Burnewang, Bendigo Vic

Burnewang House, Elmore Vic

One of Australia’s grandest country homesteads

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• See also Queen Anne or Federation Queen Anne?
• See also Federation Queen Anne style
• Elmore township is situated in part of the Burnewang pastoral run (1841) of which a section was sold in about 1857 and named Elmore Estate. The name was probably inspired by Elmore, Gloucestershire, England.
• Elmore was close to the route travelled by gold diggers from Bendigo to the Ovens/North East goldfields, and a village was formed about 5 km southwards at Runnymede.[1]

Burnewang House (1903)

Other Names Burnewang Homestead, RSL War Veterans Home

• The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.Monday 18 September 1922:
  BURNEWANG PARK ESTATE

The executors of the late Mr. Robert Hunter have sold the Burnewang Park Estate, Elmore, comprising 8,000 acres, to the Closer Settlement Board.
Burnewang Park is one of the best station properties in Northern Victoria. The land is rich and fertile, and there is a fine modern homestead, with other farm buildings. The price paid was about £70,000.

• Heritage listed by the National Trust
  

Built (in 1903) for the Holmes Family, then owners of the Eastern portion of Burnewang Estate, this magnificent mansion is situated on the banks of the Campaspe river a few kilometres east of Elmore. Designed by Reed, Smart, Tappin, “Burnewang” is regarded as one of Australia’s grandest country homesteads.

Above photographs by Collins, John T., 1907-2001

• It is constructed of red bricks and has thirty two rooms and extensive outbuildings. Inside, massive oregon beams support the tiled roof and a feature is polished ceilings in some rooms. It also has stained glass windows on the ground floor.
• Extensive lawns, flower gardens, large vegetable garden, citrus grove and barbecue area surround this stately home which has had a chequered career.

It was built as a family home but after the Second World War, when Burnewang was partly subdivided for Soldier Settlement the house was sold to the RSL for use as a home for War Veterans.

• In 1984 the Salvation Army purchased it for use in the Bridge Program for the rehabilitation of people with alcohol problems.
• After WW2 the farm was subdivided for Soldier Settlement, and the 34 room Jacobean and Elizabethan style house fell into decline.
• Melbourne based couple Dominic & Maria Romeo extensively renovated the property in the 1990′s it was then sold to the Burns family who have continued on with many improvements and is used as their family country house.

Marie and Dominic Romeo brought it back to life in the during the 1990’s, restoring the interior, with its massive oregon beams, polished ceilings and stained glass windows, as well as the extensive lawns, flower beds, large vegetable garden, citrus grove and outbuildings.

References:

• http://thecountryphiles.com/2013/06/14/interview-dominic-marie-karori/
• http://www.rochester.org.au/listing/burnewang-estate/
• http://www.bellholme.com.au/bernwang.html
• "Burnewang House", Elmore: http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/167549837
• 'The Constant Renovators' - Melbourne, 2015 by Marie and Dominic Romeo
  Available now from Melbourne University Publishing
• http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC47Z0W_burnewang

Leura, Bellevue Hill

Leura c1891 - One of Sydney's grandest estates

Leura, 24 Victoria Road, BELLEVUE HILL NSW 2023

Table of Contents

Leura c1891 - One of Sydney's grandest estates</span>

Leura, the trophy home Bellevue Hill spring 2015 offering

Leura

Prestige Family Estate, Unrivalled And Unforgettable

History

Bellevue Hill:

Point Piper Estate:

Leura's Garden:

Mansion:

Modifications and dates:

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• See also page Bellevue Hill Heritage

LEURA - 24 Victoria Rd, Bellevue Hill. Built in 1891 for Mr Tom Knox, brother of Edward William Knox, adjoining 'Rona' and probably by the same architect. 

• Of Federation Queen Anne style, the house was gutted by fire in January, 1909 and the wooden shingle roof replaced by terracotta shingles.
• In 1956, the house was purchased by Cranbrook School serving as 'Street House' for boarders named after the then President of the School Council, Sir Kenneth Street
• Leura has since returned to the private sector. The site was once an Aboriginal camp alongside a natural spring.[1]
• Sales listing

Leura, the trophy home Bellevue Hill spring 2015 offering

• JONATHAN CHANCELLOR | 9 AUGUST 2015

Businessman Ken Allen and wife Christina have listed one of Sydney's finest estates, the 1891 Bellevue Hill mansion, Leura.

