Ranelagh Estate Conservation Management Plan
The 1924 Walter Burleigh Griffin design for the Ranelagh Estate at Mount Eliza exemplifies a rich collaboration between Griffin, Marion Mahoney Griffin and Melbourne surveyor Saxil Tuxen.
The heritage values of the Estate were recognised in its listing on the Victorian Heritage Register in May 2005.
Together with the Shire of Mornington Peninsula, and working closely with the local community to identify and protect the community heritage values of Ranelagh Estate, Context developed an award-winning conservation management plan (CMP).
In part because of the international interest in the Griffins and their architectural and town planning projects, a key feature of this CMP was the substantial documentation of the historical development of the Estate and its links to early 20th century planning ideals as well as the ‘Melbourne modern’ movement in architecture.
This historical documentation, together with the descriptions of the physical and landscape character of the place, provided a solid basis for the analysis of heritage significance of Ranelagh Estate. The project was also designed to gain a better understanding of how the Estate was valued by the local community and the extent to which these local values were protected.
Extensive community engagement throughout the project (both prior to and during the preparation of the CMP) included the development of a shared vision for the future management of the Estate. Workshops to identify and document the social values influenced the updated statement of heritage significance.
