The Poffle

630 - 726 Princes Highway, Tempe

The Poffle & Rugby School

1837

Lesslie Duguid purchases and built his house.

Duguid loses his job& files for insolvency,

sells The Poffle to Australian

Trust Company.

1847

The Poffle House & land changed hands

a number of times& finally purchased by

Reverend William Saviginy. The land

was reduced to 4 acresand converted to a school

called ‘Rugby’.

1856 1862

Reverend William Saviginy becomes

ill & allows Reverend William Scott to take

over.

1865

School was closed & the land was

offered for subdivisionof 5 sections. (No evidence

that the land was sold).

Bayview Asylum

1868

Site purchased by Dr George Alfred Tuckerformerly a partner of

Cremorne Private LunaticAsylum in Melbourne. He

renamed The Poffle to ‘Bayview House’ & established

his own private Asylum.

Tucker was able toaccommodate only

9 patients & therefore requested assistance from the government.

1869 1871 1874

Numbers of patients have risen to 100 whichhelps economically as it reduces over-crowding

in State institutions.

1879

Sydney News highlights the excellent conditions

of the grounds by placing a sketch in the public arena. This sketch displayed the

mansion, other good features such as trees, shutter

windows & patients playing croquet on manicured lawns.

Bayview House getsexcellent accolades publicly via SydneyMorning Herald. Ex-patient wrote about abundant fruit trees

& shrubs, comfortable beds, large well ventilatedapartments & hot & cold

baths.

Bayview Asylum (cont)

1880

Tucker increased the grounds to 23 acres

(larger than the original Poffle).

1885 1894 1943

Aerial photographsdisplay 3 large

buildings, includingthe original housebuilt by Duguid & 1894 extensions.

1946

Closure of the Asylum & the site is purchased by WD & HO Wills &

renamed to Caxton House whichis run as a hostel for

young women moving to the city.

The Bayview Asylum& Vause were subjectedto a Royal Commission

as complaints were received of bad treat-

ment towards patients.Vause survives the

inquiry.

Sold the Asylum toDr Arthur Vause

(who ran the Asylum during Tucker’s busy

schedules).

1914

Grace Wilson purchases the

Asylum & continues to

operate.

Caxton House/Penfold

1946 1953 1959 Present

Proposed Development Application for an IKEA

department store.Site purchased &

subdivided by DrugHouses of Australia & Penfolds Wines

Closure of the Asylum & the site is purchased by WD & HO Wills &

renamed to Caxton House whichis run as a hostel for

young women moving to the city.

Penfolds uses the site as a warehouse& distributions Centre (using only 1

building from the Asylum for administrationpurposes). They created a new modern

industrial Centre with a prominent clock towerwhich was designed by architects Ross A Lightfoot & Stanton of Sydney. Also a new

warehouse was built to be used by Westpac.