• It comes with initially cautious $30 million plus advisory.
• Some 29 years since last sold, the tightly held home has just had the six owners through its 125 years.
• Its listing is perfectly timed as leading eastern suburbs agents are complaining there's simply not enough prestige property to satisfy the latent spring market demand.

Set on 4,260 square metres Leura is a trophy home "unparalleled in grace, style and historic significance".

Situated on a 4260 square metres Leura has a lot to offer. Photo supplied

• Designer/Makers: Probably the last collaboration between Sir Walter Liberty Vernon and Howard Joseland
• See also pages Architect Walter Liberty Vernon and Architect Howard Joseland

Even in Sydney $30 million seems a lot for a property	but just the views at Leura are worth at least that!

The view from 'Leura' located in Bellevue Hill.

It was built on the Bellevue Hill ridge line for the Knox family, of the then burgeoning Colonial Sugar Refinery empire.

• The middle aged Tom Knox had Leura, and his older brother, Edward had nearby Rona, probably both designed by the same architect, Walter Vernon Liberty.
• Tom Knox, who had married into the Victorian pastoralist Ritchie family, was the managing director of Dalegty, the stock and station agency.
• Those pioneering Knox brothers chose the hillside panorama long before Sydney Harbour’s famous icons, partly because of the unsanitary conditions down on the water’s edge.

“It is a monument to the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture from the era,” Ray White Double Bay listing agent Michael Finger says.
August 11, 2015 5:26pmJonathan Chancellor, The Sunday Telegraph

With eight bedrooms and plenty of space there is all the room a growing family could need.

Finger's Ray White colleague Di Wilson says the property was purchased in the mid-1950s by Cranbrook School for boarders.

• With privacy at the very end of a circular driveway off Victoria Road, the eight bedroom home combines traditional opulence and modern design. There's a tennis court and resort swimming pool...and private level lawns overlooked by wide north facing verandahs.
• It last traded through Michael Finger in 1986 for a then very impressive $7.3 million when sold by the top end home restorer Bill Shipton, who'd engaged building designer, Roderick Learoyd, trained at the Oxford School of Architecture, to assist in its renaissance.
• The 1986 sale to the New Zealand businessman heralded the brief mid-1980s trend of Kiwi entrepreneurs crossing the Tasman to try their luck in Sydney, all with trophy home acquisition to boot. They included the Goodman Fielder Wattie chairman, Pat Goodman who secured another Shipton home, the 1917 Double Bay mansion, Verona.
• Most departed after the 1987 stockmarket crash, with Sydney not ever seeing the likes of Sir Frank Renouf, John Spencer, Rod Petricevic and Colin Reynolds again.

Leura

Other name/s: Street House (Cranbrook School)

• Heritage Registered in NSW
• Over 4260 square meters of established grounds, resort style sanctuary (Ray White Double Bay, 2015).
• Retains its splendid setting and panoramic views of Sydney harbour; the curved drive passes below in front of the house (Boyd, unpub., 2010, 226).
• Site of an old Aboriginal camp and has a natural spring (NTA, 1978).

A Substantial Marine Villa but in 1890, probably the last collaboration between (Walter Liberty) Vernon and (Howard) Joseland. Two storey brick house retains its splendid setting and panoramic views of Sydney harbour.

• The characteristic Shavian planning is evident in the arrangement of the principal rooms, which overlook the harbour, around the substantial stair hall.
• The small gable that marks the entrance and the main stair hall are Gothic Revival in character, employing restrained Gothic style tracery to the large window that lights the stairhall and to the front door.
• The stairhall has been altered; the ceiling and the upper rooms were unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1909. A new roofline, with an additional gable was built.
• The generous two-storey vernadah employs cast iron columns, providing the necessary strength for the added height (Boyd, unpub., 2010, 226-9).

Prestige Family Estate, Unrivalled And Unforgettable

Undeniably one of Sydney's grandest estates, Leura c1891 is a landmark residence unparalleled in grace, style and historic significance. The majestic home is embraced by 4,260sqm of established grounds and is a monument to the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture from the era. 
Set against a breathtaking panorama over Sydney Harbour's famous icons, the home has been intuitively crafted to create a resort-style sanctuary with a magical sense of privacy and seclusion at the very end of an exclusive circular driveway.

