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HERITAGE (CONSERVATION)
ARCHITECTURE AWARD
undertaken in 1981, 1983 and 2014
– the latter after the expiry of a 25
year lease. A skilled gardener has
maintained the significant garden
during recent construction works.
Works to the villa included
replacement of the slate roofing
(including substantial white ant
repairs to the roof frame) and all
of the unpainted timber fencing,
as well as complete exterior and
interior repairs and repainting
using traditional lime wash. Sub-
soil drainage and adjustment
of ground levels adjacent to
the building, an overhaul of
door and window joinery and
hardware, repair of tessellated
tiling, renewal of top courses on
stone chimneys and repairs to the
dining room bay window joinery
were also undertaken; all using
skilled craftsmen and traditional
methods. These works have
prepared the property for a new
long-term ‘repairing lease’.
the foundations and by stitching
cracks in the brickwork.
Former ‘modernisation’ works
had removed details and over-
sheeted interior walls. Guided by
a Conservation Management Plan,
Tropman & Tropman carefully
removed the intrusive linings and
recovered and restored joinery
discovered in the process. The
major rooms have been conserved,
including the original kauri pine
floor, hardware, joinery, ceilings,
marble fireplaces and pressed
paper dados all carefully repaired
by skilled craftspeople. The fire
damaged ceiling of ‘The Nursery’
was revealed and its lining with
children’s wall paper preserved. The
external crossed timber verandah
railing was reconstructed based
on photographs. The brick beehive
well was repaired and reused, and
the grounds and circular driveway
have also been restored.
HERITAGE (CONSERVATION)
COMMENDATION
Given to Waverly Council in 1948
after lobbying by the Institute,
Bronte House and its landscaped
grounds have been progressively
conserved and guided by a now
revised Conservation Management
Plan. It is a rare surviving late
Colonial period Regency style
villa, built in c.1845 for Robert and
Georgiana Lowe and designed by
Colonial Architect, Mortimer Lewis.
In an innovative management
arrangement it has been leased
as a residence, thus restoring its
original use. Lease conditions
require the place to be open
to the public occasionally, and
tenant alterations are controlled
by requirements for owners’
consent and the development
application process. A cyclic
maintenance schedule and council
inspections also ensure ongoing
management of key elements
such as roofs and drainage. Major
external conservation works were
Melrose House was designed
by architect Byera Hadley in
the late 1890s as substantial
out of town residence, before
becoming amalgamated into
a commercial enterprise called
Grantham Poultry Stud. After
WW1 it became a model poultry
farm, Grantham Estate, for
training returned soldiers. The
state heritage listed property at
Seven Hills is now public parkland,
owned by Blacktown City Council.
The development and restoration
brief was for rental for community
purposes, with a preference for
art galleries or restaurant facilities
to suit a variety of users.
Melrose House is a grand
polychrome brick residence, but
had suffered extensive damage
caused by the reactive clay
soils. Structural stabilisation
was achieved without invasive
engineering by the use of a plastic
‘skirt’ to stabilise the soil adjacent
Photography: Eric Sierens
Photography: Tasman Storey
Bronte House, Restoration & Management
Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners
Melrose House
Tropman & Tropman Architects
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