Everything about Stonnington Mansion totally explained
Stonnington Mansion (also known as Stonington Mansion or House) is a private residence and former
Government House located in the
Melbourne suburb of
Malvern. The house was built for
John Wagner, a partner in
Cobb and Co coaches.
Wagner purchased the property in 1886, and built the house in
1890. The house was designed in the
Italian Renaissance style by
architect Charles D'Ebro. The house was named for the birthplace of Wagner's wife, Mary, in
Stonington, Connecticut,
USA. Wagner and his family lived in the house until his death in
1901.
At the
Federation of Australia in 1901 Melbourne became the location of government, and
Government House, Melbourne became the home of the
Governor General. Stonnington Mansion was acquired by the
Victorian Government as a home for the
Governor of Victoria. The house was maintained as Victoria's Government House until 1931. During that time the house hosted many famous guests, including
Nellie Melba, the Duke and Duchess of York (
King George VI and
Queen Elizabeth), the Prince of Wales (
Edward VIII),
Lord and Lady Baden-Powell,
Lord Kitchener, Sir
John Monash,
Keith Murdoch, and
Ernest Shackleton.
In 1925 Christopher Rous, the nine-year-old son of the then Governor the
Earl of Stradbroke, died of
leukaemia in the house and was buried in the grounds. His
ghost is reputed to still haunt the house.
In 1931 the house was taken over by
St Margaret's School, which occupied the site until 1938. It then became an aftercare centre for
polio patients and was used by the Australian
Red Cross during
World War 2. The Health Department then occupied the site between 1953 and 1957.
In 1957 the property became the campus for the Toorak Teachers College, then the State College Toorak in 1973 and finally the Toorak campus of Victoria College in
1981. Stonnington became a campus of
Deakin University in 1992 when Victoria College merged with that university. By 2006 the campus became surplus to Deakin University's requirements, and was placed up for sale. This created a protest from local residents, who believed the property should be retained by a government body. The property was sold for $18 million, and is being restored as a private residence.
In June 2007, businessman and former President of the Liberal Party in Victoria,
Michael Kroger, announced that he and other Australian businessmen, a group dubbed the "Melbourne Lodgers", would examine properties in
Melbourne for the
Prime Minister of Australia to use as a residence while in that city. Kroger stated that Stonnington Mansion was the most sought-after residence on that list.
Stonnington Mansion gave its name to the
City of Stonnington, a Melbourne municipality.
Further Information
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