Richmond mansion shows charms and ghosts of a grander era

293 Church Street, Richmond
$5 million-plus
5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 4 car spacesExpressions of Interest closing at 5pm, on Tuesday March 22
Inspect from 2.00pm-2.30pm on Saturday
Jellis Craig, Elliot Gill, 0411 863 603

If you’ve ever dawdled behind a tram up Church Street, you’ll understand how you can become intimately acquainted with the glorious architecture on this Struggletown hill.

There’s the bluestone beauty of St Ignatius on one side, and across the road, that house. You know the one, it wouldn’t look out of place in a Friday night scary movie special.

But the stories of hauntings and notable residents – the ancestors of Eureka rebellion leader Peter Lalor lived here – while adding to the atmosphere, are just a part of the rich tale.

The house is a divine sort of time capsule: the exteriors with that sublime Italianate flourish, the interiors frozen in mid-20th century. Faded glory never had so perfect a manifest expression as here.

Beyond the luminous leadlight entry, the wide hall opens up to rooms of fine dimension on either side.

To the right, the old doctor’s rooms still has a separate side entrance with a blooming leadlight proclaiming ‘Surgery’ over the door. This room boasts a marble fireplace and the extra space of the old waiting room behind.

To the left of the entry hall, the two formal rooms of the house sit one behind the other. The sitting room has a lovely verandah view, and the dining room spreads out to the easterly edge with windows out to a covered area and pool.

If you head around to the south side of that big empty pool, a series of rooms project back to the east. A lounge room, kitchen and study are all functional, and although not in great repair, they demonstrate the potential of the huge footprint on offer.

Out the back, step down from the terrace and pool, with views to the east, to a backyard big enough for a very respectable game of cricket. Right at the rear is the workshop and a grassy spot to park your cars. Access is shared from Church Street along a lane that passes the neighbouring block of flats.

Back inside, go up the stair to level one, where another series of what would formerly have been servants’ rooms ranges off along the south side, tracked by a long balcony.

The front of this upstairs section boasts four principal bedrooms, all generous sizes, serviced by a suitably roomy bathroom.

The best part though, is stepping out onto that loggia, and stepping back in time. There might have been ghosts and there might be hard graft ahead, but imagine this place restored to its former glory. In the heart of Richmond, on the hill, it could be heaven.

Need to know: Built in 1888. Highest recorded house price for Richmond (last 12 months) $5.13 million for 207 Lennox Street in May 2015. Recent sales: $1.9 million for 10 Willis Street in February 2016; $1,072,000 for 54 Green Street in February 2016, and $965,000 for 86 Somerset Street in February 2016.

Room for improvement: How much time have you got? Look, there’s a power of modernising to do here, but the grand old dear deserves nothing less.