| House | $558,300  |
| Land | $296,600  |
Surrounding suburbs
| Inverleigh | $1,124,000  |
| Lethbridge | $818,000 |
| Meredith | $766,600 |
| Teesdale | $926,700 |
| Neighbour Photos |
| Map | Street view | Nearby property price |
| Planning History: |
| Registered as Victorian heritage |
| Last updated on - June 29, 2009 What is Significant? The Presbyterian Manse, Shelford is located on a hill overlooking the township, the Leigh River valley and Golf Hill, the estate of its patron, the great squatter and manager of the Clyde Company, George Russell. He had already built the Presbyterian church at the gate to Golf Hill in 1859. Russell was one of the most prominent Presbyterians in Victoria and formally resigned from the Board of Management only two years before he died at Golf Hill in 1886, aged 76. Archibald Simpson was the first occupant. As an indication of his ability, his gifts of leadership, and the outstanding success of his ministry in the Leigh Charge, he was appointed Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. He finished as Minister at Shelford in 1882 and, in 1883, died aged 67. He was superseded by Rev. Alexander Stewart, another Scot. The dwelling has been continuously occupied as a Presbyterian manse ever since. The dwelling was designed by the leading Geelong architects, Davidson and Henderson. With their direct family connections, they benefited in particular from the extensive patronage of the Scottish Presbyterian squatters of the Western District. The partnership went on to design many significant buildings including other churches and grand homesteads, commissions gained mostly through their Presbyterian connections. The asymmetrical single-storey house is a suitably modest but well-built example of their oeuvre. It is built in the typical bluestone of the area with carefully crafted details in the masonry. The verandah is built with cast iron brackets they designed. The interiors are sparsely decorated and, to some extent stripped of their decoration. However, the house remains intact with a fair degree of integrity and in excellent condition. It is supported by a mature garden and importantly extensive planting of conifers to create a park like setting. How is it Significant? The Presbyterian Manse, Shelford is of historical, social and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. Why is it Significant? The Presbyterian Manse, Shelford is of historical significance for its direct and continuing association with the Presbyterian Church, the dominant pioneering religious denomination in the Western District and for its direct association with Archibald Simpson, Moderator of the General Assembly and George Russell one of the most powerful Presbyterians in colonial Victoria. It is of social significance as one of the clearest examples of outright patronage which is reinforced by its siting and setting, using the landscape to see and be seen and to be linked with its patron. It is of architectural significance as an appropriately modest but excellent example of the work of Scottish Presbyterian architects, Davidson and Henderson. |
| 26 May 2018 |
| 2 lot subdivision (boundary re-alignment) in accordance with the plans submitted. |
| (Source: , reference no: ) |
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