Stickybeak of the Week: A Guest Room Rings All the Right Bells
Raze or renovate? A Southern Highlands couple turns a 50-year-old chapel into heavenly guest accommodation
The moment they saw the breathtaking northerly views to the Blue Mountains and Sydney, Marian and Mike Rose knew they’d found the site for the home they planned to build on their Southern Highlands property. But just a stone’s throw away was a shabby ’60s chapel that presented them with a quandary. While their home was under construction, it was a convenient place to ‘camp’. After moving into their new home, the question of what to do with the blonde brick eyesore arose. “We decided making it into a big ‘spare room’ was the perfect way to house all our visiting family and friends that stay over,” says Marian.
Chapel at a Glance
Who stays here: Visiting friends and family of Mike and Marian Rose
Location: Southern Highlands, New South Wales
Size: Main room is 112 square metres
Era built: 1960s; renovated 2011-2014
Renovation cost: $100,000+
Chapel at a Glance
Who stays here: Visiting friends and family of Mike and Marian Rose
Location: Southern Highlands, New South Wales
Size: Main room is 112 square metres
Era built: 1960s; renovated 2011-2014
Renovation cost: $100,000+
Marian stands at the chapel door with her canine shadows Rocky and Maxie, both rescue dogs. She has established a sanctuary on the property for injured or orphaned native animals and her menagerie – every one with a name – has included kangaroos, deer, alpacas, wombats, tawny frogmouths, 33-year-old Cyril, the bolshie cockatoo, and an emu called Googly.
The dreary-looking building, with its tiny windows and scraggly garden, was an uninspiring sight from their lovely new home and dismally greeted visitors when they drove up to the house. “It looked out of place kind of plonked in the middle of the gardens and was one of the first things visitors saw,” says Marian.
Photo by Janet Dunn
Although the building was structurally sound, there was plenty of repair and beautification needed after almost 50 years on the exposed site.
The steel finial cross on the bell tower was originally white. Marian painted it with copper paint to improve the look of it. “It goes the verdigris of aged copper after a while,” she says. “I added an oxidising patina over the top – instant antique in a can!”Damaged wooden shingles were replaced with Glendyne slate roofing tile, and existing roof tiles were repaired. Old-style sash windows in the vestibule were retained, but the sashes were replaced and frames painted.
Although the building was structurally sound, there was plenty of repair and beautification needed after almost 50 years on the exposed site.
The steel finial cross on the bell tower was originally white. Marian painted it with copper paint to improve the look of it. “It goes the verdigris of aged copper after a while,” she says. “I added an oxidising patina over the top – instant antique in a can!”Damaged wooden shingles were replaced with Glendyne slate roofing tile, and existing roof tiles were repaired. Old-style sash windows in the vestibule were retained, but the sashes were replaced and frames painted.
Photo by Janet Dunn
“We decided to renovate it with the same colours and materials of the house, to give it connection,” says Marian. Pale grey granite pavers were used on the steps, matching the paving around the main house. “It needed lots of planting to soften it – it’s now surrounded by birch and magnolia trees and hedges and flower gardens.”
The double doors to the vestibule, with original ornate hinges and ring pulls, have been painted high-gloss black.
“We decided to renovate it with the same colours and materials of the house, to give it connection,” says Marian. Pale grey granite pavers were used on the steps, matching the paving around the main house. “It needed lots of planting to soften it – it’s now surrounded by birch and magnolia trees and hedges and flower gardens.”
The double doors to the vestibule, with original ornate hinges and ring pulls, have been painted high-gloss black.
Photo by Janet Dunn
To make the chapel ‘belong’ with its surroundings, Marian says, “we rendered the original pale brick with the same tinted rust-coloured render that we used on the house walls. It’ll never need painting and will get a lovely sun-baked look and weather down at the same rate as the house.”
The lower floor contained an old tearoom which was converted into Marian and Mike’s temporary accommodation while their home was being built nearby. The view across the property to the distant Blue Mountains can be seen reflected in the lower window.
To make the chapel ‘belong’ with its surroundings, Marian says, “we rendered the original pale brick with the same tinted rust-coloured render that we used on the house walls. It’ll never need painting and will get a lovely sun-baked look and weather down at the same rate as the house.”
The lower floor contained an old tearoom which was converted into Marian and Mike’s temporary accommodation while their home was being built nearby. The view across the property to the distant Blue Mountains can be seen reflected in the lower window.
Photo by Janet Dunn
Mike replaced a window at the rear of the building with French doors and built a glass-framed balcony, so visitors can drink in the amazing outlook.
View more mesmerising balconies
Mike replaced a window at the rear of the building with French doors and built a glass-framed balcony, so visitors can drink in the amazing outlook.
View more mesmerising balconies
BEFORE: The interior of the chapel as the Roses found it: the furniture, including pews and pulpit, was removed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence. They found old hymn books in a side room.
This vast main room has been converted to a comfortable bedroom with a sitting and dining area, and also provides a magical playroom for the couple’s visiting grandchildren.
This vast main room has been converted to a comfortable bedroom with a sitting and dining area, and also provides a magical playroom for the couple’s visiting grandchildren.
