288 Nepean Highway, SeafordVIC

Inspect by Private Appointment

Positioned on a remarkable 3182 sqm (approx.) directly opposite Seaford Beach, remarkable “Stokesay” c.1922 is of state significance for its associations with Walter Burley Griffin’s contribution to modern architecture in Australia. Available now for only the second time since its construction, the home has been impeccably preserved, sensitively upgraded, and maintained, creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a piece of Australian architectural history and create a truly extraordinary lifestyle property that maximizes not only its prime beachfront location but its 46.5m rear frontage to Kananook Creek, one of the area’s most beautiful natural environments.

Designed by architect JFW (Frederick) Ballantyne, an articled pupil of Walter Burley Griffin, “Stokesay” is one of the few surviving examples of Burley Griffin’s patented Knitlock construction system in Victoria. Built in a form faithful to Burley Griffin’s groundbreaking design for his own home “Pholiota”, “Stokesay” possesses the same distinctive pyramid-shaped roof under which a series of perimeter rooms circulate around a central living room. The large living room retains its magnificent open fireplace beneath the soaring hipped ceiling with its five principal perimeter rooms featuring a dining room with adjoining kitchen, two spacious bedrooms with dressing rooms, the main bedroom with an adjoining sitting room, maid’s bedroom, and principal bathroom. Voted “Australia’s Prettiest Home” by Australian Home Beautiful in 1925, the beauty of its artisan craftsmanship remains in its fluted concrete walls, original fittings and fixtures, hand-crafted timber detailing, and the beautiful chevron timber windows that mirror those found in Toorak’s Salter House and other Griffin designed homes.

For its next custodian, a range of possibilities exist to create a truly one-of-a-kind beachside compound with both immediate access to Kananook Creek’s 7.5klm of wetlands and wildlife and the seaside pleasures of the Bay. These include renovating the existing home and its established garden with potter’s shed and garage, integrating it into a new contemporary home or perhaps building a brand new luxury home (STCA) and retaining “Stokesay” as unforgettable additional accommodation for guests, in-laws or staff.