Historical information
Here are the key points from the document on Fortuna Villa and its grounds:
Music Room: Originally the main drawing room, featuring an ornate decorative ceiling and stained glass windows with musical inscriptions. The room was expanded in 1904, with earlier renovations enclosing an open colonnade in the 1890s.
Conservatory: Built in 1876 after Lansell's European trip, showcasing high-quality etched glass and Italian design.Features rare glasswork, including Ruby Flashed Seedless French Antique glass and acid-etched panels with mining, Australian, and heraldic motifs.
Reception Room: Served as the initial gathering space for guests, with a bay window added in 1875.Decorative elements like pressed metal ceilings, a cut glass skylight, and parquetry were likely added around 1895.
Staircase: Made of cedar and blackwood, added in 1888 to access a new third floor, and remodeled in 1907. Features an upper balcony intersecting a large stained leadlight window.
Bedrooms: Main bedrooms are located off a central passage, each with its own bathroom equipped with marble baths and cedar cabinetry.Pompeii
Fountain: Constructed in 1879 as a scale replica of the Great Fountain in Pompeii, inspired by Lansell's travels.Includes statues, water features, and a Roman column with a statue, considered unique in Australia and possibly worldwide.
Crushing Battery: A 30-head stamper battery built in 1874 for mining, attached to the villa's northern end.The chimney and machinery were removed in the 1940s, but the structure remains largely intact, now used as a printing press.
These points highlight the architectural, artistic, and historical significance of Fortuna Villa and its associated features.
Physical description
Fortuna Article - Handout Notes for a Tour, by the Australian Government Department of defence support group
This item contains the following document:
11217.61a A glossy coloured page A3 document of Fortuna lower floor and Ground Floor, which lists tha main points of the Villa and includes plans of the two floors.
Publication type
non-fiction