• 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 6 car garage
• Grand interiors with elegant details
• Tennis court and resort swimming pool
• Private level lawns and wide verandahs
• Gracious formal and informal areas
• Original ballroom with soaring ceilings
• North facing with superb harbour views[2]

History

Bellevue Hill:

The name given to the suburb was taken from that given to the look-out area which later became Bellevue Park - named 'Belle Vue' by Governor Macquarie as an alternative to the colloquial 'Vinegar Hill' which Macquarie considered vulgar (Woollahra Council, local history fast-facts, Bellevue Hill, accessed 7/8/2015). 

• The area was accessed by the Old South Head Road from 1811 and the New South Head Road from the 1830s. Victoria Road was formed by the Surveyor General, Sir Thomas Mitchell's survey of 1844 (Broomham, Bellevue Hill thematic history, in Woollahra Library, 2015, 1).

Point Piper Estate:

• The subject properties were originally part of the extensive Point Piper Estate, land accumulated by Captain John Pipe since 1816, later conveyed to the emancipist traders Cooper and Levey in 1826 following Piper experiencing financial difficulties. The estate, by then comprising 1130 acres, became the property exclusively of Daniel Cooper in 1847. After 1850 Cooper began offering some sections of his estate for sale and others as 99 year leases (ibid, 2015, 1).
• Edwin Tooth took up a lease of over 40 acres in Bellevue Hill in December 1854 (Broomham, R., 'Coopers of Woollahra', 2000, 14). Following Edwin's death, his brother Robert Tooth built the mansion Cranbrook on the southern side of New South Head Road in 1859-60. Cranbrook was eventually sold to the founders of Cranbrook School in 1917 (ibid, 2015, 1).
• In c1880 Edward Knox and his brother-in-law William GIlchrist sub-leased an area of Edwin's land in Bellevue Hill, and by the turn of the century had purchased the freehold from the Cooper family. Edward built the house 'Rona' on his part of the land in 1883. Edward Knox and William Gilchrist made available a portion of land adjacent to Rona for Edward's brtoehr Thomas Forster Knox (ibid, 2015, 1).

Leura's Garden:

Over 4260 square meters of established grounds, resort style sanctuary (Ray White Double Bay, 2015).

• Retains its splendid setting and panoramic views of Sydney harbour; the curved drive passes below in front of the house (Boyd, unpub., 2010, 226).
• Site of an old Aboriginal camp and has a natural spring (NTA, 1978).
• Trees include a Hill's fig on the house's western side (Ficus microcarpa 'Hillii')(Stuart Read, pers.comm., 19/8/2015).
• Commanding position to harbour - important in visual catchment from New South Head Road as evidenced by photograph E33 (Hughes Trueman et al, 1984).

Mansion:

Federation Queen Anne style mansion (1891) adjoining 'Rona' and probably by the same architect (WMC, 2015).

• Early Queen Anne style, leading to Federation style.
• Leadlight doors and window at rear.
• Timber panelling. Grand stair.
• Prominent siting to Sydney Harbour. Site of an old Aboriginal camp and has a natural spring.
• Knox family connection.

A number of the original decorative details survive, such as the wave motif to the dado rail, the blue and white transfer tiles and the fern and sunburst detail to the grate in the dining room.

• The decorative motifs used are similar to the interior schemes designed by French-Australian artist Lucien Henry. Details such as panelled timber ceilings and soffits and the incised Japanese-style curves in the solid brackets to the first floro are details that appear in Vernon's later domestic designs, the former in his own house at Wendover and in the postal chamber of the Newtown Post Office and the latter in the staff residence in the grounds of Callan Park.
• Further evidence that the house is largely Vernon's work is a surviving (unpublished) tender analysis held by Woollahra Council. Completed by 'Mr. Vernon', the list included prices from two of the builders engaged to build a number of the residences in the Neutral Bay Estate.
• It is likely that detailed supervision of the construction of Leura was undertaken by Joseland; the houe was not completed until 1891, by which time Vernon had been appointed Government Architect.
• Of Vernon's surviving work prior to this appointment, it is this design that marks the watershed between the London-influenced Queen Anne Revival and Shavian English Domestic Revival and the more restrained local variant of the style: the Federation style.
• It was the domestic-scale public buildings designed by Vernon and the Government Architect's Branch in the 1890s that helped to spread the Federation style across the state, however he had already been using a similar architectural vocabulary before his appointment to the position (ibid, 2010, 229).

Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential: Very good (17/5/1984: Tanner & Associates; Jack & Ashton, 1984). Date condition updated: 27 Aug 15

Modifications and dates:

• 1909: gutted by fire in January that year, the wooden shingle roof was replaced by terracotta shingles.
  • The billiard room on the house's south-west is a later addition (ibid, 228).
• 1956 purchased by Cranbrook School to serve as 'Street House' for boarders.
• 1956 Fowell, Mansfield & Macluran (for Cranbrook School) alterations and additions (approved 17.12.1956)
• 1959 Fowell, Mansfield & Macluran (for Cranbrook School) toilet added (approved 12.1.1959)
• 1965 Denis Rourke architect/builder (for Cranbrook School) - fire stair added (approved 23.12.1965).
• c.1985 R.Learoyd architect/builder (for B.Levy) - alterations and additions (approval date not recorded);
• CPA consultants (for B.Levy) (pool and tennis court (approved 8.4.1986).
• c.1985 W.J.Shipton - mechanical vent, heating (approved 25.5.1986).
• c1987 Rodera P/L (for K. Allen) alterations and additions (approved 30.6.1989)
• c.1990 K.Allen - fencing (approved 11.4.1991)(ibid, 2015, 5).

It has since returned to the private sector (WMC, 2015).

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1. ^ http://www.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/library/local_history/local_history_fast_facts/l
2. ^ http://www.domain.com.au/for-sale/24-victoria-road-bellevue-hill-nsw-2023-2012176280

Classic Federation Houses

Two elaborate Federation houses and a Melbourne 'Edwardian' home, the styles of which look back to earlier times

Table of Contents

Two elaborate Federation houses and a Melbourne 'Edwardian' home, the styles of which look back to earlier times

1. Tukurua, 1-9 Rosendo Street, Cottesloe WA 6011

Chinese inspect Tukurua, the iconic $50 million Cottesloe trophy mansion

FIRST TIME EVER OFFERED IN HISTORY!

Andrew Forrest plans to house Syrian refugees in Perth mansion

2. 'Lugano', 17 Victoria Square, Ashfield NSW 2131

3. GLENVALE - Circa 1910 1 Barkly Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057

[Previous post: Federation Queen Anne Adelaide ... Next post: ]

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Sourced from three different States of Australia, here are three very different houses, all built in Federation times, but with varying internal styles.
Two of these houses have never been sold before in their century old existence.

Tukurua, 1-9 Rosendo St. Cottesloe WA		Glenvale, 1 Barkly Street,
Tukurua, (1896) 1-9 Rosendo Street, Cottesloe WA 6011 Recently completely renovated, and possibly sold for the first time to Twiggy Forrest for $16 million, then again, probably notdestined for asylum seeker occupation!	Lugano, Circa 1916 - 17 Victoria Square, Ashfield NSW 2131 Expectations are set at more than $3 million for the grand Federation mansion, complete with original timber panelling, servant’s bell and an original 1917 bathroom.	Glendale, (1910) 1 Barkly Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057 An impressive grand unrenovated 1910 Edwardian home, boasts an array of original period features.

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1. Tukurua, 1-9 Rosendo Street, Cottesloe WA 6011

• See also Cottesloe Federation Heritage, W.A.
• Heritage Registered in WA
  

JONATHAN CHANCELLOR | 2 SEPTEMBER 2014

Chinese inspect Tukurua, the iconic $50 million Cottesloe trophy mansion

Tukurua was built in 1896 as the summer residence of Western Australia’s first attorney-general, Sir Septimus Burt, handsome double storey residence sited on a gently sloping block on the corner of Rosendo Street and Marine Terrace. 

The beach-front property is located on the corner of Marine Parade and Rosendo Street, Co

• Burt's home was a substantial house, Strawberry Hill, in Adelaide Terrace, which had originally been owned by the Stone family but was purchased by Archibald Burt and extended by the prominent architect J. Talbot Hobbs to accommodate Septimus's large family of ten children ranging in ages from four to twenty-three years.
• Septimus also owned a riverside holiday home in Peppermint Grove, from which the family cruised the Swan River in their own steam boat Titu, one of only two in the colony.
• In 1896, Burt commissioned a second holiday home from architect, R. T. McMasters, to be built in the newly fashionable, beach area of Cottesloe.
• Around 1933, one of the Burt children rented the property to the Cass family, whose bed and breakfast made sufficient profit to then buy the property in 1939. During World War II, it served as military headquarters for officers and then as a home for refugee families after the fall of Singapore.
• Their daughter, Dorothea Cass left it to her friend of many decades Ted Smith in 1994, when it was valued at $4 million. It has had a $5 million six year renovation.
• The grand mansion, with 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms, at 1-9 Rosendo Street, has been listed through Frank Torre, at House Real Estate, Cottesloe.
• Already there has been Chinese buyer interest.

