Historical information

Ordsall, renamed Southesk in the 20th century was built for John Halfey in or before 1865. The house was rebuilt in the 1870s to designs by architect Michael Hennessy. In 1882 the house was redecorated by the firm of Cullis Hill & Co., who hired the artists 'Mr Vandenbrandt' and 'Signor Rizzi" to paint the ceilings of the ballroom and the drawingroom. The artistic triumph was described in detail in The Argus, 30 October, 1882. In 1947, Southesk was purchased by the Kew City Council. For 23 years it was used as a meeting place for community groups. The house was then demolished in 1970 to make way for a new Town Hall.

Significance

The interiors of the two main reception rooms at Ordsall included some of the most outstanding domestic frescos painted in Australia in the late Victorian period. These frescos were executed by artists hired by the firm of Cullis Hill & Co. While a number of photographs were taken of the interiors prior to the house's demolition in 1970, this small fragment of the fresco is one of only three extant. The fresco allows conservators to examine and evaluate fresco techniques of the period.

Physical description

A fragment of the painted domed ceiling of the drawingroom of Ordsall (later renamed Southesk) which once stood at the corner of Cotham Road and Charles Street, Kew. This rectangular fragment of painted plaster is a small section of the rectangular frieze of neo-gothic scenes that were a feature of the drawingroom ceiling. The fragment differs from those remaining from the ballroom in that it includes a section of gold leaf.

Inscriptions & markings

Label: 'This is from "Southesk" drawing room'