~ Curious Charlie ~

A 19th Century Mansion - Labassa @ Monday, December 21, 2015

Sunday 8th November

On November 8, the National Trust held an open day to show off previously unseen rooms, and after a year of being on our list of places to visit we were there. We even got a spot on a tour! Though it was crowded and so we didn't get all the pictures or info.

Built in the 19th century featuring opulent architecture with a French Renaissance (or Second Empire) style with Germanic and Hellenistic influences.

Today it has surprizingly largely intact deco, though things like the paint and rugs have faded over time. There's so much amazing detail from the fireplaces, walls to ceilings! There's even a scene of a boat at sea in one of the rooms.

"Built in 1862 and bought by the National Trust in 1980, the mansion housed 700 tenants until 2005 and was a microcosm for actors, artists and bohemians. "

Often we need statues holding up pillars, but why are they always ancient Greek looking women? Why don't we see guys?

The Veranda

The Tower

There was a cafe with a small menu with cheap prices, it reminds me of the church fete we went to when I was little, sort of like a bake sale where everything was cheap, a time before $3 macaroons. Indoor and outdoor seating, we sat outside, wow it's bright! But unlike most cafes there was no one smoking outside.

Finger Sandwiches - Scones & Flourless Orange Cake

I don't remember if jas ate that petal or not...

The Sitting Room. I see a lot of wedding dress ads being photographed here.

Starting as a thirty-five roomed mansion in the 1880s, 40 years later in 1920 it was converted into a 'flat' or rather 12. I have no idea what that is, but am told it's an English word for 'unit'. Think of it as an apartment building today, with many occpants including one under the stairs! No not Harry Potter. It thrived during the earlier years and then in the bohemien era of struggling artists in 1960-70 undoubtly featuring some special brownies, for artistic inspiration ;).

Still the same room, a left angle shaped one. Great light and wall detailing.

Over in the next room was another fireplace, but it featured a different pattern inside. See the two glass windows above the fireplace? They open up, so you could store things inside. Marshmallows perhaps?

The rug was as thin as a summer scarf! Bring worn down and practically embedded into the floor over time, much like a Target bag if you picked it up, I think it'd malt!

Across the hall was a dinning room, too many people to get a good picture of. But aren't those lace curtains beautiful? There's a fireplace in every room because the house was built a bit before gas heating came around. A place this grand, I'm surprised they didn't have a swimming pool.

The Grand Staircase

Looking Up. There's so many amazing painting on ceilings! You'd wonder how the painting was suspended from the ceiling to paint this. Nowadays we have scaffolding, but what about back then?

The cupboard under the stair is not for one who's scared of small spaces! A man once lived in here, it fits a double size bed and that's about it.

Back to big spacious rooms! To the right of the stairs, as in right next to the stairs, was a shower! It's no longer there but at some point it was, along with an outdoor toilet juttering out the side of the house!

This room was one of the room I'd be happy to live in. If you zoom out it's quite big. It was used as an Italian restaurant on an episode of 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'. I wasn't tall and flexible enough to get pictures of the ceiling, there's a scene of a boat at sea in one. Move back and look up left.

Next door was my favourite room. It was dark. I like dark. Dark wine ornate wallpaper that felt like felt, a Victorian pattern. There was a stage and stained glass windows, and to the right of the room was this window, just missing a window seat. It was too dark to get pictures of.

Upstairs there were sets of three: room, bathroom and kitchen. That's what each unit/flat consisted of. On the left is an example of a kitchen. The stove has been removed, and you can see where it used to be.

These long narrow rooms and hallways remind of me horror films, with floorboards that creak!

The Balcony

With a view like this they definitely needed a pool!

If you'd like to go on a tour they happen monthly. Go earlier on the day to secure a spot.

As a filming location it was the home of 'Squizzy Taylor', and an Italian restaurant on an episode of 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'. The actor who plays Squizzy also featured on an episode of Miss Fisher, the one filmed at Melb Uni.

Have you been to Labassa?