FIRST TIME EVER OFFERED IN HISTORY!

TWENTY years ago, Ted Smith inherited a grand but faded beachfront mansion at Cottesloe and set about ­restoring it to its former glory.
The massive restoration started in 2003 and took six years with up to 14 tradesmen on-site at any time. Smith ­remembers working 17-hour days. The historic house had been ravaged by the salt and wind.

• “All of the outside wooden verandas had to be demolished and not one metre of wood could be re-used. Plenty of people didn’t think I would be able to do it, but I think that people generally credit me with doing a good job,” Ted, 80, says humbly.
• Tukurua was built in 1896 as the summer residence of Western Australia’s first attorney-general, Sir Septimus Burt, and his large family. In 1933, one of the Burt children rented the property to Mr and Mrs Berry Cass, who established a successful bed-and-breakfast there and made sufficient profit to buy the property in 1939.
• Their daughter, Dorothea Cass, was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Western Australia and worked as a journalist and radio programmer. She inherited Tukurua and, on her death in 1994, left it to her friend of many decades Ted Smith.
• Smith had lived in a weatherboard cottage on the grounds since 1973 and said he owed it to his friend to ­restore her family’s beautiful home. “Dorothea worked hard to keep this land together and went through great privation,” Smith says. “I think she left it to me because she knew I wasn’t a drinker, I didn’t squander my money and I was good at finances.”

Humble beginnings: This is how the property looked before extensive restoration

When he inherited the property in 1994, it was valued at $4 million. Twenty years later the grand mansion, with 10 bedrooms and six bathrooms, is expected to sell for about $50m. Key to its appeal is the large block, 5001sq m, overlooking beautiful Cottesloe beach. Ted has loved the space and the fresh air of living so close to the beach but is finally ready to downsize.

• Cottesloe is a beachside suburb of Perth, located halfway between the city’s central business district and the port of Fremantle. The median house price in Cottesloe was $1.76 million in May, according to RP Data. The median in wider Perth was $540,000.
• Address: ‘Tukurua’, 1-9 Rosendo Street, Cottesloe, Perth, $50m.

Mr Smith says it's time for him to downsize from the sprawling property

• Andrew Forrest plans to house Syrian refugees in Perth mansion

• THE AUSTRALIAN, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 1:41PM
• Andrew Burrell, WA Chief Reporter, Perth

Mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest plans to house scores of Syrian refugees at a 21-room luxury mansion opposite Perth’s famous Cottesloe Beach — as long as he can convince the elderly resident of the property to settle on the controversial sale and leave.

• Mr Forrest, who is locked in a dispute with 81-year-old Ted Smith, has won the backing of the federal and state governments to use the property to accommodate some of the 12,000 Syrians who will start arriving in Australia by Christmas.
• He will co-operate with government agencies and will also use staff from his own philanthropic group Minderoo to help ease the refugees’ transition into Australian society.
• The billionaire and his family had initially intended to live at the historic property, which has sweeping views of the Indian Ocean, but they will now remain at their current (Federation Queen Anne) house, also in Cottesloe.

Ted Smith, the elderly owner of Tukurua mansion in Cottesloe.

• It is unclear whether residents of the genteel area will be receptive to Mr Forrest’s bold plan.
• Sources close to Mr Forrest said the idea to open the house to refugees came from his daughter Grace, 22, earlier this week. Grace also inspired Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola to get involved in their mission to eradicate global slavery.

The Australian revealed last week that Mr Forrest had signed a contract to buy the property known as Tukurua — a 21-room mansion on 5000sq m of prime beachfront land — for $16 million.

• But Mr Smith, who has lived at Tukurua for 43 years, is refusing to settle on the sale or move out, claiming his real estate agent pressured him to sell the home in just 30 minutes and that he had no idea what he was doing.
• A Perth psychiatrist has assessed Mr Smith as being mentally incapable of assessing the wisdom of the transaction when it was presented to him in March.

