Stonington (formerly Stonnington) is a private residence and former Australian Government House located in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern, at 336 Glenferrie Road. The house was built for John Wagner, a partner in Cobb and Co coaches. Stonington gave its name to the City of Stonnington, a Melbourne municipality.
John Wagner, a partner in Cobb and Co coaches, built the house in 1890. [1] [2] [3] The house was designed in the Italianate Victorian style by architect Charles D'Ebro. [4] The house was named for the birthplace of Wagner's wife, Mary, in Stonington, Connecticut, USA.[ citation needed ] Wagner and his family lived in the house until his death in 1901. [3]
At the Federation of Australia in 1901 Melbourne became the location of government, and Government House, Melbourne became the home of the Governor-General [5] [6] [7] and Stonnington Mansion was leased by the Victorian Government as a home for the Governor of Victoria in 1901, before eventually being purchased by the state, along with all its contents, in 1928. [2] The house was maintained as Victoria's Government House until 1931. [2] [4] During that time the house hosted many famous guests, including Dame Nellie Melba, the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth), the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, Lord Kitchener, Sir John Monash, Sir Keith Murdoch, and Ernest Shackleton. [3]
Christopher Rous, who died in 1925 at age nine, is buried in the grounds. He died of leukaemia in the house when his father, the Earl of Stradbroke, was Governor of Victoria. His ghost is reputed to still haunt the house. [3]
In 1931 the state of Victoria leased the mansion to St Margaret's School, which occupied the site until 1938. [3] In 1938 the state took back control and the Victoria Health Department used it as a hospital for children with polio; during and World War II the department of health allowed the Australian Red Cross to share the building in its work to help wounded soldiers convalesce. [3]
In 1957 the Victoria Department of Education took over the property from the Department of Health and made the site the campus for the Toorak Teachers College; the Department of Health continued to run some health services out of parts of the mansion until 1958. [8] In 1962 the college moved all classes out of the mansion and started using it only for administration and plans were made to build a new wing, which was completed in 1968. [8] In 1973 the college was made part of the State Colleges of Victoria system, [9] and in 1981 the college was merged into the newly formed Victoria College. [10]
In 1991, as part of the Dawkins education reforms that were announced in 1988 by the Commonwealth government, Victoria College was made part of Deakin University. [10]
By 2006 Deakin University put the mansion and campus up for sale. [11] This was met with protest from local residents, who believed the property should be retained by a government body so it could remain a public space. [12] In December 2006, the three-hectare property was sold for $33 million to a joint venture between Hamton Property Group and Industry Superannuation Property Trust. [13]
In June 2007, businessman and former President of the Liberal Party in Victoria, Michael Kroger, announced that he and other Australian businessmen, a group dubbed the "Melbourne Lodgers", would examine properties in Melbourne for the Prime Minister of Australia to use as a residence while in that city. Kroger stated that Stonington was the most sought-after residence on that list. [13]
In August 2007 the 1.3-hectare site, comprising the mansion, gatehouse and 3 acres (12,000 m2), were conditionally sold to art dealer Rodney Menzies for about $18 million, as a private residence. [14]
In June 2008 the remaining 1.7-hectare garden site was acquired for $45 million by Sydney-based developer and fund manager Ashington, who announced a $150 million project called Stonington Malvern, a 75-dwelling development in four precincts, comprising 31 terrace houses, 18 townhomes, 14 apartments and 12 maisonettes. In March 2009 the mansion's former stables, and until September 2007 Deakin University's Stonington Stables Museum of Art, were sold separately by Ashington for about $4 million.
In February 2018, Rod Menzies sold the mansion for $52 million to a Chinese buyer, eclipsing the state's previous $40 million record for a Toorak home, making it the most expensive house in the state. [15]
The City of Stonnington is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. It comprises the inner south-eastern suburbs, between 3 and 13 km, from the Melbourne CBD. The city covers an area of 25.7 km2 (9.9 sq mi).
Kooyong is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Kooyong recorded a population of 842 at the 2021 census.
Malvern ( ) is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Malvern recorded a population of 9,929 at the 2021 census.
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a population of 25,028 at the 2021 census.
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km (3.1 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 census.
Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia.
Hawksburn railway station is a commuter railway station on the Frankston line, serving the south Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Hawksburn is an unstaffed status below ground structure station featuring four platforms, with an island platform and two side platforms all accessed by a pedestrian bridge. The station is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, and was opened on 7 May 1879, with the stations’ namesake being the locality of Hawksburn, 600 metres from the station. The station is only partially accessible due to multiple steep access ramps.
Toorak railway station is a commuter railway station on the northern boundary of Armadale, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The station is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, and was opened on 7 May 1879. The station is named after the nearby suburb of Toorak—located north of the station. The station consists of an island platform and two side platforms all accessed by a pedestrian bridge. There are two principal station buildings located on the central platform and on platform 4, consisting of a small two and one-story brick buildings. These buildings were provided in 1914, as ticketing and staff offices. The station is only partially accessible due to a multiple steep access ramps.
Charles Abraham D'Ebro (1850–1920) was an Australian architect who designed many important buildings in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia during the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods. Many of these buildings are now preserved under heritage laws. From 1881 to 1885, he enjoyed a very productive partnership with John Grainger, the designer of the Princes Bridge, with whom he had emigrated to Adelaide in 1877.
Government House is the official residence of the Governor of Victoria, currently Margaret Gardner. It is located in Kings Domain, Melbourne, next to the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Glenferrie Road is a major north–south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Kew to Caulfield North, and includes major shopping districts at both Hawthorn and Malvern. There are a number of rail transport options on Glenferrie Road and also some landmarks.
Victoria College was a College of Advanced Education (CAE) in Melbourne, Australia. It was created as a result of the merger on 23 December 1981 of the State College of Victoria colleges at Burwood, Rusden and Toorak with the Prahran College of Advanced Education. In doing so, it became the largest College of Advanced Education in eastern Melbourne.
Malvern Town Hall is the former town hall of the municipality of Malvern in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is the seat of the local government area of the City of Stonnington.
Toorak House is a mansion located in Melbourne, Australia built in 1849 by well-known Melbourne merchant James Jackson. It is notable for its use as Melbourne's first Government House and having inspired the name for the suburb of Toorak.
The City of Malvern was a local government area about 9 kilometres (6 mi) southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 15.88 square kilometres (6.13 sq mi), and existed from 1856 until 1994, when it was merged with the City of Prahran to create the City of Stonnington.
The City of Prahran was a local government area about 5 kilometres (3 mi) southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 9.55 square kilometres (3.69 sq mi), and existed from 1855 until 1994, when it was merged with the City of Malvern to create the City of Stonnington.
Malvern Presbyterian Church is located in Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1886, it was the first Presbyterian Church to be founded in the City of Malvern and is now within Stonnington, a metropolitan area of Melbourne.
John Munro Bruce was an Australian businessman. He was born in Ireland to Scottish parents and arrived in the colony of Victoria at the age of 18. He became the managing director and eventual majority shareholder in Paterson, Laing & Bruce, one of Melbourne's leading softgoods firms. He also held a number of civic positions, including as the founding club captain of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. His son Stanley Bruce became prime minister of Australia.
William Sangster, the Scottish-born nurseryman and garden designer played a major role in the establishment of substantial public and private gardens in the period of the early development of Melbourne, Australia. He was instrumental in introducing the picturesque style of landscape design to Melbourne and its environs.
