Blackwood, 597 Blackwood-Dunkeld Road, PENSHURST, Western Victoria
Table of Contents
- See also Architects Ussher and Kemp
- See also Federation Queen Anne style
Blackwood is one of the finest nineteenth century examples of the Picturesque house in Australia and a masterpiece of the architectural practice, Butler and Ussher.
- The long single storey gabled composition of the main building gives a distinctly Australian character to an architectural idiom derived principally from contemporary English works.
- The complex of homestead, stable block and coach house date from 1891 when they were erected for R B Ritchie, and still remains in the Ritchie family. The contractor was Charles Hosking.
- The perimeter walls of the house are constructed in bluestone. The terra cotta tile roof (the tiles were imported from Bridgewater in the est of England) is punctuated by a variety of half timbered gables and clusters of tall red brick chimneys.
- The variety of window types displayed across the facade reflect the scale and importance of the rooms they illuminate.
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| Western District property "Blackwood" |
Internally, the house incorporates a superb suite of principal rooms comprising reception hall, drawing room (with inglenook and an elevated by window), dining room, study, and billiard room.
- The billiard room includes an elevated stage area, ensuite urinal, and gives access to the lower staircase. The homestead complex is well sited on a hill top position overlooking the surrounding plains with views of the Grampian Ranges and stands apart from the day to day farm buildings of the estate.
- In conception and certain details, the house reflects the work of the English architect, Richard Norman Shaw; however, Butler and Ussher have grouped theses elements into a more strident asymmetry than is shown in Shaw's works with the main concentration of gables, oriels and chimneys around the reception rooms balanced by the plain low slung expanses of terra cotta roof tiles of the bedroom wing.
- The Picturesque but spreading multigabled design with sections of half timbering compares with contemporary English works, particularly to Edward Ould's Wightwock Manor of 1887 and 1893, and C F A Voysey's Walnut Tree Farm of 1890.[1]
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| Wightwick Manor, March 2005, built 1887(Pronounced 'Wittick') is one of only a few surviving examples of a house built and furnished under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement | The Garden Front, Walnut Tree Farm by C. F. A. Voysey. Before 1897Walnut Tree Farm was designed in the summer of 1890 for R H Cazalet at Castlemorton in Worcestershire UK and plans and elevations were published in the British Architect in September and October 1890,[2] |
Blackwood is unique in its composition, consisting of a hip with a long ridge which runs virtually the entire length of the long east elevation.
- A strikingly bold south elevational composition consists of gables, a half hip roof, and an observational composition consists of gables, a half hip roof and an observation tower, which combine bluestone in the walls, sandstone for window details, half timbering and plaster to the gable ends, and Major's patent terra cotta tiles from Bridgewater (UK) for the extensive roof and subsidiary gables.
- The interior is treated in the Jacobean manner and has Dado panelling and strong timber cornice details with panelled ceilings.
- To the south side of the intimate entrance porch are the principal formal rooms, the hall, the drawing room with a delightful octagonal bay off one corner, the dining room and the billiard room. To the north of the entrance are the more private morning room and bedrooms which proceed along the east front and return around the north elevation.
- The service section and servants' rooms are to the west beyond the hall and bedroom corridor such an extended plan is not found in suburban residences of the Melbourne Queen Anne.
- The homestead complex is well sited on a hill top position overlooking the surrounding plains with view of the Grampian Ranges and stands apart from the day to day farm buildings of the estate.
- First settled in 1842, the 2428-hectare property features a recently renovated six-bedroom bluestone homestead, a manager's residence, two cottages, a bluestone coachhouse and other outbuildings as well as about 2000 hectares of barley, wheat and canola crops.
- Shane McIntyre, of Elders, is running an expressions of interest campaign closing at 5pm on November 8.
The listing: http://www.eldersrealestate.com.au/office/vic/rural/buy/property-cropping-vic-penshurst-554513
Fed arch Historic Env vol2 iss2.pdf
AFTER five generations of Ritchie family ownership, the legendary Blackwood, at Penshurst, is for sale.
Jason Ritchie and brother Dan are the current custodians of the 2428ha property which has been in the family since 1842.
The impressive holding has a sound farming reputation but is also well known for the original bluestone homestead that remains on the property.
- Jason and Dan have owned the property for the past 14 years and have transformed it from a mostly livestock operation to a viable cropping enterprise.
- "It's always going to be an emotional thing (selling), but it's also an exciting thing and gives us the opportunity to move on and do different things with our lives," Jason said.
- Jason runs the day-to-day operations of the farm, along with a couple of staff, and has spent considerable time and money transforming Blackwood into a good yielding cropping property.
- Wheat, barley and canola are most commonly sown each year.
- Jason said it was not uncommon to yield above six tonnes of wheat per hectare and above 2.5 tonnes of canola a hectare.
- "There's been a lot of working up of the soil, levelling paddocks out and picking up rocks," Jason said.
- "Basically turning what was previously probably unarable country into arable country and generally improving the soil structures."
- About 2000ha of canola, wheat and barley crop will be included in the sale of the property.
