TMA BOOKS Power House or White Elephant? Bishopscourt Melbourne - Official on the shoulders of the bishop's wife. a wide range of those in need in finding themselves married to the former glory. They showed conclu• Residence and Family Home, by This is a study of the work of the society, for women and children, for Archbishop of Melbourne. The dio• sively that not just the house but Elizabeth Rushen (Mosaic Press 2013 bishops' and archbishops' wives orphans and the unemployed, for cese has been wonderfully served the house and garden together are a $49-9S) who have lived at Bishopscourt and newly arrived immigrant women, by a group of outstanding women unique and irreplaceable 19th cen• willingly and unassumingly han• and most notably for impover• who have given unstintingly of tury estate in the city of Melbourne* reviewed by David Woods dled the many sided demands of ished pregnant women for whom their time and talents to the church of major historical, rehgious, social their position. As Dr Rushen states, she co-founded what became the they have served and the society in and aesthetic importance, and that HEN BISHOPSCOURT 'For each of these women, one of Royal Women's Hospital, of which which they lived. the site should be preserved as was our family home for the greatest challenges has been she remained its President until her As each era approached its con• a whole for the benefit of future 20 years the question as balancing their public duties and departure. She set the bar high for clusion the issue of the future of generations. to whether the house was a price• their private lives, creating a family future bishops' wives and created Bishopscourt reared its head in the Archbishop Philip and Mrs Joy less national icon or a bastion of home in a residence which is essen• an expectation in the community diocesan offices and deliberations Freier have committed themselves privilege did not unduly concern tially a public building'. When the that the bishop's wife would play a of finance committees. The cost wholeheartedly to continuing the me. The family got on with their Governor or the Lord Mayor 'gives' leading philanthropic role tradition of hospitality at lives and I as a student and young a reception or a dinner they or their in society, regardless of her Bishopscourt, have wel• teacher nonchalantly enjoyed the wives are unlikely to have planned inclinations, her previous comed many individuals spacious house and grounds and the menu, done the shopping and experience or the demands BISHOPSCOCIf and groups of all kinds to the permanence and security of cooking and served the food them• of her family which would the house, have held 'open the home that was ours for so long. selves. The archbishop has long frequently conflict with house' and 'open garden' We were not greatly interested in since ceased to have anything like public duties. The book weekends and have reaf• its history, but frankly nor was that kind of staff support, although could well be subtitled firmed the value of the anyone else. The word 'heritage' living in Bishopscourt creates the 'Official Residence versus property to the whole* was hardly known in the '50s and expectation that that kind of hos• Family Home'. community. Anyone who '60s and many fine old buildings has visited on those occa• were being brutally demolished sions must be struck by with little public concern. Only in the beauty of the garden later years have I come to reflect on and the peaceful ambi• the rather unusual circumstances 'The book could well be ence of the whole estate of our family life and begun to and would be horrified realise the extraordinary position subtitled 'Official Residence by its disappearance. that Bishopscourt holds in the life Joy Freier especially has of the Anglican Church, the city of versus Family Home'." inspired the creation of Melbourne and the State of Victoria. this book, assembled the Dr Elizabeth Rushen has produced necessary committee who a comprehensive exposition of the have enlisted the backing subject in her landmark study of pitality will be provided. The panel In their own style, each of the East Melbourne Bishopscourt and its social history, of bells which used to ring in the family determined how Historical Society, raised and it is now possible for us all to kitchen no longer summon a bevy the house was used and the funds and commis• understand some of the complexi• of willing servants. I well remember reflected the social and church of maintaining the building was sioned Dr Rushen to write a social ties of the role of Bishopscourt and my father coming in from work and customs of the time. The majority alarming and many arguments history of Bishopscourt. The depth the experience of living in it. hastily getting out the sherry and of episcopates lasted 10 - 15 years, were aired from decade to decade and extent of the author's research She unfolds a panorama of looking for some biscuits that were so each regime was an era in itself about the feasibility of selling it are exceptional, her style is fluen^ i L, iiiivc wel• teacher nonchalantly enjoyed the wives are unlikely to have planned inclinations, her previous comed many individuals spacious house and grounds and the menu, done the shopping and experience or the demands isiiopsc^orR T and groups of all kinds to the permanence and security of cooking and served the food them• of her family which would the house, have held 'open the home that was ours for so long. selves. The archbishop has long frequently conflict with house" and 'open garden' We were not greatly interested in since ceased to have anything like public duties. The book weekends and have reaf• its history, but frankly nor was that kind of staff support, although could well be subtitled firmed the value of the anyone else. The word 'heritage' living in Bishopscourt creates the 'Official Residence versus property to the whole'* was hardly known in the '50s and expectation that that kind of hos- Family Home'. community. Anyone who '60s and many fine old buildings has visited on those occa• were being brutally demolished sions must be struck by with little public concern. Only in the beauty of the garden later years have I come to reflect on and the peaceful ambi• the rather unusual circumstances "The book could well be ence of the whole estate of our family life and begun to and would be horrified realise the extraordinary position subtitled 'Official Residence by its disappearance. that Bishopscourt holds in the life versus Family Home'." Joy Freier especially has of the Anglican Church, the city of inspired the creation of Melbourne and the State of Victoria. this book, assembled the Dr Elizabeth Rushen has produced necessary committee who a comprehensive exposition of the have enlisted the backing subject in her landmark study of pitality will be provided. The panel In their own style, each of the East Melbourne Bishopscourt and its social history, of bells which used to ring in the family determined how Historical Society, raised and it is now possible for us all to kitchen no longer summon a bevy the house was used and the funds and commis• understand some of the complexi• of willing servants. I well remember reflected the social and church of maintaining the building was sioned Dr Rushen to write a social ties of the role of Bishopscourt and my father coming in from work and customs of the time. The majority alarming and many arguments history of Bishopscourt. The depth the experience of living in it. hastily getting out the sherry and of episcopates lasted 10 - 15 years, were aired from decade to decade and extent of the author's research She unfolds a panorama of looking for some biscuits that were so each regime was an era in itself about the feasibility of selling it are exceptional, her style is fluen»« personal and public triumphs not too stale as a group of eminent and each succeeding family had or the possibility of subdividing and eminently readable and the and tribulations stretching over visitors arrived for a visit, while my a different outlook and different it. Reasonable financial concerns balance between the broad canvas 160 years. Three bishops and ten mother slipped out to the kitchen to objectives from the last. Garden were backed by equally reasonable and the small detail is excellent. The archbishops and their wives and keep an eye on the cooking and the parties for invited guests with hats ideological concerns that such a book is very well laid out and is a families have lived at Bishopscourt younger children, in between mak• and gloves gradually gave way to an residence was relic of a bygone age pleasure to read. The many illustra• continuously since 1853. The house ing conversation with yet another 'open house' or 'open garden' style and was no longer an appropriate tions immeasurably enhance the has seen times of boom and times bunch of complete strangers. of hospitality for any of the general lifestyle for a church leader. Such text and the end notes give huge of depression, times of growth and Bishop Charles Perry, the first, at public who wished to attend. The opinions were supported by keenly scope to anyone wishing to pursue times of stagnation, times of con• 41 the youngest and with 27 years number of organisations attended held views that the house was a the subject further. Her apprecia• fidence and times of anxiety, times in office the longest serving bishop or more often led by the archbish• monstrosity of no architectural tion of the many sided lives of the of peace and times of war and times or archbishop of Melbourne, had op's wife, the number of significant significance and wasn't worth keep• bishops' wives is sympathetic and of joy and times of sadness. Two a vision for the church and the guests entertained and often staying ing anyway. With each move to sell, understanding. The disparate sto• distinguished laymen also rented diocese (the whole of Victoria in the house, the number of jour• subdivide or otherwise jeopardise ries of twelve very different women Bishopscourt, a governor squatted in his day) in which a suitable neys near and far the wives made its continued existence, another over 160 years all inadvertently in it, three wives died there and bishop's residence had a natural with their husbands, the number of layer of protection was added by the faced with the same situation make three archbishops died in office. The place. Eschewing the English term talks and speeches they gave and National Trust, Heritage Victoria, fascinating, revealing and often building has needed endless upkeep 'Palace' for the more egalitarian meetings they chaired, to mention the Register of the National Estate, deeply moving reading. This booic and repair, has had one major and 'Bishopscourt' he made it both his a few of the diversions open to Melbourne City Council or the is an outstanding and timely con• one minor extension, has been home and his administrative centre. them, makes exhausting reading. East Melbourne Group. Finally, as tribution to the religious and social divided, renovated and repeatedly In Frances he had the ideal wife for Most significantly, all the bishops' the new millennium dawned, the history of Melbourne, Victoria and redecorated. Meanwhile the burden a bishop. She had an equal intellect and archbishops' wives have Australian Garden History Society Austraha. of managing the household, look• and as much energy and eagerly thrown themselves wholeheartedly led by Helen Page took in hand ing after the bishop and organising embraced the opportunities for into the plethora of activities and the garden, which had suffered David Woods lived at Bisiiopscourt the large scale hospitality expected responsibilities that come with the public life and philanthropy. She from decades of neglect, and began 1957-77 when his father, Sir Frank Woods of him has fallen fairly and squarely always unexpected experience of comprehensively to restore it to its was concerned for the welfare of KBE, was Archbishop of Melbournor'