The Childhood Home Of Don Bradman

Beyond boundaries, a cricketing legacy restored. Built in 1890, the significance of '52 Shepherd Street' is not just cultural and historical; Test cricketers and cricket lovers worldwide, have travelled to Bowral to obtain a rarefied peek inside its walls. <br/><br/>Don Bradman lived at Shepherd Street between the ages of three and fifteen. Here, he developed his phenomenal cricketing skills by throwing a golf ball at the base of a tank stand and hitting the golf ball with a small cricket stump. Arguably, it is here where his status as the world's best batsman was born. <br/><br/>In 2008, the centenary year of Sir Donald's birth, the current owner commissioned a painstaking three-year renovation undertaken by Australia's most decorated heritage architectural firm, Clive Lucas Stapleton and Partners. The brief: restore the home to its late 19th-century glory in meticulous, thoroughly researched detail while adding hidden, luxurious modern comforts.<br/><br/>Winner of the National Trust Award for Conservation and Heritage, the house restoration was matched by the reinstatement of its garden: landscape heritage specialist Charlotte Webb transformed it back to a delightful period-perfect cottage garden filled with plants from the Victorian and Edwardian periods, with the addition of eleven Bradman rose bushes. The garden now features automatic irrigation and sensor lighting.<br/><br/>Now a stunning and comfortable four-bedroom, two-bathroom period house with 12-foot ceilings, the original fireplaces have been invisibly converted to gas heating. The kitchen is a joy to cook in, featuring a gas cooktop, Ilve oven, integrated double dish-drawer dishwasher, two separate sinks, high-end fittings and fixtures and plenty of hidden storage. A conversion of the original stables means the garden now hosts a delightful self-contained two-room study/ rumpus/apartment with a third bathroom and kitchenette.<br/><br/>The converted stables also include modern comforts. It is wired for sound (Bose), air-conditioned, and the stable doors open to entertain guests adjacent to the famous tank stand.<br/><br/>The home in its current iteration is a homage to the Bradman family's life: the owner says the restoration, from the exterior colouring to the interior décor, fixtures and fittings, is 99.94% accurate (the batting average of Sir Donald)! From the period-correct Metters cast iron stove down to the tiniest details around restoration and replication of the beaded fascia boards, pressed metal ventilators and boarded soffit eaves - original features have been returned. And yet, this is a home for the 21st Century: engineers have updated the drainage systems and modern conveniences in the property, include all new wiring and cabling for internet, Foxtel, full security system, under-floor ducted and zoned reverse-cycle air-conditioning and heated towel rails and floors in the bathrooms.<br/><br/>This rare and beautiful property is warm and wonderful to live in full-time. It is zoned for residential living and tourist accommodation or use as its current owner does: a much-loved home, period-correct artefacts, augmented reality experiences for private visits, and charity fundraising.<br/><br/>One hundred years ago, Sir Donald left this family home to take on the world of cricket. This meticulously restored masterpiece awaits a new owner, ready to walk in his footsteps. Further details of this timeless haven and its history can be found at www.52shepherdstreet.com.