Jump to content

Delgany, Portsea

Coordinates: 38°19′21″S 144°42′33″E / 38.322609°S 144.709227°E / -38.322609; 144.709227
From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
For other uses, see Delgany.

Delgany
[mapframe not available on SimWiki]
Interactive map of the Delgany area
Alternative names
  • Delgany Castle
  • Delgany Portsea
EtymologyDelgany, County Wicklow, Ireland
General information
StatusCompleted
Type
Architectural style
Eclectic
Location3809–3819 Point Nepean Road, Portsea, Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates38°19′21″S 144°42′33″E / 38.322609°S 144.709227°E / -38.322609; 144.709227
Year built1923–1925
Completed
1925; 101 years ago (1925)
Renovated1953; 1968; 2007
ClientHarold, Laura, and Leila Armytage
Technical details
Material
Grounds3.5 ha (8.6 acres)
Design and construction
ArchitectHarold Desbrowe-Annear
Renovating team
Renovating firmMcGauran Giannini Soon (2007)
Other designers
  • Stephen Akehurst (2007)
  • Allom Lovell (2007)
  • John Patrick (2007)
  • Tract Consultants (2007)
Website
delganyportsea.com.au
(as a residential estate)
Official name
Delgany
TypeRegistered place
Designated11 March 2004
Reference no.H2058
HO207
Categories
  • Residential buildings (private)
  • Education
Official name
Delgany Castle
TypeDefunct register
Designatedundated
Reference no.103011

Delgany, also known as Delgany Castle, is a former house, now luxury residential estate, known as Delgany Portsea, located at 3809–3819 Point Nepean Road in Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula, in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.

Built in 1925 on the traditional lands of the Bunurong people, the house was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 11 March 2004 in recognition of its historical and architectural significance;[1] and was also added to non-statutory lists by the Victorian branch of the National Trust in November 1993[2] and the now defunct Register of the National Estate on an unknown date.[3]

History

Some of Melbourne's established families constructed many large country houses on the Mornington Peninsula as semi-rural retreats. Delgany in its prominent location, was intended to be one of the grandest of these.

à Becket family

The land on the Delgany property was first alienated in 1872 in a package of 27 hectares (67 acres) by Henry Morgan Murphy. Jurist Sir Thomas à Beckett purchased a section of Murphy's holding and built the first house known as Delgany, prior to 1821.[4][5] This name was derived from Delgany, a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The house was described as 'low-spreading', 'a snug house, sweetly attractive'.[3]

Armytage family

George Armytage, an engineer from Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, arrived in colonial Sydney in 1815 and moved to Van Diemen's Land the following year. In 1817, he established a 202-hectare (500-acre) pastoral run at Bagdad, that he doubled in ensuing years, grazing sheep. He also established pastoral runs in the Western District of colonial Victoria, centred on Geelong.[6] Two of his seven sons were Charles Henry and Frederick William, who further developed the family's land holdings in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Van Diemen's Land; and they became pioneers in the development of the frozen meat export industry in the colonies.[7][8] In 1863, Charles and his wife, Caroline, purchased Como, for £18,000, set on 22 hectares (54 acres) on the south bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne, where they raised ten children.[9][10]

The Armytage family took summer holiday breaks on the Mornington Peninsula from at least the early 1920s.[5][11][12][13]

In c. 1923, three of Charles and Caroline's children – Harold Augustus, Laura and Leila – purchased land in Portsea and consulted with Harold Desbrowe-Annear, a well-known Melbourne architect, to assist with their plans. The Armytage family built the original house of Delgany in 1925; with additions made by subsequent owners in 1953 and 1968.[1][3] Nine months after Delgany was completed, Harold, who was unmarried, died at the Mount Sturgeon Homestead, one of the Armytage family properties.[14] Delgany passed to his sisters who remained at Delgany until the early 1940s.[3][15][16][17][18]

Harold Armytage was attributed with the following description of Delgany in 1927:[19]

"I am Delgany — The Castle on the Hill — the most beautiful spot on the most favoured Peninsula in Australia. Here, the hot north winds of summer are tempered to coolness as they cross the bay. Within half an hour of sunset a southern breeze invariably blows and soothes all night till dawn. In winter months the average temperature is ten degrees warmer than in Melbourne and in summer fifteen degrees cooler. This is indeed a blessed spot."

— Harold Armytage, 1927 (attrib.)

