Heritage mansion a rare piece of Melbourne’s architectural past
A rare John Beswicke-designed mansion in Hawthorn East has hit the market for the first time in over 50 years.
2 min
Just over a dozen of John Beswicke’s residential designs remain today. So, when one of his unique heritage mansions resurfaces after more than half a century off the market, it’s enough to turn some history-lovers’ heads.
A rare piece of Melbourne’s architectural past is 13 Harcourt St, Hawthorn East—previously known as Tudor House or Hilton House—which is listed for the first time in 52 years with Davide Lettieri and Nikki McCarthy of Marshall White Boroondara.
Beswicke certainly influenced Melbourne’s built environment, designing hundreds of public and private buildings between the 1870s and 1915.
A prolific designer, he is credited with creating approximately 300 buildings, including more than 200 houses, 44 commercial buildings, 14 churches, 11 hotels, nine banks, and six town halls including prominent spaces such as, Brighton Town Hall, Malvern Town Hall, Essendon Town Hall, Dandenong Town Hall, and Hawthorn Town Hall.
He called Hawthorn home, specifically Harcourt St in Hawthorn East, where he and many of his family resided. Of the houses he designed in the coveted street, 14 still stand, including Rotha, his own home at 29 Harcourt St.
In March last year, number 35 made headlines when the impressive manor named Charlton set a new street record. The restored circa-1882 Hawthorn East home on 3422 sq m with Paul Bangay gardens was set to become the suburb’s first sale above $20 million, but only just missed the mark at $19,986,888.
Before that exchange, the previous benchmark for the street was $19.5m, set in 2022 with the sale of Ellerslie, a 3340sq m estate at 16 Harcourt St.
Today, the smaller but no less impressive residence at 13 Harcourt St, which is 2114 sq m and has a price guide of $13.25 million, is on the market.
Completed around 1875, the solid brick Victorian residence features a unique chateau-inspired facade and retains many of its period finishes by Beswicke.
The home is framed by lush private parkland gardens with a fountain, rolling lawns and a backyard pool.
Beyond the elegant castle-like exterior, there are voluminous interiors, including an impressive double-arched entrance hall featuring oak parquetry floors and leadlight windows. At the front of the floor plan sits a vast sitting room with a marble fireplace and a stately library with a gas fireplace and walls of bookshelves.
The showstopper is the grand former ballroom, now a combined living and dining area. It has a double-height timber-lined vaulted ceiling, yet another marble fireplace, and arched French doors opening out to the lush north-facing grounds.
The contemporary kitchen, which also spills out onto the yard, has stone bench tops, an integrated fridge/freezer, a meals area, and a hidden laundry.
On the ground floor a self-contained wing features a bedroom with ensuite and sitting area, ideal for a primary suite or guest quarters with direct access to the gardens.
On the first floor, three more bedrooms have built-in wardrobes. They share a full family-friendly bathroom and a balcony overlooking the large front lawn.
Outdoors, there is ample room for entertaining beside with a stone terrace and solar-heated pool.
Despite its 150-year-old status, the property also features many modern conveniences such as an alarm, ducted heating, reverse-cycle air-conditioners, irrigation, storage and multiple car spaces.
The Hawthorn East home is close to Auburn amenities and station, Burke Rd trams, sought-after schools, and Rathmines Reserve.
13 Harcourt St, Hawthorn East, is on the market via private sale with Marshall White Boroondara and has a price guide of $13.25 million.
For Central Element, the start of work at Pearl represents another step in the company’s growing eastern suburbs pipeline.
All three vehicles will form part of a broader charitable initiative benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the American Red Cross and Starlight Children’s Foundation
Completed in 2025 by Wolveridge Architects and S. Smith Builders, this extraordinary 51-acre Mornington Peninsula estate combines award-recognised architecture, genuine farming infrastructure and remarkable self-sufficiency.
4 min
A long, winding driveway beneath mature gums provides the first indication that The Farm is not a conventional Mornington Peninsula country property.
Rather than immediately revealing the residence, the approach follows the contours of the landscape, moving through established woodland before the house emerges in a secluded clearing at 515 Tucks Road, Shoreham.
Completed in 2025, the five-bedroom estate has now been listed through Buxton’s James Redfern and Holly Longmuir with expressions of interest and an indicative price range of $18 million to $19.8 million.
At the upper end of that guide, the property could establish a new residential record for Shoreham. The existing benchmark has been reported at $16.5 million.
Set across approximately 20.64 hectares—or about 51 acres—The Farm is a contemporary interpretation of the Australian rural homestead, designed by Wolveridge Architects and constructed by award-winning Mornington Peninsula builder S. Smith Builders.
The property’s vendors, builders Vicki and Steve Smith, reportedly acquired the land through Smith Investments Australia for $4.2 million in 2019. They moved into the completed home in April 2025 and are now selling as they prepare to relocate to Portsea.
