The National Trust of Australia (Vic) welcomed the announcement that Rippon Lea House
and Gardens will receive $350,000 in Federal Government funding for a Roof Restoration and
Carbon Footprint Reduction Project.
Federal Heritage Minister, Tony Burke, announced the funding through the Your Community Heritage Grant Program.
Consisting of three innovative elements the project is geared towards marrying best practice
heritage conservation with environmentally sustainable measures in order to ensure a
responsible approach to the future of the site.
Chairman of the National Trust of Australia (Vic) Dr Graeme Blackman said the Trust is delighted
by such a significant funding commitment to this important heritage asset, which was
constructed in 1868 and was the subject of a groundswell of community support to save the site in the 1960s.“We thank the Federal Government for continuing to support heritage places and spaces,” Dr Blackman said. “Rippon Lea is a site of national significance and is listed on the National Heritage Register. “The grant has unlocked a further $350,000 of external matched funding thanks to the Andrews
Foundation bringing the total project allocation to $703,000 – a fantastic start to such a vast and
worthwhile project.
“The grant is one of the biggest ever given to Rippon Lea by the Federal Government and we are pleased that it will make a significant contribution to our aim of ensuring the building and gardens will continue to be enjoyed by locals and international visitors alike for generations to come.”
National Trust of Australia (Vic) CEO Martin Purslow said the three stages of the project will help to deliver Rippon Lea as an environmentally sustainable heritage site. “The first element of this project will see major restoration works to the roof. This will include
replacing the 1960’s Marseille pattern glazed terracotta roofing tiles with reproduction
terracotta shingles in keeping with the original design intent for the building. In undertaking the
roof tile replacement works major repairs will also be undertaken to the roof structure which
has significantly degraded in recent years, leaving Rippon Lea’s significant interior vulnerable to water ingress and damage.
“The second element will be to reinstate the site’s original water harvesting system which
represents one of Australia’s earliest, most complex and relatively intact examples of nineteenth century underground engineering works for the maintenance of a private garden. The infrastructure for the original water harvesting system still exists but is only partly operative. Its restoration will vastly improve the sustainable use of water in Rippon Lea’s six acres of gardens, and will also service the herb and vegetable gardens cultivated by Melbourne’s award winning
restaurant Attica.
“The third element of the project will see the installation of solar photovoltaic panels which will
greatly improve the environmental sustainability of the property and substantially reduce its
carbon footprint.”
