Lonsdale

LONSDALE

Near Kempton, Lonsdale rose from humble beginnings. Starting modestly, and then adding grandeur as prosperity allowed, seems to be a strong theme of many farming homesteads in the area.

This homestead started with what is now the back of the house – a Colonial Georgian stone and brick farmhouse built in 1823 – and transitions to a grander Victorian Georgian front, that was added in 1855. This property indicates the stories of the rising fortunes of pastoralists at the time.

Every part of this house tells a story: tales of skilled craftsmen and ways of living, with an historic bread oven a remnant of the ways of life of classic Australian settlers. The scattering of buildings surrounding the home show typical rural settlement patterns of the area.

The rear part of the homestead, composed of exposed stonework, stone windowsills, and heavy timber lintels, holds secrets of the original shingle roof this is still hiding under the newer, galvanised iron roof. The six-room symmetrical front addition showcases mid-nineteenth century construction methods, with pine dressed up to appear like mahogany, brick walls, small paned sash windows, timber panelled doors and beautiful slender posts, as well as layer-upon-layer of wallpaper.

A family home for more than 150 years, it is now the pride and joy of Alan Townsend, who – inspired by midnight revelations with a scraper and ladder – has gone from novice renovator to one of Tasmania’s leading specialists in historic wallpaper!

Alan has stabilised the building, opting to preserve its integrity, rather than ‘tart it up,’ so to speak! Lonsdale still holds secrets of its own, with many yet to be discovered.