In the same year, in the March edition of The Australian Home Beautiful, Delgany was featured as "…the most imposing residence on Port Phillip Bay…".[3]

In addition to Delgany and Como – the latter purchased by the Victorian branch of the National Trust in 1959 – other houses, estates, and properties established or owned by the Armytage family include the initial cottage at Bagdad, The Hermitage – now part of the Geelong Grammar School – other similar homesteads near Geelong (Elcho, Wooloomanata, and Windermere), the bluestone Ingleby Homestead, near Winchelsea and other similar homesteads nearby (Wormbete and Turkeith), Mount Sturgeon Homestead on the Wannon River, Fulham Homestead, and Congbool[a] on the Glenelg River.[6][20][21]

Requisitioned from the Misses Armytage by the Australian Government during World War II for use by the Australian Red Cross, Delgany was used as the 62 Australian Camp Hospital (62 ACH),[b] a convalescent hospital for the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC), from 1942 to 1946,[23][24][25][26] later converted to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital while still in the ownership of the Armytage sisters.[3]

Subsequent ownership

School for the deaf

In 1947 Delgany was sold to the Dominican Sisters who converted the house to St Mary’s School for the Deaf[c] with on-site dormitory facilities. The school for the deaf opened on February 1948 with 38 students[29] and catered for boys aged 3-10 and girls aged 3-16, all of whom had hearing difficulties. In 1985, St Mary’s school relocated to Wantirna South and was renamed St Mary's School for Children with Impaired Hearing, and continues to operate as St Mary's College for the Deaf for primary and secondary school students, owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Melbourne.[30][31] The Dominican Sisters sold Delgany in 1985;[27] and during their occupancy, they made several alterations to Delgany, including the additions of two new wings that were completed in 1953 and 1968 in sympathetic limestone construction, to the south west of the main house. Other alterations include the conversion of the drawing room to a chapel and kitchen; and the garage into classrooms.[1][3] Whilst Delgany never fell into disrepair,[32] after the Sisters' occupancy, it was in need of work.[33]

Luxury hotel and restaurant

Following further internal development, it opened in 1988 as the Delgany Country House Hotel, a Peppers luxury country retreat and restaurant.[1] In 1990, Delgany was again listed for sale as a hotel/restaurant going concern, with expectations of A$10 to $15 million.[34]

Luxury residential estate

In August 2004,[35] the luxury hotel site was sold for A$10 million to a syndicate, led by GRC Buxton, who aimed to redevelop Delgany into a luxury housing and apartment complex. McGauran Giannini Soon were appointed as architects and the redevelopment was completed in 2007. The 3.5-hectare (9-acre) estate, including the Delgany house and adjacent grounds, was subdivided into 33 lots for redevelopment of luxury houses and apartments – 18 of which were within the old castle of Delgany, nine luxury two-storey townhouses and six detached larger homes within the grounds,[36][37] ranging in size from 120 to 300 square metres (1,300 to 3,200 sq ft).[38] Most of the apartments were sold between 2006 and 2008, prior to completion.[33] The developer sold the remaining units during 2010.[39] The development includes an underground carpark, gymnasium, and in-ground swimming pool facilities.[40] Known listings on Armytage Drive include:

# Description Within house Area Listed price
(million)		 Year listed Notes
m2 sqft
1 A castellated two-storey three-bedroom apartment Yes 325 3,500 $3.9–$4.25 2020 [41][32]
4 Single-storey, three-bedroom apartment Yes $2–2.2 2023 [42][43]
8 Single-storey, three-bedroom apartment Yes $3.6–$3.96 2021 [44][40]
11 Single storey, three-bedroom apartment Yes 214 2,300 $1.29 2010 [39]
14 Single storey, three-bedroom apartment Yes 288 3,100 $1.65–$1.75 2020 [45]
18 Three-bedroom apartment with large terrace Yes 176 1,890 $1.15 2010 [39]
20 Two-storey, three-bedroom unit with terrace No 253 2,720 $1.4 2010 [39]

Description

Delgany is a large limestone building with prominent castellated parapets and towers incorporating an eclectic mix of Gothic and Medieval elements, designed by Desbrowe-Annear who was strongly influenced by the design philosophy of John Ruskin and the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of Desbrowe-Annear's works in South Yarra and Toorak demonstrate his interest in North American vernacular architecture and Spanish Mission Revival styles. Delgany is set in an expansive and largely informal landscaped setting.[1][3]

