The Duncan Family
Charles Smith and his sister Margaret Williamson, descendants of Isabella Smith of Ben Nevis Bulleen, have donated three oil paintings to Schramm's Cottage. They show the parents of Isabella Smith, Mrs Isabella Duncan, her husband, Alexander Duncan and her grandfather Mr. Roland Ramsay.These large portraits were painted in Scotland and brought out by the Duncans when they came to Bulleen in 1839. They hung in their small wattle and daube hut on the banks of Koonung Creek.
Front of 'Ben Nevis', corner of Thompsons and Bulleen Roads, Bulleen, showing the extensive use of lacework around the verandahs and polychrome brickwork. There are three men, two women and two dogs on the lawn. The elderly gentleman is probably George Smith who had the house built about 1890. The elderly lady seated next to him is probably his wife, formerly Miss Duncan, a daughter of Alexander Duncan, one of the earliest settlers in the area. The house is now in Ben Nevis Court, Bulleen. DP0394
1990 09 DTHS Newsletter
Ben Nevis - 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove, Bulleen
George Smith, a noted early settler of the Bulleen area, built Ben Nevis in 1890.He purchased the land from three gentlemen: William Clarke,
Joseph Clarke and Patric McCaughan, directors of the Chatsworth Estate Company. Before George Smith actually settled in the area, it was leased to David Murray by Robert Campbell.
It is believed that George Smith first settled in the vicinity of the present Camberwell Municipal Golf Course.
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| BEN NEVIS FROM BULLEEN ROAD IN 1940: Where the cows are grazing is now the car park for the Sentimental Bloke Hotel. Behind the large tree in the centre is a chicory kiln. Chicory was grown on the river flats. |
George Smith came out from Inverness, Scotland, in 1853/54 at the age of 24. He purchased land alongside the Duncan family and later married one of the Duncan girls. He became a dairy farmer and was quite successful. In 1881, George took first prize with his cheese at the Melbourne Exhibition.
In 1857, his parents, John and Elizabeth and his brothers Tom, David, John. James and Joseph came to Templestowe. All of them are buried in the Templestowe Cemetery under the Presbyterian denomination.
The Smith family had a major role in the development of both the Templestowe and Bulleen area. Apart from being a well-known dairy farmer, his brother Joseph was a councillor for Templestowe from 1883 to 1895. Others were involved with the Cemetery trust. David was a trustee from 1877 to 1893. Tom was a trustee from 1894 to 1912. There is an avenue within the cemetery dedicated to the Smith family in appreciation and commemoration of their involvement.
The house was built in 1890. It is named ·after the mountain "Ben Nevis" in Scotland for it is built on the highest point of the land, to avoid the flooding that often occurred on the river flats.
Mr and Mrs T S White were the second owners of Ben Nevis. They purchased it in 1939 and sold it last year. During their forty year ownership of the grand old house many alterations carried out.
The house was built of brick with an interplay of distinctive tones, but is now completely painted white. The verandah which used to extend around the front and side originally consisted of wooden flooring, ornate cast iron work, and an iron roof. The timber floor had rotted and the railings were loose so the verandahs have been removed leaving a concrete paved terrace.
Many alterations can be seen in the interior of the house. The rear has been adapted to suit a modern style of living. A large mess room, once used by the workers on the farm, was divided to give a rear staircase, sunroom and laundry. A more convenient kitchen and comfortable dining room was built.
Originally the only bedroom downstairs was a servant’s room. All the family bedrooms were upstairs. When Mr. and Mrs. White purchased the house they transformed the extra sitting areas downstairs into extra bedrooms.
Two major alterations were required within the 'house. There was no electricity and the windows were very small. When electricity was acquired, simple light fittings were hung from the ornate rose ceilings. With the small windows, the house seemed very dark and gloomy. This was quite common with houses built at that time. The Whites put in new windows. Most were floor length settings.
Other minor alterations included the marble fireplaces. Only one of the original is left. The others have been closed off for practical reasons and one has been remodeled.
Another major alteration over the years was the land size. The land has been dramatically divided.
This was only to be expected due to the development of Bulleen as a suburb. The original land extended for some 200 acres whereas now the land size is around one acre.
