Mount Breckan is a grand 38-room residence, originally located on 160 acres (65 ha) in the south-coast town of Victor Harbor, South Australia. It was designed by William McMinn in a Gothic Revival style, and completed in 1881.[1][2]
| Mount Breckan | |
|---|---|
 Mt Breckan from the east | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Renown Avenue |
| Town or city | Victor Harbor |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°32′47″S 138°37′18″E / 35.5465°S 138.6217°E |
| Construction started | April 1879 |
| Completed | 1881 |
| Renovated | 1913 |
| Cost | £25,000 |
| Client | Alexander Hay |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | William McMinn |
The house was one of the largest residences in Australia at that time, with a floor area of 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2), sixty rooms, two cellars and a five-storey tower. It was commissioned by Alexander Hay, a prominent politician, farmer, and wealthy Rundle Street merchant, and cost £25,000 to build.[3] It was originally used as a summer retreat. Hay died in 1898. In 1908 the house was destroyed by fire; due to inadequate insurance coverage, the Hay family did not rebuild the ruin. The following year Hay's widow and a daughter were lost on the ill-fated SS Waratah.[2]
The house was acquired by W.F. Connell, and reconstructed as the "Mount Breckan Club", a high-class guest house. By 1913 it had 38 rooms and a golf course. At the same time, 57 housing blocks on the estate were surveyed and sold. Later the Commonwealth Government bought the house for use as a rehabilitation and training facility for the Royal Australian Air Force. The Bible College of South Australia[4] was there from 1962 to 1978.[2] By 1994 the house was in poor state with signs of damp in the walls and ceiling, and had been vandalised with windows smashed, door furniture stolen, gutters rusted and leaking into the house, and graffiti in nearly every room.[3]
In 1996 Mount Breckan was bought and restored. The main part of the building is now used as a private residence, with the remainder of the building used for accommodation and functions.[2][better source needed] The property last sold for $2.45 million in 2015, and was on the market again in 2019.[5]
References
edit- ^ Mount Breckan, 21-25 Renown Av, Victor Harbor. www.aussieheritage.com.au
- ^ a b c d Mount Breckan, home of the Hay Family in Victor Harbor. Flinders Ranges Research, www.southaustralianhistory.com.au.
- ^ a b "Mount Breckan (Place ID 7762)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government.
- ^ "New Year at Mount Breckan". Victor Harbour Times. Vol. 62, no. 2, 705. South Australia. 6 March 1974. p. 4. Retrieved 21 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ 3 grand heritage-listed buildings for budding hoteliers
External links
edit- Photo of Mount Breckan in 2003
