This circa 1864 building began life as the Royal Mail Hotel, once served as shire office and post office, and is now a substantially renovated residence of considerable size. A cottage and a massive shed – used since 1982 to run a timber products manufacturing business – are also on the block of about 8985 square metres.
2983 Melbourne-Lancefield Road, Romsey, 3434
- Keatings Real Estate: 5427 2999
- Reserve price: $1.35 million
- Auction: December 2 at 11am
- Find out more about this property on Domain.com.au
Constructed of handmade bricks on bluestone foundations, the house has been re-floored with recycled boards from an Echuca hospital, has received new handcrafted sash windows and has had corbelled arches replaced or restored. Same for the deep skirts and the roses and cornices on ceilings rising to about four metres. Four fireplaces with mantels remain, one of which has a marble surround.
This incredible piece of history is crying out to be an art gallery, tea rooms, restaurant or function centre, STCA. One of the rooms, at about 90 square metres (that’s about 12 x 6 metres), is ideal for carving space from residential living.
In the hydronically heated house, four big bedrooms (three with fireplaces), plus a study, range along two of three intersecting hallways, as does the plumbed bathroom, incomplete save for a spectacular leadlight window crafted by a Tylden artist.
The kitchen is all timber – blackwood on benches – and has loads of storage with brass knobs, an enamel double sink with old brass taps, a cute pull-out bench, a Bosch dishwasher and Miele stainless-steel underbench oven and electric cooktop. The laundry piles on the atmosphere with recycled timber cabinetry – and lots of it.
A double-brick cottage – once a scullery – is a brick-paved breezeway’s width from the house. It has a bedroom, basic bathroom, living room and kitchenette. Handmade floor tiles in here ooze history – as do the shingles lining the pitched ceiling of the aforementioned shed.
A second old shed has bluestone flooring, there’s 60,000 litres of tank water and a bore has a pump. Re-wiring, re-plumbing and re-roofing are all done.
The property’s non-conforming existing use rights allows the council discretion to approve other non-conforming uses.
Let your imagination take flight …
