Many of our visitors enjoy the tour of the cobbled yard. It’s very sheltered with a tall stone wall on the Southern side. The garden plants which grow against the wall are hardy so they can cope with the heat and dry through the summer. There has always been a lemon tree and a very old pale pink rose which somehow survives the harsh conditions. A collection of herbs and bulbs fills the rest of the garden bed.
The entire yard is cobbled. The cobbles are smooth and even in shape and must have been carefully chosen. Between the servants quarters and the kitchen door a six feet wide pathway has been laid using flat dark coloured stone pavers. They look as if they have been split to leave a flat surface.
Near the back door which goes straight into the kitchen is a well which still has water in the bottom. I remember my Father and Uncle spent ages getting the pump to work. First they had to repair a wooden platform which is just above the water level. This entailed lowering my Uncle on a rope. Once the platform was done they could put a ladder down. I don’t know how far it is to the water or how deep the water is.
The pump did work for a while but that was many years ago.
If you come on a Hobart heritage house and garden tour to Summerhome make sure you look down the well and see the water way below glittering in the cool dark depths.
