Rare Ballarat home on the market after 12-year restoration

“Gannerew” is a slice of Victorian architectural history. 

Circa 1883, it is one of three homes designed by Percy Oakden and Leonard Terry, whose architectural company Terry & Oakden (1874-1884) was closely associated with landmark structures in urban and regional Victoria.

Not a bad CV: They include the gothic revival English, Scottish & Australian Bank (now ANZ) in South Melbourne, the Melbourne Club, the APA Building (one of Melbourne’s first skyscrapers) and Grosvenor Chambers, a long-since-demolished CBD collection of artist studios and home to Alexander McCracken, the first VFL President.

According to the Collingwood Historical Society, the firm also designed the Collingwood buildings Floraston in Victoria Parade (1875) and St. Saviour’s Church (1874, 1879).

Upon Oakden’s death in 1917, the Argus reported: “He designed the Ballarat Town Hall, the Working Men's College, Queen's College, St. James's Buildings in William street, the Church of England Girls' Grammar School … the New Zealand Insurance Company offices, the music warehouse of Allan and Co., and a great many other public and private buildings.” 

Maybe, but probably not: Domestic properties were another matter, however, and the pair rarely put their minds to such tasks.

The five-bedroom, three-bathroom Gannerew was one of just three house commissions accepted by the firm in a decade. According to the current property listing, they undertook the work for prominent grain trader and merchant Charles Vaughan, Esq.

Several period features remain, such as an 1883 French crystal chandelier, original 1877 brass hardware and ornate ceiling roses. 

Many of the firm’s architectural designs were lost to fire, however plans for Gannerew survived and have been exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. 

Gannerew has undergone restoration over the last 12 years and is listed with a price guide of $3.9 - $4.2 million.