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4.0 Understanding the Place—Garden, Landscape, Curtilage
4.1 Blundells Cottage, Garden and Surrounding Landscape
4.1.1 Surrounding Landscape
Blundells Cottage is no longer located in a setting of agricultural land. The landscape in which the cottage was originally located included (at various times) large paddocks for both animal grazing and lucerne production. Blundells Cottage, as a smallholding farm, also had a variety of outbuildings and sheds for machinery, tools and livestock; fences, an orchard and vegetable plot both to serve the family and provide income from sale of surplus produce. Large haystacks were also a feature of the river flat paddocks. However, none of this Duntroon Estate and early Federal Capital pastoral or agricultural landscape remains. The Molonglo River itself has been replaced by the artificially created Lake Burley Griffin, the original roads and tracks subsumed.
The cottage is now set within the surrounding landscape of an urban park, Kings Park, established in the late 1950s/early 1960s with major changes in land level from earth works to develop the lake, the addition of the arterial roadway of Parkes Way and minor access road of Wendouree Drive and associated car park. Kings Park has significant plantings from its creation by Richard Clough and there are more recent plantings associated with the RG Menzies walk along the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin. The landscape design for Kings Park aimed to create a landscape scheme to recall the open spaces of rural—not pastoral—Australia.[1]
4.1.2 Cottage Gardens
The immediate surrounds of the cottage date from the twentieth century with some trees planted by the Oldfield family, and gardens and some trees planted by the CDHS from 1963 onwards. Landscaping of paths and fencing established by the CDHS, NCA and its predecessors are also present. There are no landscape elements known from the Ginn or Blundell’s period of occupation of the cottage.
When the cottage was passed onto the CDHS in 1964 it was set in a largely bare landscape apart from some remnant trees planted during the Oldfield period of residence—Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) at the north of the cottage; Roman cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Stricta’) at the east of the cottage and some young self-sewn saplings of deciduous species (Figures 1.2, 4.1 and 4.2). There were no remains of the once productive vegetable garden or orchard which had served the cottage families over the years. The exact location of all but the latest Oldfield garden are unknown.
Figure 4.1 Western façade of Oldfield’s Cottage (1961)—Himalayan cypress at the front and otherwise no garden and only self sewn saplings. (Source: NAA A1200, L39979) / Figure 4.2 Northern façade of Blundells Cottage (1963) showing both Himalayan and Roman cypress but no surrounding garden. (Source: ACT Heritage Library 008310)When the CDHS opened up the cottage as a folk museum they set about establishing what they considered a suitable surrounding landscape. The garden seems to have been primarily designed by Mary Griffiths who set out her rationale for plant selection in the CDHS newsletter in April 1972[2]. None of the plants used had a direct and known relationship to the Blundells Cottage site. Although some had been described in historic writings in other Australian gardens, some were considered to be basic components of any cottage garden and others chosen for aesthetic reasons.
Blundells Cottage Front North and West Garden
The front garden is a conjectural recreation of a cottage garden. It is dominated by large Himalayan cypress trees believed to have been planted by Alice Oldfield (Figures 1.2, 4.3, and 4.4). The trees are a significant landmark but have grown to overhang the cottage roof. There are also some Roman cypress trees to the west which are not associated with the Oldfield period of occupancy. Garden beds have been established and planted with a variety of cottage garden plants collected from both historic gardens in the region (when planted by the CDHS) and commercial nurseries (more recent plantings by government contractors). Some of the plants from the earlier CDHS plantings have spread and taken over from less hardy species and the garden is now largely succulents and other hardy plants such as Geraniums (Pelagonium varieties), Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) and Spanish bayonet (Yucca baccata) (Figure 4.6). Paving has been introduced by both the CDHS and government for its serviceability without regard to historical precedent. A randomly coursed path established in the 1960s leads from the main road approach (Figure 4.3) and a picket fence was installed around the cottage where no such feature previously existed (Figures 4.4 and 4.5). Further randomly coursed paths were installed from the car parking area on Wendouree Drive to the front of the cottage at later dates.
Figure 4.3 Steps and randomly coursed path install in 1967. The Himalayan cypress trees near the front verahdah. (Source: NAA A1200, L62458) / Figure 4.4 NAA white painted picket fence enclosing front and side gardens. (Source: NAA A1200, L50573_1965)Figure 4.5 View toward northern facade showing picket fence, front cottage garden and security light. (Source: GML 2013) / Figure 4.6 Overgrown cottage garden under Himalayan cypress trees. (Source: GML 2013)
Blundells Cottage East Garden
This garden area is now enclosed by a white painted picket fence (Figures 4.4 and 4.5) and its main features are Roman cypress trees believed to have been planted by Alice Oldfield in the 1930s (Figures 4.7). Various other overgrown herbaceous plants are also present. There is new red brick paving from 1992.[3] A poison cart is displayed within the garden in reference to past agricultural practice (Figure 4.8). All of these plantings and landscaping elements post-date the transfer of the cottage to the CDHS.
Figure 4.7 Roman cypress trees in east garden. (Source: GML 2013) / Figure 4.8 Poison cart and red brick paving in east garden. (Source: GML 2013)Blundells Cottage South Garden
This garden area at the back of the cottage is enclosed by a white picket fence and has recent red brick paving to the area adjacent to the slab shed. (Figures 4.9 and 4.10) This courtyard area contains the whaling pot, ship’s tank, a rustic wooden bench and the water tank on its stand. There are some plantings of cottage garden plants and herbs and some flowers and flowering shrubs on the outside of the picket fence. All of these plantings and landscaping elements post-date the transfer of the cottage to the CDHS.