Present day occupants of the original lease include Marcellin College, Carey Grammar, a municipal golf course, recreation parks and the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
Another point of interest was that the driveway from the house used to extend right down to Thompsons Road through an avenue of gum trees. When the land was subdivided in 1965, it had to be shortened to Ben Nevis Grove.
The house itself was a mostly furnished in antiques purchased by and also given to Mr. and Mrs. White over the years. They greatly enhanced the grandeur of the house.
The building is under its third owner and without doubt there will be more changes in the years to come. Ben Nevis has been a prominent landmark in the area and has contributed to the history and development of Bulleen.
Mary Kuliveovski writing in 1980 02 DTHS Newsletter
Ben Nevis - 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove, Bulleen
Of local historical significance for its associations with George Smith and his early farming enterprise in the district.
Victorian Heritage Database: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/22354
Ben Nevis - 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove, Bulleen - Google Street View
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| GoogleStreetView Feb2014 |
Ben Nevis - 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove, Bulleen
Ben Nevis' is a large, detached, double-storey house with rendered walls and a slate roof. The verandah (front elevation) is enclosed within projecting walls and has cast iron lacework decoration on both levels. An old photograph of the building [1] shows that formerly the verandah extended at least around the left hand side of the building, if not around the entire house. The underlying brickwork is polychromatic. There are two symmetrically placed bay windows on the ground floor of the front elevation. There is a porch on the left hand side of the building which is a later addition.
There have been some external renovations including some new windows, a new cast-iron fence, which retails the old gate and pillars and the rendering itself.
'Ben Nevis', a large, detached, double-storey house with rendered walls and a slate roof, was built c.1890 for George Smith 1890 [2]. George Smith was the first of his family to emigrate from Scotland in 1853/4. He was joined by his parents and five brothers in 1857 and the family became major dairy farmers in the region. Originally the farmland extending around the house covered approximately 200 acres (now it is about one acre).
In 1939 the property was sold by the Smith family to the Whites, in whose ownership it was to remain for the next forty years and who carried out most of the present alterations.
SOURCES
[1] Hazel Poulter, 'Templestowe a Folk History', 1985, p.27.
[2] Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society Newsletter February 1980.
Condition: Excellent
Integrity: Intact
Associations: George Smith. Of local historical significance for its associations with George Smith and his early farming enterprise in the district.
c.1890
Local Themes: 5.01 - Squatters, selectors & small farmer
Manningham Heritage Study Context Pty. Ltd. Page 5-6
Ben Nevis and the Smith Family
The land which is now Westerfolds Park was originally part of the Unwin Special Survey, and later (1863-1936) a large dairy farm be- longing to the Smith family, called "Holyrood Park". Other places associated with this large farming family include "Ben Nevis". In 1973 the parkland was purchased by the State Government for use as public open space(1).1. Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society Newsletter, March 1985.
From City of Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study 1991 Richard Peterson OCR.pdf
http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/file/26126/download
"Ben Nevis" . 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove Bulleen (129.09)
"Ben Nevis", a large, detached, double-storey house with rendered walls and a slate roof, was built for George Smith in 1890 (1). The verandah (front elevation) is enclosed within projecting walls and has cast iron lacework decoration on both levels. An old photograph of the building2 shows that formerly the verandah extended at least around the left hand side of the building, if not around the entire house. The underlying brickwork is polychromatic. There are two symmetrically placed bay windows on the ground floor of the front elevation. There is a porch on the left hand side of the building which is a later addition. There have been some external renovations including some new windows, a new cast-iron fence, which retains the old gate and pillars and the rendering itself.George Smith was the first of his family to emigrate from Scotland in 1853/4. He was joined by his parents and fIve brothers in 1857 and the family became major dairy farmers in the region. Originally the farmland extending around the house covered approximately 200 acres (now it is about one acre).
In 1939 the property was sold by the Smith family to the Whites, in whose ownership it was to remain for the next forty years and who carried out most of the present alterations.
Of local historical significance for its associations with George Smith and his early farming enterprise in the district.
1. Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society Newsletter February 1980.
2. Hazel Poulter - Templestowe & Folk History 1985. p. 27.
From City of Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study 1991 Richard Peterson OCR.pdf
http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/file/26126/download
Ben Nevis 21-25 Ben Nevis Grove, Bulleen.