The main building complex is situated in an elevated position at the south end of the property with panoramic views over the surrounding landscape and coastal area. The entrance to the site is off the Nepean Highway (also known as Point Nepean Road) where a serpentine drive leads to the building through a treed landscape. Originally the main entrance was a little further to the west; however, this was moved in the mid-1950s to its current location. To facilitate this change a new section of driveway and the tear drop shaped turning circle were also built. The tear shaped turning circle replaced the original driveway layout, which with the garage formed an integral unit, as the garage was designed for the drive to pass through it. It is unclear where the current gates and gate post came from but is thought that they may have been the gates to a large house built on the site during the 1880s by Sir Thomas à Beckett.[1]

It was originally intended to build Delgany in local limestone, but scarce resources eventuated in Mount Gambier limestone being used. The à Beckett house was demolished by Armytage in the process of redevelopment, and some of limestone from the original building was incorporated into the garage and possibly parts of the main house[3]

The exterior of the 1925 building is an eclectic mix of elements including Tudor castellation, an Italianate loggia with terrace, Voysean buttresses and a tower. This eclecticism is augmented by the addition a number of Annear's signature details including sliding sash windows recessed into the wall space and a distinct chimney design.[3] The external walls are unusually thick, with 17-centimetre (6.7 in) deep limestone at the exterior, with approximately 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in reinforced concrete in the centre, with 17-centimetre (6.7 in) thick concrete bricks for the internal walls.[3] The 1953 and 1968 wings are faced in limestone and match the castellated style of the original structure. While not of any particular architectural merit in themselves, the later components come together with the original building to form a largely coherent whole.[1] The main entrance is now located to the side and rear of the older building, where it joins one of the later wing additions. The verandah has been enclosed with Neo-Georgian style arched windows, creating one of the dining rooms.[3]

The interiors of all sections of the main building have been altered, although the 1925 wing retains some of its original plan form and principal spaces. The renovations have involved the conversion of many of the nuns offices on the ground floor, and quarters on the upper levels. Most of the ceilings have been lowered to accommodate serVices and there are new wall and floor surfaces. The dumb waiter is still intact, as is the original main staircase. The fireplace surrounds are copies, reduced somewhat in size.[3]

The 1925 garage is a key element of the original Desbrowe Annear design, and retains a formal relationship to the main house.[1] The former garage, which is believed to be constructed of local limestone, rather than the Mount Gambier[d] limestone of the main house, has been converted to a special function room. During the reconstruction of the interior in the late 1980s, seaweed was also discovered as a form of insulation in the walls.[3]

