The John Glover House

Location: "Patterdale" Deddington Tasmania 

Scope: The story of the restoration of this house and its association with the great colonial painter John Glover begins with his application for a land grant a few months after arriving in Van Diemen’s Land on his 64th birthday in 1831. Only months after arriving in Tasmania, John Glover’s homestead at Patterdale was built and ready for occupancy in the first half of 1832. Perhaps because of the rushed construction there were many structural defects which necessitated ongoing repairs from  the time the house was completed. Particularly, the footings, which became unstable, and later resulted in the front wall collapsing in the 1920s. Repairs were expeditiously undertaken using concrete and weatherboard externally and panelling over all of the internal walls.  The paneling hiding either cracks in the lathe and plaster or the total absence of wall surfaces. 

 Fortunately, most  of the interior timberwork remained relatively intact, making it possible to bring the house back to its former appearance. After years of neglect, the owners of Patterdale, Carol and Rodney Westmore took on the painstaking task of restoring Glover’s homestead to its former glory. The restoration commenced in August 2016, with the first priority to secure the structural integrity of the house before any restoration could take place.  Glover’s studio ‘the Exhibition Room’ was rebuilt  using the same split palings and timber shingles evident in the original building.

Carol and Rodney Westmore purchased the property because of its association with Glover and after a considerable period of questioning what they should do with the house, they decided to honour Glover and his significance to Australia’s art history with the restoration of his house and exhibition room thus allowing visitors to experience the house and surrounding landscape, as it was when he lived there creating many of his most famous works.

The meticulous restoration project, with the assistance of a grant from the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund, has been underway, with builders and many specialised tradespeople working continuously since it began in July 2016. From early structural problems and removal of poorly built additions, to the rebuilding of the sandstone facade and the reinstatement of Glover’s adjacent exhibition room, each month the house was brought closer to the time of Glover's residency. The newly rebuilt Exhibition Room has a display illustrating the story of the restoration of the house thus far. Visitors may also choose to experience Glover Country first hand by walking to some of the locations from where Glover painted particular works. Over time there has been a growing interest in the Glover Story with the house and surrounding land becoming a pilgrimage site for people interested in Tasmanian colonial, artistic and Aboriginal heritage.

Products Supplied: Falcon Professional+ 100 FX dual fuel cooker

One set of Hand forged handrails at the front entrance leaded into the sandstone steps

Restoration on one set of entrance gates