Dame Elisabeth Murdoch honoured by new Dahlia

On Tuesday 7 April 2009, Chris Michalopoulos, garden volunteer and resident dahlia expert, presented Dame Elisabeth with a new hybrid dahlia he had developed. The Dame Elisabeth dahlia is a cross between the Gerrie Hoek and Aegean Sky varieties. The new dahlia can be seen at Rippon Lea in the dahlia bed by the Nursery Lawn.

There are currently four major projects occurring at Rippon Lea Estate - these include the conservatory restoration, windmill construction, the grotto/waterfall investigation and a complete condition report for all the buildings on the estate.

The windmill is nearing completion. After many delays due to changes in design the 18m tall windmill has been completed and is undergoing operational testing. See Youtube video for details.

The cast iron conservatory on the north sideof the house was constructed in 1897 by Sir Frederick Sargood, the original owner of Rippon Lea. The building is a rare example of a 19th century glasshouse. In 2007, the National Trust received a grant from the Federal department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to restore the conservatory, and with additional support from the Andrew's Foundation and The Friends of Rippon Lea, this work commenced in July 2008.

The restoration works have now been completed and included conservation of the cast iron structure by removal of old paint and rust, repainting, repairs to the tessellated tile floor, structural works on the foundations, reglazing parts of the roof and reconstruction of the timber display benches. Now that the works have been are complete a selection of orchids and plants similar to those grown by Sir Frederick will be on display. The Consevatory can be viewed as part of a tour of the house.

The grotto/waterfall on the southern side of the lake has been closed to the public for many years. Late last year a team of geotechnical engineers was commissioned to investigate the failure of the fou

ndations and grottos. Their preliminary report shows there has been some movements in the foundations due to the water level of the lake being higher than originally intended. We hold the lake about 30cm higher than in Sargood's day to provide sufficient water to irrigate the gardens.

The final report will recommend methods of stabilising the rock work and foundations to allow us to reopen this major feature of the property later in 2009.

The building condition report is being conducted by the well known firm of architects Lovell Chen. The inspections have been completed and the final report will soon be available. The report will identify all major structural issues and regular maintenance requirements as well as provide a thoroughly costed 5 year implementation program and maintenance schedule.