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Ideas for Home

Newcastle by Anthony St. John Parsons: Hidden Garden Retreat in Newcastle

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Lush tropical garden with tall palms and bright green foliage surrounding a modern architectural home with wooden accents

Rising secretly from the southern slopes of Merewether in Newcastle, Newcastle by Anthony St. John Parsons presents a mysterious and majestic residential building. Offering an invisible garden paradise, the dwelling is completely surrounded by dense limestone walls and provides a poetic tension between seclusion and scale, mystery and materiality.

Architecture Hidden in Stone

From the street, Newcastle shows almost nothing. A monolithic limestone wall begins at waist level and rises almost to two storeys, enclosing the plot in one continuous gesture. There are only a few strategic openings that allow passersby to peek curiously into lush courtyards, Cabbage Palm, and Grandiflora Magnolia.

Behind the wall, the house unfolds in a serpentine progression of floor-width spaces, each offering its own intimate interaction with the garden. The design is simultaneously romantic and rational, concealing a multi-profile spatial structure behind its modest facade.

"I wanted it to seem extraordinary," says architect Anthony St. John Parsons. "As if it doesn't conform to the rules of scale and space that people are used to."

Layers of Ambition and Intimacy

The house spans three distinct levels, each enhancing its connection with nature:

  • First floor strengthens the home with shaded courtyards and a meandering balcony, creating a cool, earthy atmosphere.

  • Mid-level includes an open pedestrian walkway and pool, emphasizing dryness, tree canopy coverage, and spatial rhythm.

  • Top floor houses the master bedroom, a minimalist sanctuary closely tied to the horizon and sky.

Inside, architecture achieves sensitive elegance through cast-in-place concrete, slender columns, and precise joints. Despite its sculptural form, every detail feels earthbound and tangible.

Uniquely Crafted with Love

Newcastle was brought to life by a small team of one architect and one graduate, with more than 600 drawings and a 1000-page text stream between architect and builder. This rare architectural endeavor was carefully crafted over 2.5 years with exceptional dedication.

Each joint, bolt, form line and finish was refined through deep collaboration, making the house not just a retreat but a manifestation of creative resilience.

Lush courtyard garden with palms and concrete benches inside the Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingStone walkway with wooden cladding and garden view inside the Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingArchitectural detail of curved concrete fence with vertical balustrade in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingClose-up of vertical wooden louvers and concrete base wall in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingIntersection of limestone wall and wooden structure with square window in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingInterior view of hall leading to lush garden courtyard in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingMinimalist stairs on textured limestone wall in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingElegant wooden hall leading to bathroom with garden view in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingSculptural marble bathroom wall with tub and skylight in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingWarm minimalist bedroom with large window overlooking green courtyard in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingTub next to large window overlooking lush tropical garden in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingElegant hall with natural wood tones and ornate doors in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingDetail of vertical wooden cladding under concrete ceiling in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingModern kitchen with wooden cabinetry and stone flooring in Newcastle by Anthony St. John ParsonsPhoto © Benjamin HoskingInterior view of double height dining room framed by warm wood in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingConcrete steps and rich courtyard landscape in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingPalms and green foliage in courtyard landscape of NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingConcrete edge of pond with surrounding garden and tropical plants in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingConcrete pavilion with rich garden and wooden cladding in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingOpen concrete pavilion and vertical wooden cladding in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingModern front facade with vertical columns and large windows in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingContrasting stone and concrete in upper facade volume of NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingTextured stone facade with square window and artistic metal grilles in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingLow limestone wall and lush landscape facing the street in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingMain limestone entrance wall with palm landscape and walkway in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingPerspective of limestone garden wall with local plants in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingView of main gates and driveway framed by natural stone in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingConcrete stairs above handcrafted wooden tub in courtyard of Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingMinimalist wooden interior with stool, bonsai and abstract wall art in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingModern roof supported by columns with full glass walls in Newcastle homePhoto © Benjamin HoskingStone pathway and modern entrance gates surrounded by lush landscape in NewcastlePhoto © Benjamin HoskingArchitectural west facade of Newcastle by Anthony St. John ParsonsArchitectural south facade with walkable context of site in Newcastle homeArchitectural east facade with pavilion roof and palms in NewcastleArchitectural north facade with entrance, window openings and trees in Newcastle

Newcastle by Anthony St. John Parsons is a unique architectural work, created over a career, — a sealed world of wonders, contradictions and intimacy, where stone and space dance in the silence of elegance.