Windback Wednesday - Wooton Lea

Did you know that Barr Smith House, located at Seymour College, was once known as Wooton Lea? Francis Hardy Faulding (1816 - 1868), who founded Faulding 180 years ago in May 1845, built Wooton Lea in 1861 in Glen Osmond. The large stone house was designed by local architect James MacGeorge (1835 - 1918) and included seventeen rooms, with a kitchen and laundry and an extensive garden. MacGeorge is also known for his work designing the first part of the Savings Bank of South Australia on King William Street.

The third owner of Wooton Lea, Arthur Crossing (1871 - 1952), sold the mansion in 1921 to Presbyterian Girls’ College, now known as Seymour College. Since 1938, the house has been known as Barr Smith House. In 1989, it was confirmed as a State Heritage Place.

Photograph: Wooton Lea, 1874. Burnside Local History Collection.