AFTER: Whether because of its ecclesiastical beginnings or the unobstructed vista towards the Blue Mountains, the chapel has an almost prayerful tranquility, and is cool and welcoming. The first sight of the lofty ceiling and the broad sweep of the surrounding landscape is certainly awe-inspiring. “We get a lot of mists because we are quite high,” says Marian, “but on a clear day we can see for literally miles. It’s just such a quiet and uplifting space – except when the grandchildren are in it!”
The layout of the huge main room is unchanged, with many of the original features intact. The Roses kept the iron chandeliers that hang down the centre of the room, and the small sanctuary lamp on the far wall. The ceiling, peaking impressively at almost five metres, is supported by the original Oregon timber beams.
The layout of the huge main room is unchanged, with many of the original features intact. The Roses kept the iron chandeliers that hang down the centre of the room, and the small sanctuary lamp on the far wall. The ceiling, peaking impressively at almost five metres, is supported by the original Oregon timber beams.
With a grand total of 112 square metres and a towering ceiling, the challenge was to make the space more intimate. Marian chose plush, dark grey wall-to-wall carpet for the entire area. “The room needed to be grounded with a dark colour and it had to stand up to a lot of visitors and grandchildren,” she says.
Marian is a self-confessed haunter of auctions and a stunning pair of rust-red, black and blue lacquered Tibetan cabinets, which were the catalyst for the decor of the room, were an auction purchase. Antique Chinese bamboo lamps grace the cabinets.
Marian is a self-confessed haunter of auctions and a stunning pair of rust-red, black and blue lacquered Tibetan cabinets, which were the catalyst for the decor of the room, were an auction purchase. Antique Chinese bamboo lamps grace the cabinets.
The oriental theme continues with a favourite piece, a delicate black and gold lacquered cabinet. The wooden lattice on the wall is a section of the carved screen seen on the right. Marian painted it white and sanded it to bring out the intricate carved details.
Warm rust-red cushions and throws pick up the cabinet colours and add cosiness.
The interior brick walls were in good condition and have been painted. “There is so much light in here that we were able to put Dulux ‘Hog Bristle’ at four times the strength without it overpowering the room,” says Marian.
The interior brick walls were in good condition and have been painted. “There is so much light in here that we were able to put Dulux ‘Hog Bristle’ at four times the strength without it overpowering the room,” says Marian.
A reading nook beside the large front windows takes advantage of the outlook, with cushions and candles and some of Marian’s bric-a-brac finds.
“With such an enormous space,” says Marian, “it was important to make it feel homey and to invest it with some personality and family history.” Many items in the chapel have a personal story.
Marian’s uncle was in the Australian Light Horse Brigade in WWI. His saddle has been in the family since then, and was used by Marian’s father on stock horses. The saddle now sits on a dollhouse, made by Mike for the couple’s daughter Penny when she was a toddler.
Marian’s uncle was in the Australian Light Horse Brigade in WWI. His saddle has been in the family since then, and was used by Marian’s father on stock horses. The saddle now sits on a dollhouse, made by Mike for the couple’s daughter Penny when she was a toddler.
The dining table, chairs and benches were fashioned from a massive fallen 120-year-old elm tree on the Rose’s previous property in the Northern Tablelands. They were made by an ex-neighbour and friend, Jeremy Griffith from Griffith Tablecraft.
What was a blonde brick blot on the beautiful landscape surrounding the Rose’s new home has emerged as an integral part of how they and their family and friends enjoy their time at Santo Spirito – now rechristened Jabiru. “It’s close enough to be connected, but far enough away to be private,” Marian says. “And we’ve established a tradition that everyone who comes here for the first time has to toll the bell in the vestibule.”
Photo by Jessica Ann Harris
The chapel has recently added another chapter to its history – a very personal one for the Roses. On a misty November day, it was returned to its original purpose when their son Jeremy and his partner Elle were married there under the vaulted ceiling. Almost 160 guests filled the room to celebrate the wedding, under an arch of roses from the gardens surrounding the house and chapel.
TELL US
What do you like best about this updated and repurposed chapel? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
The chapel has recently added another chapter to its history – a very personal one for the Roses. On a misty November day, it was returned to its original purpose when their son Jeremy and his partner Elle were married there under the vaulted ceiling. Almost 160 guests filled the room to celebrate the wedding, under an arch of roses from the gardens surrounding the house and chapel.
TELL US
What do you like best about this updated and repurposed chapel? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
The Southern Highlands property the Roses bought in 2009 had several buildings scattered on it, including a run-down six bedroom house, army-style barracks, tin shed with beds and a shower – and a chapel. From talking to locals, they uncovered the story behind this rather puzzling set-up.
The property’s original name, Santo Spirito, hinted at its religious history. In the ’60s, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Broome, John Jobst, and a nurse and former missionary, Cecily Barker, built the house and outbuildings as a missionary training centre. The shed and barracks were used to ‘toughen up’ fledgling missionaries in the cold Highlands winters in preparation for hardship postings. The chapel was eventually acquired by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, an Anglican welfare group.