A farmhouse reduced to two buildings
Rather than allowing the estate to develop as a scattered collection of rural structures, Wolveridge Architects consolidated its principal functions into two carefully positioned buildings: the main residence and a substantial farm shed.
The structures face a broad central forecourt and sit within a larger composition of native woodland, productive pasture and views towards Western Port Bay.
It is an approach informed by the way Australian farms traditionally evolve, but made more deliberate. Instead of accumulated sheds and outbuildings, the property presents as a resolved architectural precinct.
The principal residence spans approximately 638 square metres. Its defining feature is an inverted radial roofline supported by a visible grid of ironbark posts and beams.
The roof rises towards the tree canopy and open sky, lending an unexpected lightness to a house of considerable scale. Blackbutt cladding, extensive glazing and timber detailing further soften the relationship between the building and its surroundings.
Wolveridge Architects describes the property’s location as Bunurong country and credits Jerry Wolveridge, Laura Tindall and Jessica Corbett as members of the project team.
The Farm was shortlisted in the New House Over 200 Square Metres category of the 2026 Houses Awards and in the Living Space category of the 2026 INDE Awards. Its published architectural photography is by Jack Carlin.
Designed around the landscape
Throughout the house, long internal sightlines and carefully framed openings maintain a connection with the surrounding gums, paddocks and distant water.
The central living, dining and kitchen space sits beneath soaring timber-lined ceilings. A monumental fireplace formed from Dromana granite anchors the room, while a second wood-burning fireplace serves a more intimate living zone.
The kitchen combines stained Tasmanian oak cabinetry with Austral Dream Dolomite and Pilbara Green Dolomite surfaces. A suite of Swiss V-Zug appliances supports its practical role, while a temperature-controlled, timber-lined wine cellar provides a dedicated space for collectors.
Belgian French oak flooring, Swiss wool carpet, Eco Outdoor stone paving, brushed-nickel fittings and extensive custom joinery continue the natural, materially rich palette.
A sheltered internal courtyard introduces northern light into the centre of the floor plan. Conceived as a protected garden within the wider landscape, it provides an outdoor space removed from the property’s more exposed rural environment.
The architecture repeatedly shifts between those two conditions: the openness of a large rural holding and the security of carefully protected interior and courtyard spaces.
A resort within a working estate
The Farm’s lifestyle credentials extend well beyond its principal living areas.
A fully tiled 14-metre swimming pool and adjoining spa sit within landscaped surrounds, creating a private resort zone connected to multiple outdoor entertaining spaces.
The grounds include indigenous planting, native woodland and productive pasture, together with approximately 591 metres of frontage to Stony Creek.
A separate 216-square-metre farm shed, fencing, cattle infrastructure, water systems and multiple access points ensure the estate has genuine rural capability. This is not merely a large house styled to resemble a farm.
Technology has been integrated throughout the property via a Control4 system governing lighting, climate, security, gates, blinds, irrigation and pool functions. The house also includes hydronic heating, zoned reverse-cycle airconditioning, motorised window furnishings, monitored security, video intercom and Starlink connectivity.
Its sustainability infrastructure is similarly substantial. More than 235,000 litres of water storage is paired with a 70-panel, 30.8kWp solar system, Tesla Powerwall battery storage and electric-vehicle charging.
The result is a house capable of delivering the comfort and automation expected of a contemporary trophy residence while maintaining a high degree of self-sufficiency.
That balance may be The Farm’s greatest achievement. Despite its scale, luxury finishes and extensive technology, the residence does not attempt to overpower its setting.
Its architecture instead directs attention outwards—to the tree canopy, the cattle in the paddocks, Western Port Bay and the changing conditions of the surrounding landscape.
For buyers seeking a private Mornington Peninsula estate with architectural credibility and room for a genuine rural life, The Farm represents one of the region’s most compelling new offerings.
The Farm at a glance
- Address: 515 Tucks Road, Shoreham, Victoria
- Property type: Acreage/semi-rural estate
- Price guide: $18 million to $19.8 million
- Sale method: Expressions of interest
- Bedrooms: Five
- Bathrooms: Five
- Parking: Five cars
- Land: Approximately 20.64 hectares or 51 acres
- Residence: Approximately 638sqm
- Farm shed: Approximately 216sqm
- Architect: Wolveridge Architects
- Builder: S. Smith Builders
- Completed: 2025
- Pool: Fully tiled 14-metre pool with adjoining spa
- Creek frontage: Approximately 591 metres to Stony Creek
- Water storage: More than 235,000 litres
- Energy: 70-panel, 30.8kWp solar system with Tesla Powerwall storage
- Selling agents: James Redfern and Holly Longmuir, Buxton Mornington Peninsula–Flinders
- Listing: View the live property campaign
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