Rippon Lea Estate

Rippon Lea Estate is a historic property located in Elsternwick, Victoria. It is under the care of the National Trust of Australia.It was built in 1868 for Sir Frederick Sargood, a wealthy Melbourne businessman, politician and philanthropist. Frederick and his wife Marian bought 42 acres of land at Elsternwick, about 8 kilometres from the Melbourne central business district, in 1868 and built a two-storey, 15 room house. An extensive pleasure garden was laid out around the house, together with glasshouses, vegetable gardens and orchards. The gardens were designed to be self-sufficient as regards water, and the large man-made lake on the property was designed to store stormwater run-off from the surrounding area.

The Sargood family lived at Rippon Lea until Frederick's death in 1903, and over the years extended the house on several occasions. The greatest structural changes occurred in 1897 when the house was extended to the north, and a tower was added. The style of the house has been described as "polychromatic romanesque" and the architect, Joseph Reed, was said to have been inspired by the architecture of the Lombardy region of northern Italy.

On Frederick's death in 1903, the property was sold to a consortium of real estate developers who had plans to demolish the house and subdivide the land. Elsternwick at this time was a new suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne; 35 years earlier when the Sargoods bought the land, it had been well outside the built-up area of Melbourne.

The house was empty for six years, while the developers sold off various parcels of land, particularly the orchards and paddocks. Before, however, the final carve-up of the estate could be undertaken, the leader of the consortium, Sir Thomas Bent, died and the property was put on the market in 1910.

It was bought by Ben and Agnes Nathan, who owned the Maples chain of furniture stores in Melbourne. The Nathans lived there until Ben's death in 1935 when the property was left to their eldest daughter, Louisa.

Louisa (married name, Mrs Timothy Jones) was a leading figure in the Melbourne social set in the 1930s and renovated the house to allow her to entertain on a lavish scale. The interior of the house was redecorated in a restrained classical 1930s style, drawing heavily on Hollywood film style of the 1930s and Syrie Maugham's "all white room" as influences. Outside, a "Hollywood style" swimming pool and ballroom were installed and the 14 acres of gardens maintained.

On her death in 1972, Mrs Jones left the house and garden to the National Trust, thereby saving the estate from the threat of sale and subdivision, and allowing the public to enjoy the estate.

Of particular note in the grounds are the lake, ferneries, swimming pool and associated ballroom (1939), stable complex (1868). The rooms of the basement kitchen complex are also of special interest, having been built in the 1880s and then abandoned in 1938 following the installation of a modern kitchen on the ground floor. Today they are a rare surviving Australian example of a 19th century kitchen suite; comprising kitchen, scullery, pantries, cool rooms, servants' hall and wine cellar.

External links

* [http://ripponleaestate.melbourneaustralia.com.au/ A brief summary and contact details for the estate]
* [http://www.nattrust.com.au/trust_properties/melbourne_and_surrounds/rippon_lea_estate/ National Trust of Australia - Rippon Lea Estate]