Sydney does have some grand houses even if they only date back to the nineteenth century. Elizabeth Bay House overlooks Sydney Harbour and was designed in the early 1830s by the fashionable architect, John Verge, for Alexander Macleay. While Macleay occupied the position of Colonial Secretary, he almost bankrupted himself over this venture. The interior reflects the lifestyle of the Macleay family between 1839 and 1845 and is based upon rigid documentary research. A changing exhibition programme also makes it well worth a return visit.