With an elevated position in one of the Windsor peninsula’s oldest historic precincts, the Blue House presents an opportunity to live in the grand style with all the benefits of relaxed country living yet less than 50 minutes from the Sydney CBD.
Built in 1875 on 1.25 acres by amateur astronomer and gentleman farmer John Tebbutt, who features on the $100 note, the home exudes elegance and grandeur, its face brick walls surrounded on three sides by wide bullnosed verandahs and cast iron columns, draped in wisteria.
A sheltered loggia where the original homestead connects to a sympathetic addition providing casual family living, dining and kitchen, offers views over the tree tops to the Hawkesbury River. Here you can catch a cooling breeze or in the evening enjoy a stunning sunset.
Indoors the proportions of every room are consistent with a home of importance. The formal living and dining room features an impressively high ceiling hung with two chandeliers and bookended by a grand marble fire surround.
Each of the four generously proportioned bedrooms opens through French doors to the verandah while the bathrooms have been designed for luxury in a style sympathetic to the Victoria era.
From the street, there is no mistaking the grandeur of this home, with its long sweep of driveway leading to a paved courtyard where in the centre a towering pecan provides the turning circle to a freestanding garage with studio above.
A peppercorn tree shades the house on the western side while an orangerie includes orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime trees. Elsewhere are apple trees, a persimmon tree and a chicken coop.
Complementing the relaxed lifestyle offered by the Blue House, a swimming pool with cabana and barbecue features in the sprawling backyard.
The little luxuries extend to the vast area below the house where a wine cellar provides plenty of naturally cool space to keep a substantial collection of vintages.
Just moments away is the Hawkesbury River with a ramp for boating and fishing enthusiasts. The historic township of Windsor, is within easy walking distance offering a great assortment of shops, cafes and restaurants. By car, Rouse Hill is just 10 minutes away, Castle Hill and Penrith, 20 minutes and Sydney CBD just 50 minutes away. Windsor Train Station and numerous bus services link to nearby centres and the Sydney CBD.
Right in the centre of the Hawkesbury food bowl and one of the five Macquarie Towns, Windsor has plenty of charm and all the facilities to meet the needs of its 80,000 residents. There are a number of good public and private schools, a hospital and the Richmond campus of UWS.
For recreation the Hawkesbury River provides a year-round playground for boating, water-skiing and fishing and there’s plenty of equine entertainment to be found at the Windsor Polo Club.