Ormiston House, Accommodation, Strahan, Tasmania
continued
It is perhaps unfortunate, but a reality of life, that so much of the original land that accompanied the house has been subdivided and sold. Originally there were over five acres of land with Ormiston House, today there are 1.4 acres and landscaping is virtually complete.
The rooms in Ormiston House have been retained, for the main part, as being sympathetic to their original use. The front rooms were all living and entertaining rooms. The library and music room are now the restaurant. F.O.'s den is now the bar and lounge.
F.O.'s bedroom is still the master bedroom and all bedrooms have been named after the original members of the Henry Family. F.O. Henry, Mary Alice, Amelia and Jessie. The restaurant is called Fredericks after the three Frederick
Ormiston Henrys. The History Gallery (in the attic) is named after Harry Lyell Henry, the second son of F.O. who was tragically killed in action during the First World War.
Each room will be dealt with in detail as we take you through the hallowed halls of this wonderful home. A home which has a welcoming presence, as if bequeathed by it's original owners for the purpose of eternal hospitality and friendliness.
The Owners
The Henry family occupied Ormiston House from the time of it's building in 1899 until 1975. F.O. Henry died in 1916 and Mary Alice died two years earlier in a nursing home in Melbourne. Mary Alice had suffered a fall in the house during a time when a plumber had removed a
section of floor. She had fallen through the open section and although not a big fall she nevertheless suffered some injury which persisted and which required treatment on the mainland. Her condition became progressively worse and she died in 1914.
F.O. referred to his home as "his beloved Ormiston". His gravestone is as dominant in the cemetery, at Strahan, as Ormiston is on the Esplanade and a fitting tribute to the founding father of this town.
In 1928 the second Frederick Ormiston Henry (the Younger) decided to move to Queenstown where the head office for their chain of stores was located. It must have been difficult for Mary Cordell Henry to leave her beautiful gardens but she managed to transplant some her favourites in their Queenstown property; a property,
I might add, which was not as grand as their Strahan 'holiday home'.
And so it was that the Henrys made Queenstown their home and used Ormiston as a holiday and weekender. This continued until 1975 when the house was sold out of the family. During this 'not so proud time' in the Ormiston House history, very little money was being spent on
Ormiston. Times were not easy for Fred, the younger. The depression of the 1930's followed by WWII created less than favourable trading conditions. Competition increased on the West Coast and the wealth within the mines faded. As the populations of the small towns dwindled, F.O. Henry
Stores closed down until only Strahan and Queenstown stores remained open.
During this time the Henrys used Ormiston as a holiday home and at times there was a housekeeper who lived permanently at the home. Rooms were sometimes let to the schoolteachers at the Strahan Primary School. Over the years certain parts of the house fell into a bad state of
repair. There were numerous leaks in the roof and water damage affected some ceilings and plasterwork.
Some repairs were effected but Ormiston was reaching a stage of needing some serious money to rectify the damage and decay.
In the early 1970s Frederick Ormiston Henry 3rd (Young Fred) realised that he would have to sell the house. The land around the house was sold in separate lots until there were just three blocks remaining. Ormiston lay equally on the intersection of the boundaries so further
sub-division was not possible. There are many locals who state that Young Fred approached them to make him an offer of around $10,000.
In 1975 Young Fred sold Ormiston to Alexander and Mavis Parnham, of Queenstown. Alexander, (Poss), as he was known as, worked for the Mt Lyell Mine and was also a bookmaker. Although they acquired Ormiston for $10,000 they are reputed to have spent around $60,000 to get the
place in a decent living condition. This work necessitated the creation of bathrooms and an inside toilet. There were ceilings to replace, plaster to repair and roof repairs to be undertaken. A kitchen had been added by the Henrys at the back of the house and Poss and Mavis added a sunroom at the rear of the house to take advantage of the afternoon sun.
The Parnhams had a lot of work done on the garden but by this stage the front gates and driveways were overgrown so the rear entrance in Bay Street was used as the vehicle access. During the early years of the house high macrocarpa box hedges and holly hedges were grown and shaped for privacy and as windbreaks. It was for this reason that for many years Ormiston was hidden from view with only the 'privileged few' being allowed entry.
It is very sad that when their work was finished and they started to enjoy their life at Ormiston that Mavis suffered a stroke and Poss decided that they would need to sell Ormiston.
In 1982 Ormiston was sold to a colourful character who called himself John, Duke of Avram. It would appear that at the onset the locals regarded John the Duke's occupation of Ormiston a little whimsically. John became a Member of Parliament for a period of time, representing
the seat of Lyons. He would present himself at Ormiston resplendent in his gowns and gold chains. Not satisfied with just being an owner of a remarkable property he opened a business in Strahan that was called The Bank of Avram. As well as selling gifts and souvenirs he also minted and
printed his own currency for sale to the tourists. The Federal Police eventually took a dim view of this and subsequently closed the operation. There were many other instances where the Duke confronted adversity to his lifestyle and 'modus operandi' but we will not digress and pursue those issues.
Over the thirteen years that John the Duke occupied Ormiston there was little work done on the mansion save some roofwork and guttering. The garden became overgrown, the roof started leaking profusely and was covered in rust. The water ingress caused a number of ceilings to
become damaged and plaster on the walls became stained and in some cases the render fell from the walls. Due to the high rainfall and permanent moisture the external paintwork became mildew and stained. Ormiston was looking forlorn and in a state of much needed care and attention.