The brand new "old" Freeburgh Hall for sale
A striking home in Victoria built to replicate the former Freeburgh Hall which was demolished has been listed for sale.
It was 2006 when the town hall in Freeburgh, in the upper reaches of the Ovens Valley, was demolished after termites wreaked havoc with the structure.
A new community centre building nearby was built.
Local builder Matt Burgess of Freeburgh Builders felt he must purchase the hall and its site to ensure the original hall wasn’t replaced with a new structure that would be unsympathetic to the original building and its purpose.
For someone who has lived in the local area for almost all his life Burgess says that using the hall site appropriately was also a matter of personal pride.
He purchased the site in 2012 with the old hall still standing but in derelict condition and he has recently completed the construction of a new landmark home on the site at 949 Great Alpine Road.
The hall site has an area of 2,225 square metres, or just over half an acre of undredged land, and is about 250 metres distant or an easy walk from the Ovens River.
The site also has a number of heritage trees thought to have been planted at least fifty years ago, including two Californian Redwoods and three Liquid Ambers that Burgess also wanted to retain as their seasonal foliage changes are striking.
The house that Burgess built to replicate the style and theme of the original Freeburgh Hall has only been completed in recent months and is now listed for private sale by the local Bright office of Dickens Real Estate.
With an asking price of $820,000 it has an area under roof of approximately 200 sqm.
The replicated features include large living, dining and bedroom spaces and a high-quality kitchen located on a platform at one end of the new structure that reflects the plan of many original public halls.
The walls of the striking building that is timber framed on a heated concrete slab are generally 5.3 metres in height and the ceilings are timber lined like most original halls.
Three of the four bedrooms are queen-sized with the extra- large master bedroom having a very large en suite and all services with an adjacent personal space.
The entire building enjoys magnificent natural light through the choice of windows and their placement and has a striking entry portico like the halls of old.
Burgess also included a prominent rammed earth internal wall as the backdrop to the fireplace for its ability to retain warmth and ensure comfort for the rest of the building, particularly in the winter in this sub-alpine location.
The building is set back from the roadway and the only structure remaining from the original hall is the old clay brick chimney and fireplace.