Best Offers By 12pm Tuesday 1st December (unless sold prior)
The finest homes leave a legacy. A circa 1880s villa with a proud past, this historic country estate carries its story forward with a sympathetic architectural presence, making it a rare Adelaide Hills lifestyle opportunity.
30 acres, two titles, just three owners over 60 years, and a decade before Mylor emerged, Rockford was already here.
Originally the summer house of the Honourable David Murray, a pioneer merchant and prominent South Australian politician, his influence extended beyond his own rural estate, contributing to the district's early agriculture, education and recreation.
Today, Rockford still embraces its old dairy, coach house, thriving orchard and stunning English-inspired gardens. An avenue of nine English Oaks lines the main driveway, with several other specimens recognised on the National Trust Register of Significant Trees.
The Bunyip Pine and California Redwood, London Plane tree, six Cork Oaks, six cedars, and a Silver Poplar, said to be the largest of its kind in Australia.
As for the seamlessly extended villa, it's revealed beneath a curtain of glory vine. The grand formal lounge, AKA the 'Christmas Room', delights for the bells that once rang out for servants, while each beautifully refurbished bedroom beneath 14ft original ceilings is enormous. The primary domain hosts a sparkling ensuite, soft skylight ambience and under-floor heating.
The later addition, designed by architect Tim Geue, reflects the owners' time spent in London. Its social space creates a conservatory effect, framing the most magnificent oak tree, while its anchor point, the granite-swathed kitchen, features an AGA stove that heats the home through winter. A huge larder hides nearby, with a three-room cellar below cradling a lifetime of vintages.
Yet there's so much more to its sublime revision.
Originally home to the horse, cart and ostler, the self-contained two-bedroom coach house has new life, new style, and plenty of old character, gazing over one of five paddocks where the Onkaparinga River traces Rockford's boundary.
Live sustainably and productively. Graze cattle, turn the plentiful orchard fruit into the best apple or mulberry crumbles or dabble in honey-making with the dedicated processing shed, once home to the owners' honey label, 'The Bird and the Bees.'
Or entertain exclusively. Host social tennis on the floodlit tennis court or unwind with friends, savouring the peace, quiet and unparalleled prestige.
The history, the English parklands, and the impeccable stone villa with a story spanning two centuries. Rockford has earned its place in Mylor, and its magic could be yours to inherit
The Villa:
- Originally built circa 1881 by a stone mason from England
- Lifestyle addition designed by architect, Tim Geue
- Modern country kitchen features an AGA stove which also heats the home
- 5 plush and palatial bedrooms
- 3 bathrooms, 2 ensuite
- Powder room
- The original service bells in the main living room and 2 bedrooms
- Entertainer's terrace, clad in glory vine
- 14ft ceilings to the main foyer and four leading bedrooms
- 12ft ceilings to the lifestyle addition
- Ornate feature fireplaces
The Land:
- Some 30 acres of lifestyle & grazing land, a large dam, and mature English-style parklands
- The Onkaparinga River and traces one boundary
- Aldgate Creek passes through the property adding to the tranquility of the setting
- 135,000L of rainwater capacity exclusively for main house use
- 11ML water licence
- 5 grazing paddocks, with troughs, for 8-10 cattle
- Thriving orchard with apples, white nectarines, fig, pears and a 20-yr-old mulberry tree
- Productive gardens including an irrigated vegetable zone
- Modern cattle yard and crush
- A honey-processing shed, known for its label "The Bird and the Bees"
The Lifestyle:
- Electric gated arrival
- Floodlit synthetic tennis court
- 4-car garaging + a large machinery and hay shed, with solar efficiency
- Ducted R/C air conditioning throughout the villa
- Underground 3-room cellar
- Underfloor heating throughout extension and all bathrooms
The Heritage:
- Rare and majestic tree specimens, many listed on the Significant Trees Register
- 3 types of Cedar trees, including a statuesque Blue Cedar said to be the largest Blue Cedar in Australia
- Stunning avenue of 9 oak trees on arrival
- Renovated 2-bedroom coach house, with a kitchen, living and bathroom
- The old dairy, with cottage potential
Bus:
- Stop 51 Strathalbyn Road - 'West Side' is located a short walk from the 'Rockford' Main entrance
- Multiple private schools have daily bus routes along Strathalbyn Road
Specifications:
CT / 5975/320 & 5362/492
Council / Adelaide Hills
Zoning / PRuL
Built / 1881
Land / 118000m2 (approx)
Council Rates / $8,017.28pa
Emergency Services Levy / $618.80pa
Estimated rental assessment $1,200 - $1,300per week/ Written rental assessment can be provided upon request
Nearby Schools / Mylor P.S, Aldgate P.S, Heathfield P.S, Heathfield H.S
Disclaimer: All information provided has been obtained from sources we believe to be accurate, however, we cannot guarantee the information is accurate and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions (including but not limited to a property's land size, floor plans and size, building age and condition). Interested parties should make their own enquiries and obtain their own legal and financial advice. Should this property be scheduled for auction, the Vendor's Statement may be inspected at any Harris Real Estate office for 3 consecutive business days immediately preceding the auction and at the auction for 30 minutes before it starts. RLA | 226409
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