Lyndhurst’s regal sitting room draws on the home’s long and colourful past.

Once owned by the Macarthur family, the seven-bedroom house, Lyndhurst, at 57-65 Darghan St had a chequered history before being lovingly restored to its former glory by stockbroker Tim Eustace.

The Inner West Courier can reveal that he and his partner Salavatore Panui are moving to filmmaker Baz Luhrmann’s Darlinghurst home, Iona, which sold for $16 million in February.

The formal dining room is restored to it’s former glory.Source:Supplied

It’s said that living in Lyndhurst is like living inside a museum, such is its history.Source:Supplied

Lyndhurst’s former owners are now restoring Baz Luhrmann’s former house, Iona, in Darlinghurst.Source:Supplied

The couple bought Lyndhurst in Glebe for $3.3 million in 2005 and spent four years restoring it as a family home with the assistance of heritage architect Clive Lucas.

“Even though it occupies a fragment of its original estate, you still get a sense of the style of the period and an insight into how they lived nearly 200 years ago from a privileged perspective,” Mr Eustace said.

Lyndhurst was built in 1833 by English architect John Verge as a marine villa for surgeon and pastoralist Dr James Bowman, the son-in-law of wool pioneers John and Elizabeth Macarthur.

The mansion is spacious and light-filled, and has seven bedrooms.Source:Supplied

The kitchen is fully appointed and huge.Source:Supplied

A sweeping spiral staircase in the loggia.Source:Supplied

High ceilings and wide hallways are a feature of this generous property.Source:Supplied

In 1847, financial difficulties forced Bowman’s brothers in law James and William Macarthur to sell the home to the Bank of Australasia to settle their debts. Lyndhurst was also subdivided in 1878 and 1885.

In the past century, Lyndhurst has had a colourful history from a theological college, pickle factory, hospital, broom factory, and the headquarters of Australia’s version of Germany’s Nazi Party.

Called the National Socialist Party of Australia (as Germany’s Nazi party was called the National Socialist German Workers’ Party), it was a minor far-right party active in the 1960s and 1970s.

It fielded a candidate, founder Ted Cawthron, at an ACT by-election in 1970. He polled 173 votes, or 0.32 per cent.

The party put up senate candidates in 1970, who polled 0.41 per cent of the vote nationally.

In 1972, the State Government proposed the demolition of Lyndhurst to make way for an expressway through Glebe.

Lyndhurst has a long history — an undated pic from it`s earlier days.Source:News Corp Australia

The mansion’s exterior as it presently looks.Source:Supplied

The property has a large and shady garden.Source:Supplied

Inside the mansion in 2005, when the Historic Houses Trust moved out.Source:News Corp Australia

The plans were abandoned and the house protected for restoration by the Save Lyndhurst Committee.

In 1984, Lyndhurst became the headquarters of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW before it was sold in 2005.

“There’s a lot of feedback that it looks like a museum,” Mr Eustace said. “In fact it’s a very comfortable house to live in. It would be nice to think that whoever buys it will appreciate the architecture and use the space.”

The 1507sq m property over three levels is listed with Harriet France from Sothebys International and will go to auction on Saturday, May 21, at 1.30pm.

Lyndhurst, in the foreground, is close to the city and Wentworth Park.Source:Supplied