Original post 25 July 2020
It’s #OpenHouseMelbourne virtual weekend, lots to scroll through, I found the Governor Dessau’s husband Tony Howard doing a tour of #GoovernmentHouseMelbourne, where he repeats the often told story that the ballroom is bigger than that at #BuckinghamPalace (1856), which displeased Queen Vic, who said make it shorter, but too late it was already under construction. It IS longer – ours is 42×16.7m, hers 36.6×18 – but there’s no evidence she ever said anything.
Designed by #WilliamWardell as head of Public Works, and completed in 1876 the whole place is HUGE, and greatly under utilised I think, but a fine example of the restrained Italianate he was known for. It was originally mostly white, and redecorated in this blue scheme for the arrival of Lord & Lady Hopetoun in 1889, painted over in the 30s, and recreated in the 60s (at the same time as Victoriana was seen as old and tasteless and generally destroyed !).
Storey of Melbourne 