Historic Home Fit For A King

Sun Herald

Sunday July 16, 2006

By DENIS GREGORY

IN 1863 farmer George Kingham paid #1 per acre for a parcel of land near Orange.

It took 10 years before a permanent homestead was built on the property near the small settlement of Spring Grove, now known as Millthorpe.

As the area quickly developed as a farming centre, thanks largely to the arrival of the railway in the 1870s, Kingham completed the bluestone house. His wife named it Methleigh after the village she came from in Cornwall.

Methleigh has had a succession of owners since then and is for sale again through Williams Machin First National at Orange for $665,000.

The current owners have completed a number of conservation projects on the work without changing any of the home's historic character.

Methleigh is set on two hectares, on the edge of Millthorpe, surrounded by established trees and gardens. It's connected to town water.

The white-washed bluestone house has seven bedrooms, three on the ground floor. Four bedrooms on the first floor feature dormer windows.

It has a large lounge and dining room with open fireplace, an office and a mud room - a small room where muddy work boots and shoes can be taken off.

The large modern kitchen has a fuel stove and dishwasher and an adjoining eating area. The bathroom has been renovated.

Hardwood floorboards are a feature and bull-nose verandas front and back add to the charm.

There is a separate studio built in converted shearing quarters that could suit an artist. Several sheds dot the property, including an old dairy and wash house built from timber slabs.

Selling agent Doone Grist said properties in and around Millthorpe were attracting a lot of interest from buyers looking for a slower, more peaceful, way of life.

"They want to belong to a small community and yet they are close to the regional cities of Orange and Bathurst.

"Millthorpe is also close to the huge Cadia goldmine and this has added to the strong real estate market."

Ms Grist said Millthorpe features numerous heritage buildings, winding streets and bluestone kerb and guttering. It has an active community with art galleries, several top restaurants, two hotels, post office, school and general store.

© 2006 Sun Herald

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