However, Mr Forrest claims Mr Smith knew what he was doing and is refusing to settle because he has “seller’s remorse”.

• Cottesloe heritage-listed coastal mansion Tukurua on property market for first time in 100 years
• CLAIRE BICKERS, PERTHNOW, JULY 29, 2014 2:28PM

Cottesloe heritage property Tukurua has gone on sale for the first time in more than 100

Cottesloe heritage property Tukurua has gone on sale for the first time in more than 100 years. The beach-front property is located on the corner of Marine Parade and Rosendo Street.

• IT’S the empty Cottesloe block that has had developers drooling for decades.
• Sitting opposite the beach in Perth’s most sought-after coastal suburb, the 2000sqm parcel of vacant land went on sale along with one of Perth’s most “exceptional” heritage properties for the first time in more than 100 years this week.
• The whole property, known as Tukurua, is located on a 5000sqm parcel which is estimated to be worth about $50m — a price point that would smash records for the area.
• If sold, it would become Perth’s second most expensive home purchase, after Angela Bennett’s Mosman Park estate sold in 2009 for $57.5m.

The beach-front property is located on the corner of Marine Parade and Rosendo Street, Cottesloe

The grand heritage home sits elevated on the back half of the property with an empty lot in front.

• From the home’s wraparound balconies, it offers spectacular ocean views.
• For people driving by on Marine Parade, it’s a glimpse into what life was like for WA’s wealthy elite more than a century ago.

The 2000sqm parcel of vacant land adjacent will be highly sought after by developers.

Built in 1896, the home was the summer residence of WA’s first attorney general, Septimus Burt.

• The house is listed on the State Heritage Register with an indefinite interim extension, which offers it all the protection of the Act.
• But the vacant block in front could potentially be developed into some of the most sought-after property in Perth.

Inside Tukurua — a bedrioom with uninterrupted views of Cottesloe Beach.

Architecture Institute of Australia WA president Philip Griffiths, a heritage specialist, said the ideal development would be to turn the block back into a garden.

• “But that’s not going to happen,” Mr Griffiths said.
• “The important thing is for the prime views to be retained. A combination of one and two storeys would be acceptable.”

This leadlight is not Art Nouveau but gothic Queen Anne style	This leadlighting is not Art Nouveau but geometric Victorian era style

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2. 'Lugano', 17 Victoria Square, Ashfield NSW 2131

Circa 1916 - stately period home in exclusive setting

• Heritage Registered in NSW
• 'Legal manouevres' Sep 4, 2015 Lucy Macken

Carroll & O’Dea partner Howard Harrison and his fellow lawyer wife Anne Clarke were no sooner whispered to be the more than $2.5 million buyers of the Redfern home of High Court Judge Virginia Bell than they have listed their Ashfield prize, "Lugarno".

• Expectations are set at more than $3 million for the grand Federation mansion, complete with original timber panelling, servant’s bell and an original 1917 bathroom.

The grand Federation home, "Lugano", 17 Victoria Square Ashfield

Built for former Ryde alderman William Thomas Rabone, the property became a regular hangout for the King of Tonga Taufa’ahau Tupou IV when he was at Newington College, before the Rabone family sold it in 1967.

• Having last traded in 1991 for $725,000, the statement home goes to auction on September 19 through Harris Tripp’s Virginia Nicoll.

This Federation home has Victorian era Scottish-themed leadlight.

One of the area's finest period homes, 'Lugano' is a property of grand proportions and distinguished style. The grand residence offers splendid original features, exceptional entertaining areas and a large landscaped garden with a swimming pool. Regarded as The Best Address, it stands moments from Trinity Grammar and is within Summer Hill Public School catchment.

17 Victoria Square Ashfield

- Four/Five bedrooms, two bathrooms, elegant library, deluxe marble kitchen, graceful formal lounge, grand formal dining room

Edwardian style fireplace surrounds, but in marble, not timber.

