The Original Gasolier of the "Pug's Parlour" of Billilla Mansion - Halifax Street, Brighton, Melbourne

            As to be expected, the servants' quarters of Billilla are very plain and serviceable in comparison to the opulent décor of the family's part of the house.  Gone are the wallpapers and carpets, replaced by flagstone and plain wooden floors and cream and ochre painted walls or tiled dados.  Nevertheless, they were much better appointed than some other houses of the day.

The long servants hall is made light and airy by the provision of skylights that afford views of the towering house chimneys and the skies above.

All the servants' rooms were lit by gaslight, as were the family rooms.  The Weatherly's houskeeper's parlour, known below stairs as the "pugs' parlour" still features original ornate brass gasolier and wall sconces.  Although now electrified, they still feature their original gas valves.

Built in High Victorian style in 1878 for successful gold miner Robert Wright, Billilla mansion was originally a thirteen room mansion erected on seven and a half acres of land.  

When economic boom turned to bust in the 1880s, the property was purchased in 1888 by wealthy New South Wales pastoralist William Weatherly who named it Billilla after his land holdings and established a home there for his wife Jeannie and their children Violet, Gladys and Lionel.  

The house was substantially altered by architect Walter Richmond Butler in 1907, extending the house beyond its original thirteen rooms and adding the Art Nouveau façade seen today. 

After William Weatherly's death in 1914, his wife, who was much younger, remained living there until her own death in 1933.  She bequeathed the property to her daughter, Violet, who maintained the home with reduced staff until her own death in 1972.  

The property was purchased in 1973 by the Bayside  Council who subsequently used Billilla as a historical house with guided  tours, a wedding and events venue, a school and finally in 2009 as an artist's precinct in the property's outbuildings.  Billilla is a beautiful heritage property retaining many of its original features thanks to its long private ownership still incorporating a stately formal garden and the magnificent historic house. 

Billilla, at 26 Halifax Street, Brighton, is one of Melbourne’s few remaining significant homesteads, built on land which had originally been owned by Nicholas Were.  The house has a mixture of architectural styles, featuring a Victorian design with Art Nouveau features and has exquisite formal gardens, which retain much of their original Nineteenth Century layout.

Billilla retains many original Victorian elements and a number of outbuildings still stand to the rear of the property including the butler’s quarters, dairy, meat house, stable garden store and coach house.

Billilla was opened to the general public as part of the Melbourne Open House weekend 2022.

Billilla was used as a backdrop in the 1980 Australian Channel 10 miniseries adaptation of Sumner Locke Elliott's "Water Under the Bridge".  It was used at the Sydney harbourside home of Luigi, Honor and Carrie Mazzini.

Taken in: Australia / Victoria / North Brighton (show map)

Taken on: July 30, 2022

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, 7.2mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/3.2
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	7.2mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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