Figure 4.9 White Flag Iris planted outside the back garden picket fence. A typical homestead cottage garden plant. (Source: GML 2013) / Figure 4.10 The back (south) garden courtyard paved with red brick. Historic artefacts of a whaling pot and ships tank. Modern wooden bench. (Source: GML 2013)Blundells Cottage Orchard
An orchard area of assorted fruit trees is located to the east of the cottage outside the boundary of the picket fence. It is believed that these trees were planted by the CDHS as none are evident in historic photographs just prior to the handover of the cottage to the society (Figure 4.11), although one plum may be a remnant of previous plantings or be a self-sewn plant.[4] The only tree of known origin is an olive tree taken from a cutting on a Shumack property in Weetangera.[5] Other trees include mulberry, loquat, walnut and almond. The trees all require horticultural attention to be brought into fruitful production.
Figure 4.11 East side of Blundells Cottage in 1961. No orchard or vegetable garden in evidence. The original vegetable patch would have been located closer to the river as a source of water. (Source: NCPA Pictorial File NCDC No. 363/3)
Blundells Cottage Floodlighting
The cottage has large floodlights established in its garden areas. (Figure 4.5) These were installed in 1969 and are important for their security function.[6] They also illuminate the aesthetic values of the cottage at night when it is lit up.
Condition of the Blundells Cottage Gardens
The gardens are all maintained but generally becoming overgrown with more aggressive plant species having overrun the variety of plant material which was itemised in the 1994 CMP.[7] Some plant varieties such as the white iris are still identifiable as typical of old homestead gardens. Other plant varieties are clearly modern garden centre cultivars (‘bigger, better varieties’ rather than smaller traditional forms) which are out of place in the historic area.
Paving is generally in good condition, although the professionally built randomly coursed is very uneven in parts and mortar joints have been eroded, especially in the path to the back south garden. The CDHS built paving is also uneven in places with loss of mortar or lifting stones where there has never been mortar bedding. The brick paving between the Cottage and the Slab Shed is also uneven, and areas of brickwork have started to lift up.
The cypress trees are very large and now pose risks to the built fabric of the cottage, both in maintenance requirements which are currently not being met (there is water penetration of the buildings from gutters and downpipes blocked by leaves); and in the potential risks which may emanate from fire or storm events.
4.2 Defining a Management Curtilage
Blundells Cottage is located on Wendouree Drive on the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin within the Canberra National Triangle (Figure 1.1).
The cottage is located on a slope, just below the major arterial road of Parkes Way, north of the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. A minor access road, Wendouree Drive, passes under Parkes Way and curves around the western and southern sides of the cottage. A new office building for Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Commonwealth offices is located on the opposite side of Parkes Way. It is monumental in size and overlooks the whole site. Both the busy Parkes Way and this office building reflect the character of inner city development which contrasts with the rural pastoral heritage history of the cottage.
Wendouree Drive winds around the southwest of the cottage with curved modern stone retaining walls defining the sides of the western slope. A modern randomly coursed stone path also winds around the cottage from its northern approach to the southern back entrance and Wendouree drive. A modern white painted picket fence encloses the immediate area around the cottage and its slab shed.
The house is surrounded by gardens planted by the CDHS in the 1960s to the east and north. There are several large trees to the east and southwest of the house and also to the north. More recent park plantings of smaller trees form groves to the west and there is a remnant of a replanted orchard (established by the CDHS) to the immediate east of the cottage and slab shed.
The cottage in 2013 presents as a relic of the pastoral past now set in a municipal park in the centre of the National Capital. Its historic setting and associated outbuildings are not represented.
4.2.1 Important Views
There are some important views to and from Blundells Cottage (Figure 4.12). From the cottage the views of Lake Burley Griffin and the High Court, and the National Library of Australia from the cottage are important points of contrast to the size and historical form of the cottage. The views of the monumental and glass fronted ASIO building across Parkes Way are intrusive. The views of the landscape setting of the cottage have altered dramatically since the late 1950s and 1960s when the last vestiges of a rural pastoral setting were destroyed with the establishment of Lake Burley Griffin. This evolution from remote pastoral holding to National Capital continues apace and proposed developments along the nearby Constitution Avenue—part of the Griffin Legacy vision—which accentuates the loss of the rural hinterland associated with the cottage when it was a home and place of work rather than a museum.
Figure 4.12 The important views to and from Blundells Cottage.
Most of the views of the cottage are filtered or now obscured by the surrounding trees which have developed greatly since the 1960s. The view of the cottage from the recently installed R G Menzies walkway around the edge of the lake is hindered by the cypress trees to the southwest of the cottage and various orchard trees to the southeast. It is difficult to view the cottage from Parkes Way due to the large cypress trees to the east and large trees to the north of the house.
4.2.2 Setting, Boundary and Curtilage
The immediate extent of Blundells Cottage is currently (2013) defined by later structures such as the 1960s road layout of Wendouree Drive and Parkes Way, the edge of Lake Burley Griffin and NCDC landscaping and plantings of Kings Park. The heritage curtilage of Blundells Cottage is currently also ill-defined and roughly conforms to the physical edges imposed by introduced roads and adjacent landscaping walls. The setting of a heritage structure, site or area is defined as the immediate and extended environment that is part of, or contributes to, its significance and distinctive character.
The Setting of a Heritage Place
In undertaking this HMP for Blundells Cottage, particular consideration has been given to the meaning of ‘setting’ as one of the components of its heritage value.