Carrick Hill

Carrick Hill is a historic estate in Springfield, South Australia, established by Ursula Barr Smith and Edward Hayward in 1935.

Built between 1937 and 1939 using materials from England's Beaudesert Estate, the mansion features a formal garden designed by Ursula and incorporates both antique and contemporary furnishings. The Haywards assembled a significant art collection, including works by Australian and international artists, and hosted frequent cultural and social gatherings. Bequeathed to the South Australian government in the 1970s, Carrick Hill opened to the public in 1985 as a historic house, gallery, and gardens. Since then, it has hosted exhibitions, events, and renovations, including a 2020 upgrade with The Wall Gallery and a 2023 pavilion, enhancing visitor facilities while preserving the estate's heritage.

The interior of the Elizabethan-style mansion integrates period design with 1930s modern conveniences and contains one of Australia's largest private collections of Jacob Epstein bronze busts. The gardens, designed by Ursula, incorporate formal Edwardian Arts and Crafts layouts near the mansion, transitioning to woodland and bushland areas with terraces, paths, plantings, and sculptures. The estate accommodates public access, cultural events, and educational programs. It also holds works by Australian artists including Arthur Streeton, Russell Drysdale, Hans Heysen, William Dobell, and George Lambert, as well as a significant collection of Adrian Feint's paintings and bookplates. Additionally, it contains the largest private collection of Stanley Spencer's works outside Britain, encompassing still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and figurative compositions.

Carrick Hill also hosts the Australian Museum of Gardening, established in the former stables to document and preserve 250 years of Australian gardening history. Developed in collaboration with the Australian Garden History Society, the museum's collection comprises books, tools, and artefacts donated by benefactors. Its inaugural exhibition in 2015 examined the artistic and social aspects of gardening, and in 2021 the museum received recognition from Interpretation Australia.