The Como House is one of the last colonial properties left in Melbourne. It originally spanned 54 acres (22ha) between Toorak Road and the Yarra River. It was also the first property bought by the National Trust of Victoria and is one of their most popular. It was lived in by the same family for nearly 95 years, 83 of those owned and managed by women. 

Origination of Como

The area that Como originally spanned was sold and bought quite a few times after the first land sales in 1840. Edward Eyre Williams commissioned a single story villa for his wife and himself to reside in 1846 which was then completed in the following year. It may have occurred that Williams proposed to his wife at Lake Como, Italy and that was the reason for naming this new house after the place, because he was probably aiming to describe it as a place of good memory and romance. The architectural style of the structure is not reminiscent of Lake Como though. One source states that it was the people of the early colony’s attempt to build properties inspired by British parklands. A fusion of Australian regency and Italianate architecture was thought by another source to be the style of the house. 

Past Owners

There have been many owners of Como and most of them were of the elite group in Melbourne at the time. Edward Eyre Williams and his wife and children lived there between the years of 1847 and 1852, later selling it to a property investor called Frederick Dalgety. A Scottish man, John Brown, and his wife Helen were then sold the Como House less than a year Dalgety bought it. Brown then had to mortgage the house after suddenly having a financial downfall in 1861. In 1864 Brown declared bankruptcy and Como was then sold to Charles and Caroline Armytage for 14,000 pounds.

Changes of the Como House throughout the years

Only a short time had elapsed when John Brown and his wife started alterations at Como. The new additions to Como included a second storey, a tower and new outbuildings. The couple also employed the well accredited gardener, William Sangster. Sangster made the statement that Prahran was “nothing more than a dense bush of big trees” as it was considered to not be true, by transforming the 5 acres of bushland that it was into beautiful gardens. 

When Charles and Caroline Armytage owned the Como House they added a reception room, ballroom and billiard room in 1874. Charles’s commissioned his brother-in-law for 1212 pounds and 15 shillings to design the ballroom extension with the children’s bedrooms above. The ballroom and verandah were described in Table Talk magazine as ‘beautifully decorated with garlands of fresh flowers and foliage plants, and the large verandah was decorated in a Moorish fashion.’

An artwork of the Como House by William Tibbits in 1875. This shows all the alterations of the house at that time which had just had a reception room, ballroom and billiard room added. It also features the garden William Sangster designed and the fountain which is commonly seen in recent photos. Strangely, the house is pink with a blue roof, which may just be a result of the time of day this was painted, but at the moment the house is predominantly white.
Sources: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/data/9545/como%20house%20william%20tibbits.jpg
http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/como-house-and-the-armytage-family/9544/como/

A painting of the billiard room by an artist called "Katsuya." This was painted in 2005.
Sources: http://www.katsuya-art.com/Images/Billiard%
20Room%20(Como%20House)%2050.8x61cm.%202005.jpghttp://www.katsuya-art.com/Interiors_1.html

The Armytage Family

Who they were and how they came about buying the Como House

The Armytage family at the time of the Como auction consisted of Charles Henry Armytage and his wife Caroline and their eight children. They lived near Geelong at Fulham Station which was a large sheep station. Charles was living in Melbourne for business when word came about to him that John Brown was selling the Como House. He became particularly interested because it was to be a mortgagee’s auction. With the wealth as a result from his hard work at Fulham Station and his inheritance, it was an appropriate time to buy a town house, as well as it was an appropriate place because of their social standing. With all these reasons and after attending the inspection in October he decided to buy it. He was so sure of it that right after he ordered furniture for the dining room. That December he bought the Como House for 14, 000 pounds. They moved in just in time for the social season, as this was a very important aspect of their life.  

A portrait of Charles Henry Armytage by Frank Latimer c.1868. Charles evidently was an important person in the Melbourne society, having a portrait done of yourself in those days generally required great money or a high social standing. 

He is also wearing clothes in good condition and commonly worn regularly by rich men back in the time era.

Sources: http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/data/9539/charles%20armytage%20portrait.jpghttp://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/como-house-and-the-armytage-family/9538/charles-henry-armytage-c.1868/

What Caroline Armytage was like

Caroline was a pioneering woman that the task of taking authority of the sheep station while her husband was away was considered the usual. ‘One of the happiest times in my life was at Fulham Station teaching the Aboriginal children and worker’s children with mine’ she once wrote. The typical refined and elegant married women in Melbourne with established social standings like her would have been an inappropriate place for a woman like her to surround herself in. 

