Stories from 14
MacMahon Street – Dr Crakanthorp’s home & practice
14 MacMahon Street, now known as Hurstville Museum &
Gallery, was built in 1929 by Dr John Crakanthorp, as his family home and doctor’s
practice. Together with his wife Valerie, two daughters Rosemary and Philippa
and his dog Thrifty, he lived and worked in the house for over 30 years.
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Courtesy of Philippa Williams.
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At the front of the house on the right, as you enter the
property was the Crakanthorp’s lounge room, with a cosy fireplace and
double-doors which led out onto a side garden. The gardens were well known in
the area and people would travel just to see the magnificent azaleas in bloom. Dr Crakanthorp's healing hands also had a green thumb, growing orchids in orchid
houses he built on the property and selling them overseas.
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Courtesy of the Crakanthorp family.
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The dining room led off the lounge room, featuring a sunroom
and Valerie’s writing desk, where Philippa remembers her mother sitting on many
occasions. Upstairs were the bedrooms and main bathrooms and a balcony which
overlooked the side garden.
However these areas were never seen by the patients of Dr
Crakanthorp. The surgery had its own separate side entrance which led into a
small waiting room. In those days, doctors did everything – they delivered
babies, fixed broken arms and removed infected tonsils. Several people recall having
a tonsillectomy done by Dr Crakanthorp, however they didn’t always go according
to plan. Pam Taylor remembers the doctor visiting her at home as she began
haemorrhaging after the operation.
Some antique tonsillectomy equipment is on currently on
display at the Museum & Gallery as part of the exhibition. It is truly
scary stuff!
But one of the most harrowing things to happen to 14
MacMahon Street was a lightning strike. On 12 February 1949 the roof gable at
the back of the house, above Philippa’s bedroom, was sheared off by a bolt of
lightning. A newspaper article reporting the “violent thunderstorms” stated
that “tiles were hurled from the roof” and Philippa remembers tiles littering
the lawn of their neighbours yard and debris from the strike which had fallen
onto her bed.
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Courtesy of the Crakanthorp family.
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These are just some of the stories of 14 MacMahon Street.
Come and visit the multisensory exhibition IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK to find out more about the building’s past.
Exhibition proudly sponsored by
Praise for The Jade Widow, "O'Brien delivers accuracy and grace in this deftly written tale." - Australian Women's Weekly
