West paddock
The property has commanding views westward to the Blue Mountains. The Bunya and Hoop pines were planted during the late 1860’s, and are amongst the first natives to be intentionally used as ornamentals at Rouse Hill.

Built atop the highest hill along this length of the 1814 Windsor Road, Rouse Hill House once commanded extensive views across the district, but as the garden matured all but the view westward to the mountains was lost. From this vantage point, the layout of the house with its central roof valley and mid 19thC service wings is discernible and glimpses of the garden can be caught through the trees. In the distance, the farmyard outbuildings and stables are visible.

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Drawing Room
As the main evening reception and entertainment space, the Drawing Room was decorated to impress when illuminated by candles and oil lamps. The gilded window cornices, mirrored surfaces, glossy furniture and wallpapers printed with metallic highlights were all intended to catch and reflect low light levels. Last redecorated in the 1880s, the Drawing Room received an ‘aesthetic movement’ makeover ten years later with the addition of the unusual chimney glass, daffodil printed window blinds and copious textile swagging ornamenting the furniture and walls.

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Cellar, built 1813 – 1818
Located on the southeast side of the house, under the Dining Room, this cellar, the larger of the two, was used to store food. The sandstone walls and floor provided cool, stable temperatures before mechanical refrigeration.  Security from theft was an important consideration for valuable foodstuffs, so access is only from inside the house and heavy iron bars protect the external light shafts. As time passed, the cellar became a convenient spot to store old furniture.

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Stables, built 1876
The Rouses were long renowned for the quality of their horse breeding. In 1876 Edwin Stephen Rouse lavished £1675 on the construction of this Stables. Though his father and grandfather bred for racing, Edwin Stephen’s special interest was breeding and training of carriage horses. The Stalls area could accommodate eight horses. The stablemen’s sitting room and bedroom, Tack Room and Loft opened off it.

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Barn, built 1870’s
The most isolated of Rouse Hill’s farm buildings, the barn was once a more substantial building with heavy vertical timber slab walls and large corrugated iron gates across the entrances.  The barn and its neighbouring paddocks were subdivided and sold in the late 1960’s. Parts of the main roof are still clad with Morewood & Rogers metal tiles.

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