Original post 6 December 2017
Finally reading that rather famous book #PowerWithoutGlory, about the notorious #JohnWren, who started the (in)famous ‘Tote’ in Collingwood in the 1890s, and kept it going against police raids and Acts of Parliament and wowser campaigns for 14 years, through bribery and threats if the book is at all accurate. Anyway, he was rich enough by 1902 to buy this house only a mile away across the river off #StudleyParkRoad in Kew, called Studley House. First built in 1859, added to in 1875 (possibly getting the columned verandah), then Wren added a whole new wing in 1919 in matching style – the more complicated part closest to the road (I’d often wondered). His wife was there till 1966 (!), and it was then bought and donated to the Catholic Church (Wrens wife was a devout Catholic though seems she didn’t give it to them), and they turned it into the Xavier junior school, which it still is today – and hence it has most of its entire grounds, one of the few in Melb to do so. Raheen across the street is actually another, more on that later.
Next door is a Melbourne Mansion that I didn’t know existed ! Originally called Waverley, and later Studley Hall, in Studley Park Road, now part of the Xavier junior school Burke Hall. Built first in the 1850s, then expanded to this size in 1872, and from 1900 home to “Elise Pinschoff, renowned singer and wife of Count Carl Ludwig Pinschoff, consul for Austria-Hungary”. When WW1 started, the Pinschoffs were suddenly ‘Bosch’ and moved away. In 1920 it was bought by Thomas Burke and gifted to the Catholic Church, becoming the Xavier junior school named in his honour. So all the grounds were kept intact and in 1966 combined with Studley House next door. The cute Gothic Chapel was added in 1926. And at some point that terrace supported on arches was greatly enlarged. Photos from the internet.
Storey of Melbourne 