Lithgow’s Blast Furnace, Valley Colliery and Pottery Site and even a signal box are on the NSW State Heritage register, but one of Lithgow’s oldest buildings, Eskbank House, is not.
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A recommendation to nominate the house for the State Heritage Register will be voted on at the Lithgow City Council meeting on April 10.
“It is really obvious,” Lithgow City Council’s Manager of Community & Culture, Matthew Johnson said.
“That’s part of our thinking in nominating it as it will allow for greater protection and funding going towards the site.”
“Council has considered it for a few years. The Local Environment Plan has listed it as a heritage item for some time.”
Mr Johnson did not know why the house, upon which construction began in 1842, had not been previously nominated for the heritage resister.
“The council has been managing the property since 2003, and it also own the site which puts it in a good position for the heritage list because it means the council will match funding from the state government going towards it.”
Lithgow City Council has owned Eskbank House since 1948 but it was previously managed by a local historical society.
In 2012 a conservation management plan found the house eligible to qualify for the register as a, “rare highly intact early Victorian town villa … with high regional and local social, historic and aesthetic significance.”
Successful entry onto the register would allow the council to access state funding for the site.
“Council does allocate money to complete capital maintenance work and repairs on the site, but we’d complete maintenance more slowly than if we were able to gain State Heritage money,” Mr Johnson said.
Being granted a place on the State Heritage Register would also mean the council could access professional support managing the site, on top of the council staff and volunteers currently contributing to the house’s operations.
Mr Johnson said there were no other sites being considered for a State Heritage nomination.
Council will vote on Eskbank House’s nomination for the register on Monday, April 10. Improvements to the Blast Furnace site will also be discussed at the extra meeting.
“I imagine it’s going to be supported,” Mr Johnson said. “We’ll have to see, there’s always surprises around here.”