Grand palatial estate in Walkerville
This grand neoclassical home in Walkerville boasts expansive grounds of 2600 square metres with an indoor swimming pool, sauna and cinema room, as well as a tennis court that has been hosting social games for nearly 30 years.
The owner of this stunning residence, John, had returned to Adelaide after 18 months in Canada and wasn’t actively looking for a new property.
When he got a glimpse of 5 Hay Street in Walkerville, the cardiologist knew it was the perfect next home for his family, because it had the one thing they needed most: space.
“I drove past Burlington Street – that’s the only way you can actually look at the house – to look down at it,” says John, a cardiologist who specialised in electrophysiology.
“Some people don’t even know the house exists … so it’s extremely private, very secure and safe, and very spacious.
“We just fell in love with it.”
John says the 2600-square-metre block was previously part of a larger property before it was subdivided.
The driveway, which runs across the front of the house, is lined with pine trees and has provided the perfect setting for his three grandchildren to skate and ride their scooters.
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“It’s very spacious, every room is big … and it is very private once you close the gate,” John says.
The property also has an indoor swimming pool, a sauna and a large tennis court – John’s favourite feature of the estate.
Previously a competitive badminton player, and a South Australian champion, John didn’t have much time for the sport after he moved back from Canada.
When he and his family moved to the Hay Street property, he started hosting social tennis games and continued to do so for nearly three decades.
“I’ve been hosting tennis every Saturday for my friends for the last, almost 28 years,” John says.
“It’s a very spacious court – it’s not like in a lot of houses where you have no room at the end, so on both [ends of the court] there’s more room to hit the ball.
“All my friends love playing there … we love that tennis court.”
John says they didn’t undertake any major renovations in the home, but his main project has been the tennis court.
He has had it re-turfed and updated the lighting and changed the fencing to make it more spacious.
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He has also put solar panels on the roof and created a cinema room with a 180-inch screen and surround sound.
John says that when people enter the house, the grandeur of the drawing room never ceases to amaze.
“The drawing room is the centre piece of the house,” says John.
“It is a house that when you move in, you will never need to move because it’s got everything … and it’s a beautiful house [when] you make it your home.
“It’s perfect for somebody who likes to entertain.”
After living at the Hay Street property for almost 28 years, John is about to turn 70, his wife has passed away and his children have moved out, so he says it’s time to downsize.
“My wife; she was an amazing homemaker … we have so many great memories in that amazing home.
“My three children all grew up there, and I hosted Christmas every year for our [family] – my nieces and nephews and siblings and their children – and we just have amazing memories there.
“It’s really time for another beautiful family to make this their beautiful home.”
John has now moved to a smaller home, and although his new tennis court is not a spacious as the one at Hay Street, he continues to host his weekly matches with his friends.
The sale of 5 Hay Street, Walkerville, is being handled by Sally Cameron and Makeeley Abraham of Toop + Toop.
