HO13 - Lynuilg Homestead
477-569 Bensons Road TOOLERN VALE, Melton Shire
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Statement of Significance
Lynuilg Homestead, 477-569 Benson Road, Toolern Vale, c.1916, is significant as a moderately intact late nineteenth and early twentieth century farm complex in a rural, landscaped setting. The homestead includes a retrospective Late Victorian styled main house, gabled underground tank, water tank and timber stand, rear hipped timber outbuilding, rare surviving draughthorse stabling and altered shearing shed. The mature Canary Island palms and other exotic trees and plantings contribute to the landscaped setting. Lynuilg is in a rich farming area, which may originally have been used for grape growing. It represents one of very few surviving early twentieth century farm complexes in the Melton Shire featuring a small collection of intact farm buildings. The main house also represents one of a small number of surviving Late Victorian styled timber homestead dwellings.
Lynuilg homestead, at 477-569 Benson Road, is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level (AHC D.2). Although altered and extended, the main house still demonstrates some original design qualities of a retrospective Late Victorian style. These qualities include the long hipped roof form and the encircling verandah. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the single storey height, horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding, corrugated sheet metal roof cladding, face brick chimneys with multi-corbelled tops, narrow eaves, and the timber framed double hung windows. The gable roof form and construction of the nearby underground tank, hipped roof form and construction of the rear outbuilding, gable form and construction of the rare surviving draughthorse stabling, water tank and timber log stand, remnant milking/shearing shed structure and the landscaped setting (mature Canary date palms, main house garden and nearby conifers) also contribute to the aesthetic and architectural significance of the place.
Lynuilg homestead at 477-569 Benson Road, is historically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC A4, B2, H1). It is associated with the old, well-known, and locally prominent Kitson, Cameron and Hunt families. In particular, the property has associations with Samuel Kitson, the first farmer to introduce back delivery reaping machines in the neighbourhood and a first-prize winner for wheat in the exhibition at Crystal Palace, London, in the 1850s. It is rich farming land, and may originally have been associated with grape growing, and it is the only place remaining in the Shire associated with the 'Novel Industry' provisions of the 1862 Land Act, used for wine grape growing in this area. The underground tank with gabled roof is a good illustration of a form of nineteenth and early twentieth century water storage technology in the Shire.
Overall, Lynuilg homestead at 477-569 Benson Road is of LOCAL significance.-
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HO13 - Lynuilg Homestead - Physical Description 1
Physical Description -
Lynuilg Homestead, 477-569 Benson Road, Toolern Vale, has a rural setting on the rise of the hill. It consists of the main timber house with a house garden setting to one side and a complex of outbuildings and structures set further up the sloping ground.
The garden is especially characterised by the two Canary date palm trees (Phoenix canariensis) at the front and the open grassed and perimeter shrubbery, including an Illawarra flame tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) and two large red flowering trees on left hand side (possibly South African). Shelter belt planting includes a row of mature Cypress trees, a pine (Pinus radiata)
The single storey, horizontal timber weatherboard, retrospective Late Victorian styled main house is characterised by a long hipped roof form and an encircling verandah. These roof forms are clad in galvanised corrugated steel. Two early face brick chimneys with multi-corbelled tops, typical of Federation era design, adorn the roofline. Narrow overhangs are features of the eaves. Another early feature of the design are the timber framed double hung windows.
The main house has experienced some alterations and additions. The verandah has been enclosed at two ends, forming two rooms with external horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding and timber framed four paned windows. The square timber verandah posts have been introduced (replacing earlier posts) and the house and verandah have recent roof cladding (including laser light cladding).
Immediately behind the main house is a large underground tank, presumably without a domed cover. It has a gabled roof clad in galvanised corrugated steel and horizontal timber weatherboard gable infill. The corrugated steel roof has been replaced quite recently. A small vertical timber boarded door is situated at one end.
Beside the underground tank is an early round galvanised corrugated steel header tank on a timber log stand. The owner advises that this was demolished in 2003.
A small distance from the house is a modestly scaled Victorian vernacular styled outbuilding. It has a hipped roof clad in galvanised corrugated steel, horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding and timber framed multi-paned windows. This outbuilding is in poor condition with substantial deterioration to the wall cladding.
A particular feature of the homestead is the former draughthorse stables. A rare surviving example of this type of stabling, the Victorian vernacular styled building has a simple gable roof form clad in lapped galvanised corrugated steel and horizontal timber weatherboard wall cladding in very poor condition. There are two bays of stables identified in the vertical timber doors with early hinges and the diagonal timber ventilators above. Another bay is denoted by the single vertical timber boarded door. Double timber doors are located at the side.
A further distance away is the former milking shed that was subsequently converted into a shearing shed. It has a skillion roof form with galvanised corrugated steel roof and wall cladding with timber stud frame and a collapsed stone base to one side. At one end of the structure is an elevated simple gable structure.
HO13 - Lynuilg Homestead - Historical Australian Themes
Shire of Melton Historical Themes: 'Farming'
HO13 - Lynuilg Homestead - Integrity
Integrity -
Main House - Moderately intact.
Farm Complex - Substantially intact.
HO13 - Lynuilg Homestead - Physical Conditions
Physical Condition -
Main House - Good.
Rear outbuildings - Poor.
Heritage Study and Grading
Melton - Shire of Melton Heritage Study phase 2
Author: David Maloney, David Rowe, Pamela Jellie, Sera Jane Peters
Year: 2007
Grading:
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