This property has a long association with major district dairy farmers. George Smith Sen., the first owner of Ben Nevis, occupied a farm on 60 acres on Bulleen Road in the late 1880s. This farm was owned by Robert Campbell and Co.(28), who were responsible for the 1850s Carlton Estate farm subdivision of Unwins Special Survey. This covered most of the present day Bulleen(29). A house occupied by Smith was recorded on the Bulleen farm in the early 1890s.(30) This 1894 house was later identified as Ben Nevis.The Ben Nevis property covered 200 acres in the 1895 Shire of Templestowe rate book. The property was still owned and occupied by George Smith.(31) A substantial house was recorded there during this decade. The valuation on Smith's house and land increased from 365 pounds to 465 pounds between 1896 and 1897.(32)
In 1938, the Ben Nevis property was transferred from John, Thomas and Robert Smith, dairymen, to Thomas Stewart, George Samuel and Daniel White, Kew dairymen, trading as M. J. White and Sons. At this time, Ben Nevis was described as house and sheds on 299 acres of land between Bulleen and Thompson Roads.(33) A recent MMBW Property Sewerage Plan shows alterations made to the large double-story house by the White family during their ownership.(34)
Of local historical significance for its associations from the 1890s with early district dairy farmer, George Smith Sen., and from the 1930s with the White family of Kew, dairymen.
(29) Parish of Bulleen, 1906; Plan of the Farm Subdivision of the Carlton Estate, R.G.Bagot, c.1850.
(30) Shire of Bulleen RB 1894 Templestowe Riding No.134 (Then owned by the Chatsworth Estate Co., a land company owned by the land boomer, James Munro).
(31) Shire of Bulleen RB 1895 Templestowe Riding No.132.
(32) Shire of Bulleen RB 1897 Templestowe Riding No.135.
(33) Shire of Doncaster and Templestowe RB 1938-39 Templestowe Riding Nos. 834,835 and 836.
(34) MMBW Property Sewerage Plan No. 554648, 1 May 1977- 18 Aug.1982.
Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study - Additional Historical Research Pg11
http://images.heritage.vic.gov.au/attachment/3868
Ben Nevis
This lovely old home was built in 1890 by George Smith, a member of a notable Templestowe and Bulleen family in the late nineteenth century.George had arrived from Inverness, Scotland in 1853-54 as a young man.. He purchased land near the Duncan family in Bulleen, later marrying one of the daughters of Alexander Duncan. Possibly George Smith had first settled near the present Camberwell Golf Links, but later, bought the land from William Clarke, Joseph Clarke, and Patric McCaughan, directors of the Chatsworth Estate Company.
He became a most successful dairy farmer in the area and urged other members of his family to emigrate from Scotland. The Smith brothers, Tom, David, John, James, and Joseph played an important role in many aspects of the developing Shire of Bulleen, proclaimed on 7th May 1875.
Ben Nevis, built by George Smith in 1890. Standing on the hill above the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
Named after "Ben Nevis", the tallest mountain in Scotland, the home stands on the highest point of the Smith land, to avoid the flooding which frequently occurred when the Yarra River broke its banks.
The house was a typical Victorian style of stately proportions with verandas extending around the front and side.
These were originally built with wooden floors, ornate cast iron lace and an iron roof. Due to deterioration and loose railings the verandas were demolished and the terraces paved with concrete. In the 1980's, the verandah with its cast iron lace has been replaced.
The interior has seen some alteration. Many homesteads in the nineteenth century, were the focal point of a farm and were used not only by the family in residence, but by farm workers. "Ben Nevis" had a large mess room on the ground floor once used by farm labourers for eating and there was a downstairs bedroom for a servant.
Alterations have included a functional kitchen, adjacent dining room with a sun room and laundry which makes the house more suitable for modem living.
As the only bedrooms for the family were upstairs, the new owners, converted downstairs sitting areas into extra bedrooms.
The small windows, typical of many homes built in the 1890"s did not fit in with the modem desire for airiness and light, so new windows have been added. Many of these are floor to ceiling style, to combat the dark interiors.
