"Fortunes Earned and Fortunes Lost" .... continued Duckenfield Park House was built on the estate from the proceeds of many years toil and good fortune and management. The mansion contained 45 rooms and was constructed of quality Pyr-mont sandstone, shipped to the private wharf on the property. It was the quality of the stone which would finally bring the building to its end. Cedar for the joinery was cut from the properties own stands of timber and also was used to make much of the fine furniture which subsequently graced the residence. The home became a showplace on the Hunter and entertained many important guests including several Governors. Not only was the house palatial but it overlooked statue lined terraces and fountains in grounds which were equally extensive, including conservatory, bush houses, hot houses and rockeries. The two hot houses were 40 ft by 18 ft each and contained many rare plants and the bush house was said to represent an English palm-house conservatory, with walks meandering in and about many splendid specimens of palms, fern baskets, trees laden with native orchids and staghorns. The gardens were under the management of the gardener, Mr. LEOPOLD. John EALES Snr. did not see his mansion completed, this being undertaken by his son, who enlarged the home, adding a ballroom with sprung floor, large enough to accomodate 150 couples. The home was equipped with electric light, powered by its own generator, a hot water system and a septic sewerage system, all unheard of luxuries in the mid 1800's. John EALES Jnr. died in 1894, the holdings being divided amongst his five sons. The properties were sold off during this time, with the Duckenfield property itself finally divided up into 20 farms in 1917. Duckenfield House was dismantled and the stone from the old home bought by BHP who shipped it down the river to Newcastle, erecting with it a pattern store at the steel works and three cottages in Mayfield. One wing remained until 1975, when it was dismantled and the sand stone proposed for use in a house in Raymond Terrace, the fourth to be built from the stone and the fifth building. John EALES was obviously a strong willed and ambitious man who would not back down from an altercation if he believed he would prosper from the incident. It is said that around the late 1850's, early 1860's, EALES quarreled violently with his bank manager at the Bank of Australasia in Maitland. EALES refused to close his account in the normal way by drawing a cheque and demanded payment in gold, thereby embarrassing his old bank as it was not able to hand over the required sum of £100,000 immediately. The humiliated bank asked asked for time to pay while the bullion was shipped from Sydney. Several days passed before he was advised the money was available. Taking a dozen employees as guards and porters, EALES drove his bullock wagon to the main door of the bank and to the amazement of the onlookers, personally supervised the checking of the money bags onto the wagon and to the cheers of the wondering crowd, proceeded to drive his bullocks to the Bank of New South Wales branch, 100 yards down the street and opened a new account, the cash deposit being the largest on record at that time from a private individual. [Maitland Tourism : July 1997] Gee ... I would have liked <grin> to have seen that !! Cheers, Diane