Description of the attraction
Rippon Lee Manor is a house-museum and cultural-historical site in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick. In 1868, a politician and businessman from Melbourne Frederick Sargud acquired 42 acres of land 8 km from the capital of Victoria, on which he erected a luxurious two-story mansion, laid out a garden with greenhouses and greenhouses and dug an artificial lake.
From the very beginning, the house aroused genuine admiration from everyone who saw it - they say that the architect Joseph Reed, when creating the project, took the architecture of the Italian region of Lombardy as a model. In addition, Rippon Lee was one of the first homes in Australia to be lit with electricity from his own generators.
The family of Frederick Sarguda lived in this house until the death of its founder in 1903. Over the years, the house was rebuilt and expanded several times, in particular, in 1897 a wing tower was built. After the death of Frederick, the house, along with the adjacent territory, was sold, and for six years the luxurious mansion was empty.
In 1910 it was bought by Ben and Agnes Nathan, businessmen from Melbourne. Then the estate was inherited by their daughter Louise Jones, a prominent person in the public life of Melbourne, who was engaged in a major reconstruction of the house. She decided to decorate the interiors in the "Hollywood" style of the early 1930s: the gold stucco on the walls in the lobby and corridor was replaced with murals "marbled", the decorative ballroom, built by Sargud, was replaced with a pool and ballroom. Fortunately, Mrs. Jones has preserved the garden and some parts of the house dating back to the second half of the 19th century - a pantry, a wine cellar, a stove.
In 1956, the Victorian government bought part of the mansion and set up a television studio for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. But only in 1972, Rippon Lee, which has historical value, completely passed into the possession of the state. Today it is open to visitors: here you can wander along the artificial lake, visit the fern greenhouse, the swimming pool and walk around the house itself. Of particular interest is the kitchen, which is a rare example of a fully preserved Australian kitchen interior from the late 19th century. The estate often hosts weddings and other events.