- Spectacular light-filled living room, casual dining room, covered bbq area, large sandstone entertaining space

Pressed metal ceilings at 17 Victoria Square Ashfield

- Eight fireplaces, ducted a/c, polished timber floors, majestic leadlight door, high ceilings, huge attic storage area

Window nook, pressed metal ceilings and Federation era fireplace at Lugano, 17 Victoria Square, Ashfield

- Manicured gardens, heated swimming pool, sun-soaked upper level terrace, rear lane access to automatic garage

17 Victoria Square Ashfield

• Land size: approximately 715 square metres
• Internal size: approximately 335 square metres
• Council rates: approximately $2,791.00 per annum
• Water rates: approximately $780.00 per annum

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3. GLENVALE - Circa 1910 1 Barkly Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057

Executors Auction

The Warburton family home offered for the first time in 105 years

• Classic in design this impressive grand unrenovated Edwardian boasts an array of period features. The ornate entrance feature delicate lead light windows, deep and richer in colour are highlighted by the barleycorn twisted cast iron posts and lattice work greet you as you approach this classic home.

  Art Nouveau leadlight at 1 Barkly Street, Brunswick East VIC

• Beyond the elaborate entrance a wide passage way leads to 3 well proportioned bedrooms featuring individual pressed metal ceilings and ornate open fire places.

  Ornate ceiling, cornice and Edwardian timber fireplace, picture rails.

• The formal lounge room is equally adorned and leads to the bathroom and maids room. The kitchen with original Kookaburra stove plus walk-in pantry and cellar is located to the rear of the property.
• Bluestone pathways lead to the maids’ quarters and onto the original stables that housed the Clydesdale horses that worked the quarry, which was located at the rear of the property from the 1840’s.

Unrenovated century-old home fetches $3.4 million at auction

• Sep 12, 2015, Emily Power Prestige reporter
• Once in a century sale

An unrenovated Brunswick East Federation house sold for $3.4 million at its first ever auction. 

• Video by Alistair Walsh and Emily Power.
• Developers fought hard for the time capsule Edwardian (of timber construction), with locals worried it would be pulled down.

A time capsule home in Brunswick East – on the market for the first time in more than a century – has soared $1.6 million over reserve.
The relic Edwardian, built 105 years ago, was bought by a developer for $3.4 million at auction on Saturday.

The buyer, who will restore the unrenovated property at 1 Barkly Street and subdivide the land at the rear – to build townhouses – beat four other bidders for the keys.

Glenvale - 1 Barkly Street, Brunswick East, Victoria. Photo: Supplied

“You literally walk up to the front door and you do step back in time,” said agent and auctioneer Alex Djorgonoski​.

• The home was immediately on the market with an attempted knock-out bid of $2 million, against a reserve of $1.8 million.
• From the moment the 1910 home named Glenvale – with stables that once kept Clydesdales and maid’s quarters at the back – came on the market, it was in danger of being torn down.

The enormous block raised the interest of the local church group and developers. Photo: Supplied

Mr Djorgonoski, from Nicholson Real Estate, said locals at open for inspections told him they were concerned the grand old three bedroom house would be razed.

• A heritage overlay applies only to the original paint colour.
• “It wasn’t particularly registered for the house, in other words there was an opportunity that someone could come here and actually pull it down,” Mr Djorgonoski said.
• The home has original lead-light windows throughout.

The home has original lead-light windows throughout. Photo: Supplied

“Even though we were all pushing to buyers to make sure they preserved it, because there is value in the property because it is so unique.

• “Ultimately a town planning permit could have been issued for demolition.”
• Mr Djorgonoski said a range of buyers were in contention at the auction, from the neighbouring church group – whose budget didn’t stretch far enough – to developers to an owner-occupier.
• Decades old decor was unearthed during a huge clean-up by the executors of the owner's will.

Decades old decor was unearthed during a huge clean-up by the executors of the owner's will. Photo: Supplied

“It has captured people’s imagination,” he said.

• “When we first visited the property we couldn’t enter the front part of the house because it was blocked up with bric-a-brac.”
• The late owner, Eric Rushka, was a German immigrant who boarded at Glenvale and inherited it from the original owners, the Warburton family.

The antique Early Kooka stove.

The antique Early Kooka stove. Photo: Supplied

The executor of Mr Rushka’s will, friend Carol Andrews, spent months with her husband and children clearing decades of clutter to reveal Glenvale’s untouched, period grandeur, including leadlight windows, brass light switches, pressed metal ceilings, an intricate fretwork verandah, a vintage Early Kooka stove and ornate fireplaces.

• A working gramophone, decades-old newspapers displayed on a hall stand, a photo of Mr Rushka by the door, vintage cookbooks in the kitchen, and sepia portraits of the Warburtons – all discovered during the clean-up – added to its romance.
• Relatives in Europe are beneficiaries of Mr Rushka’s will.