The Art Nouveau Fireplace of Mr. Weatherly's Study at Billilla Mansion - Halifax Street, Brighton, Melbourne
As one of the first rooms accessed via the grand hallway, just adjunct to the original 1878 front door of the Billilla mansion, Mr. Weatherly's study was the room where he did business and saw businessmen.
Although part of the original 1878 house Mr. Weatherly's study was redecorated as part of the 1907 renovation, and as a result it features beautiful Art Nouveau detailing.
A very masculine oriented room, the walls feature a Victorian era dado running about a third of the way up the walls which has been redecorated with a hand stencilled stylised Art Nouveau frieze of deep red tulips against a taupe background. Above that the walls are simply painted in cream. Whilst Art Nouveau is often referred to as a feminine style, the dado panelling of Mr. Weatherly's study shows how when applied in a particular way it could also be very strong and masculine.
The room is heated by a large fireplace with an Arts and Crafts style wooden surround and overmantle with decorative inserts of Art Nouveau tiles of stylised roses.
Perhaps one of the most interesting features of Mr. Weatherly's study is what remains of an old, original early Twentieth Century telephone still hanging on the wall, just inside the door.
Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.
When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.
The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today.
After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933. She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.
The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings. Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house.
Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were. The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.
Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.
Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.
Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge". It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.
The Art Nouveau Fireplace of Mr. Weatherly's Study at Billilla Mansion - Halifax Street, Brighton, Melbourne
As one of the first rooms accessed via the grand hallway, just adjunct to the original 1878 front door of the Billilla mansion, Mr. Weatherly's study was the room where he did business and saw businessmen.
Although part of the original 1878 house Mr. Weatherly's study was redecorated as part of the 1907 renovation, and as a result it features beautiful Art Nouveau detailing.
A very masculine oriented room, the walls feature a Victorian era dado running about a third of the way up the walls which has been redecorated with a hand stencilled stylised Art Nouveau frieze of deep red tulips against a taupe background. Above that the walls are simply painted in cream. Whilst Art Nouveau is often referred to as a feminine style, the dado panelling of Mr. Weatherly's study shows how when applied in a particular way it could also be very strong and masculine.
The room is heated by a large fireplace with an Arts and Crafts style wooden surround and overmantle with decorative inserts of Art Nouveau tiles of stylised roses.
Perhaps one of the most interesting features of Mr. Weatherly's study is what remains of an old, original early Twentieth Century telephone still hanging on the wall, just inside the door.
Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.
When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.
The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today.
After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933. She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.
The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings. Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house.
Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were. The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.
Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.
Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.
Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge". It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.