The Delgany landscape also provided a largely informal and naturalistic setting for the buildings, with a park-like surrounds featuring numerous Moonah interplanted with scattered pines and conifers. The immediate setting for the hotel, however, which was established after 1988, is considered to be uncharacteristically formal and ornamental.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Sometimes spelled as Kongbool.
  2. ↑ The Victorian Heritage Register,[1] the (defunct) Register for the National Estate,[3] and Virtual War Memorial Australia[22] state that Delgany was 62 ACH; yet the Australian War Memorial image collection states that Delgany was 58 ACH.
  3. ↑ Other recorded names for the school were Portsea School for Deaf Children and St Mary's Home for the Deaf and Dumb.[27][28]
  4. ↑ Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Geelong" limestone in sources.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "Delgany, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2058, Heritage Overlay HO207". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Delgany (NTA-V list: Property No B5416)". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 "Delgany Castle (Place ID 103011)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. n.d. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "SOCIAL NOTES". The Australasian. Vol. CX, no. 2, 857. Victoria, Australia. 1 January 1921. p. 32. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brown, P. L. (2006) [1966]. "Armytage, George (1795–1862)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 1. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Hone, J. Ann (2006) [1969]. "Armytage, Charles Henry (1824–1876)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 3. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Hone, J. Ann (2006) [1969]. "Armytage, Frederick William (1838–1912)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 3. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Como House and the Armytage Family". Victorian Collections. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Fox, Adrea (n.d.). "Essay – The Armytage Family of Como". Victorian Collections. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Enjoying the Sea Breezes at Portsea". The Herald. No. 14545. Melbourne. 28 December 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "At Portsea". The Herald. No. 14, 573. Melbourne. 30 January 1924. p. 12. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Women Wise & Whimsical". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 410. Victoria, Australia. 4 January 1924. p. 22. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "Obituary: H. A. Armytage" (PDF). The Pastoral Review. 16 October 1926. p. 903. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via Obituaries Australia.
  14. ↑ "Social". Table Talk. No. 3237. Victoria, Australia. 22 May 1930. p. 52. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "How Members Scored In Golf Club Games". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 3206. Victoria, Australia. 26 December 1932. p. 35. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  16. ↑ "SUMMER VISITORS AT PORTSEA AND SORRENTO HOMES". The Sun News-pictorial. No. 5385. Victoria, Australia. 26 December 1939. p. 26. Retrieved 15 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "The history of Delgany Portsea". Delgany Portsea. 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Advertising". The Australian Jewish News. Vol. 61, no. 53. Victoria, Australia. 15 September 1995. p. 16 (Good Living). Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "Ingleby Homestead". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Farmland, Forest & Surf: Environmental History" (PDF). Surf Coast Shire. n.d. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  21. ↑ Larkin, Steve (21 July 2026). "Camp Hospitals - Australia WW2". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Australian Army in Australia During WWII". Ozatwar.com. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  23. ↑ The Staff of the 58th Camp Hospital (black and white photograph). Australian War Memorial. Portsea, Victoria, Australia. 1 September 1944. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Service Personnel Relaxing in the Sun on the Northern Balcony of the 58th Camp Hospital (black and white photograph). Australian War Memorial. Portsea, Victoria, Australia. 1 September 1944. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  25. ↑ The Ambulance and Drivers of the 58th Camp Hospital (black and white photograph). Australian War Memorial. Portsea, Victoria, Australia. 1 September 1944. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  26. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "St Mary's School for the Deaf". FindandConnect.gov.au. 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  27. ↑ St. Mary's Home For The Deaf & Dumb, Portsea, Vic (black and white photograph). Rose Stereograph Co. c. 1954. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via State Library of Victoria.
  28. ↑ "ST. MARY'S SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, "DELGANY," PORTSEA". Advocate. Vol. LXXXI, no. 4870. Victoria, Australia. 25 November 1948. p. 21. Retrieved 16 August 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  29. ↑ "Our history". St Mary's College for the Deaf. 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "St Mary's College for the Deaf, Wantirna South". Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  31. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Landy, Samantha (17 June 2020). "Delgany Estate: Portsea property that looks like a castle for sale". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via RealEstate.com.au.
  32. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Cornell, Andrew (10 February 2006). "Now home really can be your castle". Financial Review. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Fabian, Garry (19 January 1990). "Business & Property Peninsula's Golden Mile". The Australian Jewish News. Vol. 56, no. 15. Victoria, Australia. p. 31. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ↑ Phillips, Mark (9 June 2007). "Old Delgany challenges developer". Financial Review. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "Delgany redevelopment". GRC Buxton. 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  36. ↑ Townsend, Katherine (16 October 2017) [19 October 2015]. "Property: Large apartment for sale is part of historic Armytage Portsea castle". Domain.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  37. ↑ "Project: Delgany Estate" (includes interior and exterior images of converted and new residences). MGS Architects. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  38. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Pallisco, Marc (15 September 2010). "Delgany apartments for sale". RealEstateSource.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  39. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Getaways: Delgany Retreat". Kay & Burton. 2026. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  40. ↑ Pallisco, Marc (10 June 2010). "Graeme Watson offers prominent Portsea holiday home". RealEstateSource.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  41. ↑ Power, Emily (3 August 2025). "Apartment listed for $2m-plus in medieval castle on the Mornington Peninsula". Domain.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  42. ↑ Holgate, Emily (22 August 2023). "Portsea: Exclusive home in Delgany Estate Portsea castle up for sale". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via RealEstate.com.au.
  43. ↑ Karras, Christina (9 April 2021). "Anthony Podesta: Entrepreneur lists inside Portsea's Delgany 'castle'". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via RealEstate.com.au.
  44. ↑ Mizzi, Krystal (24 March 2020). "Delgany Estate: Gated castle living in the heart of Portsea for sale". Herald-Sun. Retrieved 12 August 2026 – via RealEstate.com.au.
Retrieved from "https://tilcayo.cat/w/index.php?title=Delgany,_Portsea&oldid=99534"
This page contains text imported from the English Wikipedia (source revision 1370485227). Its authors are credited under CC BY-SA 4.0: see the attribution record.