Mansion
It is a Lombardic Romanesque style designed by local firm of architects Reed and Barnes in 1868. The house grew with the owners , the Sargoods expanding family. It reflected their political and financial success with its unrivalled opulence.
In the late nineteenth century, Sargood and his second wife Julia began updating the estate .The house was extended and the interiors re-decorated. A porte cochére was installed to create an imposing entrance and it provided shelter to guests arriving in their carriages.
Ornamental stained glass, elaborate embossed wallpapers and ceiling papers contributed to the refurbishment. Two conservatories were added to main building – these could be accessed from the interior rooms and housed Sargood’s orchid collection indoors. Much of Rippon Lea’s architectural decoration consists of garden motifs, reflecting Sargood’s love of the garden.
Sargood ensured that the estate was equipped with the most advanced technology and the house was one of the first in Melbourne to install electricity. The basement kitchens, plumbing and bathroom facilities were updated. The suite of servants rooms in the extended kitchens have survived to this day in their 1880s configuration.
The mansion was ‘modernised’ in the early twentieth century by its last owner Mrs. Louisa Jones, who incorporating many of the nineteenth century features when updating the house in 1938. Interior designs from Syrie Maugham a neo-baroque decorator decorated the house in the Hollywood Style
- ballroom floor
A pool and ballroom were added so guests could be lavishly entertained .
Today it is owned and operated by the National Trust who restore and protect the Mansion. The heritage listed orhcard is famous for its old varieties of apples which are grown and propogated with much success .
It also
19th century crops
boasts a small ornamental lake and windmill.
