- Project: New Castle
- Architect: Anthony St John Parsons
- Location: Australia, Newcastle
- Year: 2024
- Area: 603 m2
- Photography: Benjamin Hosking
Rising discreetly from the foothills of southern Merewether in Newcastle, New Castle by Anthony St John Parsons is a mysterious and monumental residential project. Conceived as an invisible garden paradise, the residence is entirely enclosed within thick limestone walls, offering a poetic tension between seclusion and scale, mystery and materiality.
Architecture Concealed in Stone
From the street, New Castle reveals almost nothing. A monolithic limestone wall starts at hip height and swells to nearly two stories, wrapping the site in a continuous gesture. There are only a few strategic openings, giving passersby tantalizing glimpses of lush courtyards, Cabbage Tree Palms, and Magnolia Grandiflora.
Inside the wall, the house unfolds in a serpentine progression of single-room-wide spaces, each offering its own intimate relationship to the garden. The design is both romantic and rational, hiding a multi-level spatial composition behind its reserved facade.
“I wanted it to feel otherworldly,” says architect Anthony St John Parsons. “As though it didn’t quite follow the rules of scale and space that people expect.”
Layers of Ambition and Intimacy
The home’s layout flows across three distinct levels, each heightening its connection to the outdoors:
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The ground floor anchors the home with shaded courtyards and a wraparound loggia, fostering a cool, grounded atmosphere.
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The middle level features an open-air promenade and swimming pool, focused on dryness, canopy views, and spatial rhythm.
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The top floor houses the master bedroom, a minimalist aerie that connects intimately with the horizon and sky.
Inside, the architecture achieves uncanny elegance with in-situ poured concrete, thin columns, and finely detailed joinery. Despite its sculptural quality, every material feels grounded and tactile.
An Unrepeatable Labor of Love
New Castle was delivered by a tiny team of one architect and one graduate, with over 600 drawings issued and a 1,000-page text message thread between the architect and the builder. It’s a rare architectural endeavor—meticulously crafted over 2.5 years with extraordinary commitment.
Every joint, screw, formwork line, and finish was refined through deep collaboration, making the home not just a shelter, but a manifestation of creative perseverance.
New Castle by Anthony St John Parsons is a once-in-a-career architectural work—a walled world of wonder, contradiction, and intimacy, where stone and space choreograph a life of quiet elegance.