In the heart of the Western District, the property enjoys good rainfall and is watered by a system of tiered dams and two bores that reticulate water via 50mm-75mm pipes to troughs.
- There is a central laneway system linking the paddocks on the property and fencing is in excellent condition.
- The property includes the grand 700-square metre, six-bedroom homestead from 1892, a manager's residence, guest cottage and historic coach house.
- "We've got about 800 tonnes of grain storage and we have a continuous flow grain dryer, which basically means we can just start harvesting at 9am, so that's certainly improved the efficiency of the operation," Jason said.
- The property also has a bluestone woolshed and ram shed with yards.
- Blackwood is 10km northeast of Penshurst and about 20km south of Dunkeld.
- Hamilton is also nearby.[4]
"Blackwood" A Western District Icon
"Blackwood" is a western district icon, with a history dating back to 1842.- Ideally located to the south of Australia's famous Grampians mountain range, "Blackwood" offers the pinnacle in rural living with a broadscale flexible income stream and a superb mountain vista.
- Rural properties of the calibre of "Blackwood" rarely come to the market. Most of "Blackwood" has never been sold.
- Astute investors will recognise the unique characteristics that make "Blackwood" one of Victoria's finest rural holdings.
- Thoughtfully positioned on a prominent hillside location overlooking the property, "Blackwood" homestead stands in an English and native treed and lawned setting, providing a curtain of privacy and brilliant spring texture surrounding the homestead.
- "Blackwood" presents quality farm improvements of purpose and function. A central laneway system allows easy stock movement.
- Modern farming practices have retained the outstanding fertility of the "Blackwood" soils, which are renowned for their ability to produce high yielding crops, excellent clean wool, prime fat lambs and beef.
- "Blackwood" has been conservatively farmed over many generations. In most recent years, cropping has been introduced, significantly enhancing the returns and production of one of Victoria's landmark rural holdings.
PROPERTY OVERVIEW
Location Details: Blackwood is located 21kms south of the township of Dunkeld, 10kms north east of Penshurst and 32kms from the city of Hamilton.
Land Use: Grazing, Cropping
Cropping: Cereals, Oilseeds, Legume
Description of Country: The outstanding volcanic soil types that comprise "Blackwood" are widely renowned. Undulating in nature, these red and brown soil types are noted for their suitability to raise-bed or conventional cropping.
Annual Rainfall: 630 millimetres
Other Improvements: Machinery shed, Silo(s), Sheep Yards, Cattle Yards, Managers accommodation, Shearing shed, Other Housing
Number of Paddocks: 30
Water Supplies: Dams, Bores
Comments: "Blackwood" is watered by two substantial interconnected bores and a third smaller bore reticulating water via 50mm and 75mm pipes to troughs throughout the property with a 125K litre header tank as a reserve, providing high quality reliable stock water. The dams also make up a significant environmental wetland, the summer flocking site for around 1/3 of Victoria's Brolga population (270) as well as many other rare and endangered birds such as Latham Snipe, Spoonbills and Pelicans. The island has become a rookery for large amounts of Ibis as well.A system of tiered dams support the network, ensuring a never failing stock water supply.
Crops: Approximately 2,000 hectares of winter crop has been planted.
Pastures: Throughout it history, "Blackwood" has a reputation for its breeding, fattening and finishing ability, due to outstanding pastures of rye grass, cocksfoot and natural grasses, ideally suited to the Western District of Victoria.
Nearest Regional
Centre: Hamilton
Distance from Centre: 32.00 kilometres
Agriculture: Saleyard, Grain silo, Truck depot, Railyards
Air service: Daily
Mail service: Daily
Schools: Primary bus, Secondary bus
TITLE/POSSESSION
Type: Freehold
Possession: Vacant Possession
Description: "Blackwood" homestead comprises six bedrooms, main bedroom ensuite and dressing room, 2 further bathrooms,2 powder rooms, formal entrance hall, formal dining room, formal sitting room, billiard room, study, chef's quality modern kitchen of exceptional standard, adjoining meals area, family room, laundry and 2 bedroom self-contained guest accommodation."Blackwood" homestead has many ornate original features of the era such as ceiling to floor open fire places, ornate timber dado panelling, handcrafted timber ceilings, high skirting boards and leadlight windows throughout.Historic bluestone carriage shed, with mezzanine, grooms accommodation and stables complete the homestead outbuildings.
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 3
Livestock carried: Cattle
Livestock capacity: 25000.00 dse
Further information:
Land Area 2428 hectares
- ^ http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=place_name%3Dblackwood%3Bstate%3DVIC%3Bkeyword_PD%3Don%3Bkeyword_SS%3Don%3Bkeyword_PH%3Don%3Blatitude_1dir%3DS%3Blongitude_1dir%3DE%3Blongitude_2dir%3DE%3Blatitude_2dir%3DS%3Bin_region%3Dpart;place_id=15769
- ^ "CFA Voysey" by Wendy Hitchmough, p.39
- ^ http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/time-to-swap-channels-20131010-2vafw.html
- ^ http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/10/09/585319_property.html
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