In Search of the Meisels' House Part 2

The Meisels Grand House Part 3 

In Search of the Meisels' House Part 2

In Search of the Meisels' House Part  1 Link

The Meisels house and pool

Last post’s expedition to find traces of the Meisels house proved more bountiful than we had expected. After the exciting discoveries of the stonework steps and the terrace with the BBQ, we were getting our hopes up that we would find some more physical evidence of the Meisels’ house. Despite these findings. There was no trace of the actual house. How the pathway, a piece of brick pillar and the upper terrace survived in such condition is a bit of a mystery. Moving down the block towards the front western side, we were endevouring to find traces of the swimming pool. We had found a piece of brickwork with a concrete half drain earlier when coming onto the site, but what we really wanted was one of the distinctive mottled bricks that lined the pool area, which can be clearly seen in the photo. We walked around the heavily grassed area for some time, constantly poking the ground, hoping that we would hit something hard under the growth. But to no avail. While on this side of the block, it was obvious this levelling of the land had raised the heights of the front yard in relation to the road, and we were a good 3 metres higher on this side. This gave me a clearer idea of the reason behind the easier access where the stairway led. It was the point where the bulldozers or excavators entered to clear the block, and they must have used the cleared pathway as an incline for easier access. But why this level area? Did they just fill the pool in with debris and cover it with fill? Then Madelyn’s eagle eyes picked out something. Close to the edge of the block overlooking the road, she found two one-inch galvanised pipes sticking out of a concrete block that was buried just under the surface. Measuring the block's frontage, we discovered that these pipes were just inside the property boundary. That being 100 feet (Just on 30.5 metres) from the easement (or creek edge). Taking the retaining wall that once ran along the front, we had a good feeling that we had found the corner of the pool. Moving toward the right, we started scraping away at the undergrowth to discover a smooth 200mm wide concrete course that ran for about five metres. Digging beside this revealed a smooth, rendered face that had a white/light blue tinge in colour.

We had found the pool

As we moved further along, I noticed the ground was still level, but the highway was rising. I stepped down the edge towards the road, and I came face to face with a brick wall. From road level, it was difficult to see being obscured by a small tree.  Joining up to these bricks was a stone wall of the same height. This is about two metres above road level, and I was shocked I hadn’t noticed earlier. I believe this to be the outer support/landscaping of the pool, as it sits way too high for the original retaining wall where the cars once parked in front of.  Maybe they did just fill the pool with debris and cover it with fill, leaving the structure to help reinforce the bater that fell towards the road. It made sense.

The wall as seen from the road

the concrete beam with coloured render

The concrete beam

The outlet pipe at the edge of the block

Looking back at what we uncovered, it was a great insight into what once stood on this land. The fact that the Meisels created this wonderful weekender with all the mod cons, while the other handful of brave souls who built in the estate were happy with the most basic of structures and amenities, was a testament to the man who came from wartorn Europe and created one of the most exclusive Tailors in Melbourne, that still exists today.

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In Search of the Meisels' House Part 1

The Meisels Grand House Part 2 

In Search of the Meisels' House Part 1

Last issue, I wrote about the majestic Meisels (pronounced My- sells) house and how I was going to see if we could find any trace of its existence. We picked our day to perfection. A midweek day on a pleasant spring morning. I had my trusty assistant, Madelyn, who has the sharpest eyesight of anyone I know; her ability to find birds and animals in the bush is uncanny.  I was hoping she would find some treasures on the overgrown plot in our quest for suburban archaeology.

The only known existing picture of the Meisels property.
This picture has been edited to remove people.
Photo courtesy Gary Pope Archives.

Using a photo of the Meisels' house (the only one in existence at this point in time), a map of the old estate and a collection of Gary Pope’s memories from his childhood, which inspired this whole expedition. We were feeling confident.  I knew that the house sat on Lot 158 on Mountain Highway, and it bordered the creek that flowed under the road and ran down into the Ravine. Gary said the entrance that had a long slate rock path was the only entry point through a retaining wall that fronted the property, as there was no driveway. Gary said this entrance most likely aligned with an existing gate on the opposite side of the road.

This is not my first trip into this estate, but I was surprised by how easy it was to enter the block. Most of the land on this side of the park has steep batters rising from the road. As we walked further into the site, there was evidence of the removal with pieces of brickwork and bits of slate embedded in the dirt. One thing I discovered with other site explorations I had done, the clearing of the houses was far from absolute.

Lucky for us, there weren’t many gum trees to navigate, so it was an easy walk. I did notice a flat section to our right and made a note to check that area out. There was still hope we might find evidence of the inground pool in our journey. We continued to follow the path upwards, and within a few minutes, we hit the jackpot. About 25 metres up from the road, we found several complete stairs under a copse of trees. Judging by the ground cover, they had not been disturbed for some time. I honestly felt like I was the first person to discover them. Gary said that the original stairway path had landings about every 3 metres, and each one would have a concrete bench where people could enjoy the view. He recalled how he would see people seated up and down the path, drinks in hand, socialising. The path itself was only one brick course per level high with segmented flat rocks (which I will refer to as slate) on top. Each tread was about a man-sized step & half wide.

Madelyn and I cleaned them up to get a better view, and kudos to the workman who laid them. These steps looked beautiful and wouldn’t look out of place in an Edna Walling garden. They made it easier to imagine Gary’s recollection of all the people enjoying their afternoon gathering as I looked towards the highway below.

While clearing the steps, I also noticed a moss-covered section of brickwork, which, when we consulted our photo, we surmised may be part of a brick pillar that rose up next to the steps close to where they passed the house.  It was then that I saw a flat area eight to ten metres behind us. Gary said the pathway went all the way to the back of the house, and that is where the main entrance was. At first, I thought it was a place to park a car, until I realised that the block had no driveway. Everyone parked in the street or across the road. This flat area must have been where the back of the house ended. There was a section three metres by 10 metres with a stacked stonework retaining wall with a partial brick structure, which could only be a BBQ. As it had been laid and had rotating brick courses, there was no way this was built after the house was demolished. 

A small terrace for smaller gatherings, perhaps? This is also, according to Gary,  where his Nana, Stella Patrone, cut through from her house on Alamain Avenue to do her housekeeping work on weekdays after the weekend gatherings. The area looked like it hadn’t had any human visitors for years.

Close up of the BBQ

I was starting to think the location of the block, so close to the corner and having no real area to walk, was not used by many people to trek through. I also noticed there seemed to be a lot less general rubbish on this block compared to others I’d visited.

The area where the BBQ is situated

pieces of the BBQ grate

Another thing that stood out was the ease it was to move around on foot, though it still had the steep gradient in places, mainly where the house stood, and other parts towards the front next to the creek and the rear area. Where the BBQ was, it was very level and with a mow, could easily be transformed into lawn. The area to the right was comparatively less dense with tree growth than the creek side, but there were lots of wild grass and small bushes. Despite the ground cover down in this area, it looked surprisingly level.

Where most of the National Park side of the road heading up to Sassafras was steep, I think I had figured out why there was a flat, relatively easy-to-access entry point on the Meisel block. Especially for a plot that had no original driveway.

To be concluded.......

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PART ONE

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