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 have 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.
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| The wall as seen from the road |
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| the concrete beam with coloured render |
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| The concrete beam |
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| 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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