Some of the joys and disappointments of the early days in the Armytage family

Two children were born at Como, Ernest Adolphus (1867) and Leila Christina (1875). Along with these joys, a very sad ending to a child’s life happened at the house too. Ethel Maude died of diphtheria at 7 years old (1872). Charles then later died of pancreatic disorder at 52 years old (1876). 

Life of the family after Charles’s death

Caroline was left with 9 children and many properties around Victoria. For the first time in her life she was financially independent. On the 26^th of December 1876, her and her children and servants left Melbourne. Her eldest son Charles Norman was sent to Cambridge for further study. The rest of the family travelled for four years around Egypt, India, China, Japan, Russia and Europe. There, Caroline purchased many furniture pieces which she then sent back to Como. In 1878, her daughter Ada wrote in a diary ‘Mumma went to the Paris International Exhibition; she walked up to an exhibitor and bought a large ebonised door for the Drawing Room. He looked rather bemused when she asked to have it sent to Melbourne Australia.’

Caroline later visited Europe again for the education of her youngest daughter. This importantly showed that she valued equality of different genders because she not only travelled for the education of her son’s but also her daughters.

Constance Armytage met the aide-de-camp (an officer who acts as a military assistant to a more senior officer) Captain Arthur Fitzpatrick through one of the many celebrations for Federation (1901). They then married on the 9^th of May 1906. This was described as the social event of the year by Table Talk magazine. They then lived in England together. The marriage was ended later because although there was no evident cause of this, Arthur left her taking her 70,000 pound dowry.

Three deaths then occurred in the family. Ernest Adolphus passed away in 1998 (31). Caroline then died at 77 years old (1909) and her son Freddy died the following year. 

Life of the Armytage family after Caroline’s death

Como was divided into 64 parts and auctioned on the 25^th of February 1911. This resulted in much of the original garden designed by Sangster to be lost. On behalf of Ada, Laura and Leila, Mr. John Buchan bought the remainder of the house and garden.

Leila was away during this though; she had travelled to England to come with Constance on the voyage back home. In 1913 Ada accompanied her niece to join her sisters in England. Unfortunately World War I started to break out at that time, causing them to be stranded, unable to return to Como. Leila joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment for the Red Cross. She was then sent to Le Havre, France from England to work at an Australian Military Hospital. Constance later joined her in 1916 doing duties as an untrained nurse and ambulance driver. Ada, Constance and Leila were away for 11 years while Laura continued to live at the Como House. When the sisters arrived back they had different views of life. This reflected on their redecoration of Como, a light style with less furniture and miscellaneous objects. 

Thirty-five acres (14 ha) of Como’s land beside the Yarra River was sold to the Prahran City Council in 1921, leaving just only some area over 5 acres. The council used 5.25 acres (2 ha) as a park, that was appropriately named ‘Como Park’.

By this time two of Charles’s and Caroline’s five sons were married and out of the four daughters, only one had married. This was rather strange considering their opportunity to marry would’ve been high because they were so wealthy and had a good social status.

Ada died in 1939. By 1956 Laura passed away. The two remaining sisters sold the Como House to the newly formed National Trust of Victoria with most of its contents in hope to keep Como as a long standing expression of their family and their lifestyle. 

Current State

The Como House is in possession of the National Trust of Victoria. The original façade, interior and some of the decorative garden remain. Much of the original contents of the house were bought with the house. Some of the contents include furniture, diaries, photos, letters and journals.  

A current photo of what the Como House currently looks like.
Source: http://thequeenscullery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSC01446.jpg

Bibliography: 

Books:

The Encyclopedia of Melbourne United States of America, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 

Websites:

National Trust of Victoria. About Como. "Como Historic House & Garden" http://www.comohouse.com.au/about_como Viewed 9:00 PM 1/5/12

Culture Victoria. The Armytage Family of Como. "Culture Victoria" 

http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/como-house-and-the-armytage-family/9270/the-armytage-family-of-como/ Viewed 2:11 PM 16/5/12