Ben Nevis, built by George Smith in 1890. Standing on the hill above the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
As "Ben Nevis" was not connected to electricity, modem alterations have included attractive light fittings, hung from the original ornate rose mouldings.
Marble fireplaces were closed off and some were remodelled to suit modern tastes. As time has passed, the original 200 acres has been reduced to about one acre. Land which was originally part of the farm estate is now occupied by Marcellin College, Carey Grammar, a golf course, parks and the Sentimental Bloke Hotel.
"Ben Nevis" still stands in a prominent place on the hillside and remains a neighbourhood landmark, taking its place among the grand homes of Bulleen.
Source: Bulleen - A Short History (1991). By Judith Leaney. Illustrated by Irvine Green
Mrs Isabella Duncan wife of Alexander Duncan, in the front garden of her wattle and daub house near the intersection of Bulleen Road and Thompsons Road at Bulleen. Alexander and Isabella settled in Bulleen in or about the year 1847 and leased one of the farms on the Carlton Estate. DP0664
Deaths - DUNCAN
On the 13th October, at her residence, Bulleen, Isabel, relict of the late Alexander Duncan, formerly of Melrose, Scotland, only daughter of the late James Ramsay, Southbridge, Edinburgh, the dearly loved mother of Willie, John, and Kate Duncan, and Mrs. George Smith, Bulleen, aged 88 years and 4 months. By special request, no flowers.1902 'Family Notices', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 15 October, p. 1. , viewed 22 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9080802
On the 13th inst. a very old colonist, Mrs. Isabel Duncan, of Bulleen, died at the age of 88 years. She arrived in Victoria in November, 1839, with her husband, the late Mr. Alexander Duncan, who died some 45 years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan lived for some time in a tent at Gardiner's Creek, and afterwards settled at Bulleen, beyond Kew. The first Presbyterian congregation in that district used to meet in Mr Duncan's barn, where the pews were boards supported by bags of grain; the pulpit desk was a churn covered by a tablecloth; and the baptismal font was a china basin. There was a monthly service, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Forbes, who was the first Presbyterian minister resident in Melbourne. Of Mrs. Duncan's large family there survive two daughters, Mrs. George Smith and Miss Kate Duncan, of Bulleen, and two sons, Mr. William Duncan, who is in New South Wales, and Mr. John Duncan, of Clifton Hill. There are also 26 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
1902 'DEATH OF AN OLD COLONIST.', Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW : 1896 - 1938), 31 October, p. 29. , viewed 22 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article100614896
Obituary - Mrs Isabel Duncan
And [sic] old and well-beloved resident of the Bulleen district passed away on the 13th October, Mrs Isabel Duncan, who had been a widow upwards of 45 years. She and her husband, the late Mr Alex. Duncan, who was for several years in partnership with Mr Robert Laidlaw, of " Springbank," Heidelberg, arrived in Victoria in November 1839, by the ship, " Palmyra." They moved out to Gardiner's Creek, where their residence was a tent, and subsequently settled in Bulleen. As a girl Mrs Duncan (Isabel Ramsey) lived at Melrose and had many pleasurable recollections of the old Abbey, which were revived for her after 60 years by the gift of a book of views of Melrose Abbey brought to her by the Rev D. Fraser after his last trip to Britain. In the early forties the Rev Mr Forbes, who had come to Melbourne in January 1839, held Presbyterian Church service in Mr Duncan's barn among rural surroundings, the pulpit being the space behind a large churn covered with the best tablecloth, and the pews improvised of boards supported on bags filled with grain. A precious family relic was a basin of fine china from which Mrs Duncan had been baptized in infancy, and this formed the font in the barn church. Mrs Duncan had entered on her 89th year when she died, but her eyesight was excellent to the last. Great numbers of caps, socks and cushions were made by her and her daughter and sent off to the soldiers fighting in South Africa. She leaves behind the memory of what a consistent Christian life should be and her children have cause to bless her memory. Those of her family who survive are Mrs George Smith and Miss Kate Duncan of Bulleen, Mr Wm. Duncan of N.S.W., and Mr John Duncan of Clifton Hill, also 26 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.1902 'OBITUARY.', Evelyn Observer and Bourke East Record (Vic. : 1902 - 1917), 31 October, p. 1. (MORNING.), viewed 22 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60623870
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