I’m so embarrassed that it’s taken ’til now for me to visit Rouse Hill House, and that it took an invitation from Sydney Living Museums to prompt me into action! But I’m afraid it is the case and I was delighted to have a stall on Sunday at SLM’s Autumn Harvest Festival, where there were talks and produce a-plenty for visitors to enjoy.
So after all the fun of the fair, where it was lovely to meet lots of new faces (and I wish I’d dug up my entire patch of Jerusalem artichokes instead of just the one big metal bucket!), I took myself on a little wander. My stall had a splendid view across the paddocks to the not-so-distant Blue Mountains, but I found some lovely trees with well gnarled trunks and roots lurking at the bottom of the garden.
As well as delightful verandah views, handsome roof lines, flagged stone floors and interesting hardware. A sucker for a shutter, Rouse Hill House has beauties and I always get excited about those aged brass clasps.
There were some magical nooks and crannies, pretty faded rose bricks, scallop paling gates and charming outbuildings….
and a splendid water tank on a high stand. My wider images don’t do it justice, so if these few snaps pique your interest, make a point of visiting when you can. I’m a longtime admirer of the work Sydney Living Museums do. Our historic buildings are important and require enormous input to maintain them, as well as their gardens and all-significant curtilage, especially as Sydney expands at such a rate of knots.
It was a fun day, glorious blue sky, sunshine and happy people – what a lovely way to spend the last weekend of autumn.