A conservator's masterpiece
The Age
Saturday July 25, 2009
CONSERVATION expert Tam Peirce is sad to leave his Mount Macedon home, Terramia, built as a tribute to the skills of a bygone era.Mr Peirce is moving to England, where his two children now live.The specialist building conservator has lived in the area for 28 years and has helped restore Melbourne landmarks such as Como House, Rippon Lea and the Polly Woodside.Mr Peirce used his skills to design and build the stately Georgian revival-style house in 1994. He is asking $2.5 million for the property, which sits on two hectares."Terramia is a family home and now the children have moved out it is time for another family to enjoy it," he says.The house was built with many recycled materials, including jarrah beams from Princes Pier, jarrah floors from an armament factory, cedar doors from an old Queenslander and 100-year-old locks.The fireplace, based on a design by Benjamin Franklin and Count Romford, is composed of 6000 bricks the same as an average brick veneer house.The two-storey, five-bedroom brick, timber and adobe home is 55 kilometres from the city and 35 minutes' drive to Melbourne Airport. There's also a 22-square studio-barn workshop that could be converted to a bed and breakfast retreat.The house is for private sale by John Keating of Keatings Real Estate in Woodend.
© 2009 The Age
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