property, include all new wiring and cabling for internet, Foxtel, full security system, under-floor ducted and zoned reverse-cycle air-conditioning and heated towel rails and floors in the bathrooms.
This rare and beautiful property is warm and wonderful to live in full-time. It is zoned for residential living and tourist accommodation or use as its current owner does: a much-loved home, period-correct artefacts, augmented reality experiences for private visits, and charity fundraising. The opportunity also exists for further additions such as a conservatory to the north side of the kitchen, further enhancing this amazing property.
One hundred years ago, Sir Donald left this family home to take on the world of cricket. This meticulously restored masterpiece awaits a new owner, ready to walk in his footsteps. Further details of this timeless haven and its history can be found at www.52shepherdstreet.com.
