The property consists of two distinctive areas: • a ridge on which is located the house gardens and • a slope leading down from this ridge to Saumarez Creek. On the slope is located the outbuilding complex and the site of the early station homestead. There is no line of sight between the house and the outbuildings. Between 2012 and 2015 the former Orchard Paddock was adapted to become a heritage rose garden by the Northern NSW sub-branch of the Australian Garden History Society, housing roses donated by Armidale rosarian, Catherine McLean.
Service Area The Service Area included rainforest items (plants) collected by F.J.White as he rode the wild gullies of cattle station Aberfoyle. Many found their way into Mrs White's heated conservatory during the severe New England winters.
Orchard Paddock The long-abandoned orchard paddock has been transformed into a large heritage rose garden inspired by the donation of many hundreds of roses donated by veteran Armidale rose collector, Miss Catherine MacLean. The garden was awarded a National Trust Heritage Award in the Conservation (Collections) category in 2016. Some years in the making, the garden opened to the public in October 2015. The garden was and is a collaborative project of the Northern NSW sub-branch of the Australian Garden History Society and the National Trust property. Since late 2015 many dozens of roses have been donated by local garden clubs keen to see all classifications of the rose family represented. When completed, over 500 roses will have been planted, representing each major cultivar group, most of them bred before 1930. Renowned local botanist Ian Telford created the design for 44 concentric beds, based on the idea of a Tudor rose. Local service clubs, Armidale-Dumaresq Council, AGHS and Heritage Roses Australia contributed funding. Visitors are increasing to the property to see the garden, and resultant revenue is helping generate funds to start a second stage, showcasing Australian rose breeders, which is hoped to start in late 2016 (National Trust of Australia (NSW), 2016, 12). Garden conservation at Saumarez benefits from detailed records, most of which are archived at the University of New England Heritage Centre. They include a rich photographic collection, F.J.White's letter-books, Saumarez Station work diaries and oral history interviews with long-serving family employees, such as the Betts. The recent digitising and indexing of hundreds of tiny prints from the Saumarez Collection albums will ensure the authenticity and depth of future research and presentations.
House The structure is a large two-storey brick residence. The elevations are a symmetrical. There are gabled projections on the north- east and west elevations with two storied
verandahs between. The house consists of two sections; a family accommodation wing to the north and a service wing to the south. The latter is built around a
courtyard. The family wing contains on the ground floor two large rooms-drawing room and dining room and five smaller rooms used as an office, bedrooms and sitting rooms. It also contains a wash room and bathroom. These front rooms open onto a central hall, while the back rooms open onto a crosshall. An elaborate Edwardian staircase opposite bedroom leads to the first floor. The first floor plan largely reflects the floor below and contains eight bedrooms, bathroom, a separate lavatory, a linen room and en suite off the main bedroom. On the southern side of the house is the two- storey service wing containing pantry, kitchen, scullery, laundry, and staff dining room and boot room on the ground floor. On the first floor is the present caretaker's accommodation consisting of two bedrooms, sitting room, bathroom, a small kitchen and verandah. Under the pantry and servants stair is a cellar with exterior access. On the east side of the central service courtyard is a single storey wing containing a store and small kitchen. Walls: The ground floor walls are of
Flemish bond brickwork. The bricks are "Armidale Blue". The better face bricks are used on the north and west sides of the accommodation wing. The first floor walls cavity brick in stretcher bond. The first floor bricks are also "Armidale Blue" but have more kiss (firing) marks than those on the lower floor. Sills and thresholds appear to be of Ravensfield stone while window head mouldings and string courses are cement rendered. In the service courtyard the ground floor window and door heads have been painted imitation tuck-pointed brickwork. Over the upper
bay windows are elaborate twin gabled bracketed timber hoods. The windows below at ground level have louvered panels set into the arched heads. Internally the walls are of plaster. They are either painted or wallpapered except in the bathrooms where they are partially tiled and in the service wing where they are all painted. Corners of all walls are finished with timber staff moulds. Roof: This is sheeted in
corrugated iron and is
hipped in form with
gables above the bay windows. These gables have vertical
battens below the barge decoration. These decoration covers a circular vent formed in the brickwork. The verandah iron has a bull-nose profile. The
eaves are decorated with paired timber
brackets and all guttering is of galvanised iron or splayed aluminum profiles. There are some ogee rainwater heads. There are revolving roof vents on the ridges. Floors: These are generally of timber covered by a central carpet square or runner with a
linoleum border. There are fitted carpets to rooms 2,7,8 and 11. The bathroom floors are of encaustic tiles and the verandah floors of untreated timber. The latter have been removed with the exception of the first floor west
balcony. This floor is badly weathered and the outer edge has traces of a bituminous coating. Ceilings: All ceilings to the accommodation wing are of Wunderlich
pressed metal. Each room and section of hallway has a different pattern. These patterns are picked out in various colours with the exception of those rooms 1,27 and 31. The major rooms 1,8,11,31 have central
ceiling roses. Minor rooms have no roses. The service wing has timber ceilings. Doors, windows and joinery: These appear to be all of cedar and all painted externally. There are timber louvered shutters to the ground floor
French doors and windows. The first floor French doors and windows are not shuttered but have traces of shutters (hinges and catches). There are timber-framed flyscreens to the exterior doors and to internal openings between rooms 8 and 56 and between rooms 11 and 12. The French door leaves have a single pane of glass. The windows consist of two single pane double hung
sashes. Interior doors are generally four-panelled. The exterior doors from the office4, staircase 57 and cellar 14 have been formed after the original ground floor construction. The bricks around their openings correspond to those on the first floor walls. Joinery is attained and varnished on the ground floor with the exception of the drawing room1, which is painted. All the first floor joinery is painted. There is an ornament rail to rooms 23 and 27 while all remaining rooms have
picture rails. Generally all glazing is clear with the following exceptions: front door
fanlight and
sidelights have colored art nouveau lead-light world; drawing room 1 exterior door fanlight has colored art nouveau lead-light work: the first floor stair hall window contains large panels of etched glass with Flannel lower, gymea lily and waratah decorations; the first floor external hall door is etched with flannel flower and waratah decorations. The main arched openings of the hallways are decorated with plaster
architrave's, paneling and plaster caps whilst the first floor halls have
pedestal and key stones. Verandah and balconies: The two main front verandahs and balconies are of similar detail consisting of Ionoc-derived iron ground floor posts stamped "Simpson- Makers-Morpeth" with timber panelled
frieze and arched valances above. The upper floor column capitals are of corinthian design. The east verandah is enclosed by a cast iron balustrade and gates, all of which have timber cap The ceilings of the verandahs are elaborately panelled in timber around the main floor frames of the balcony. The first floor balconies have cast iron valances, brackets, posts and
balustrades with timber cap rails. At the ends of each balcony one and a half
bays have been enclosed with obscure glass and timber panelling to form sleep-outs and the iron decoration removed. The verandah and balcony to the service courtyard is all of timber with
lattice valance to the ground floor. The flooring was renewed in 1985. A t covered way with iron roofs links the kitchen to a detached dairy/meat room at the rear. The floor of the kitchen landing was renewed in 1985. Fixture and fittings: The main stair is of stained and varnished cedar in two equal flights with mid landing and a storage cupboard underneath. A second access to the first floor is by servant's stair, which is one of two flights with winders. There is an elaborate art nouveau timber screen in the drawing room. There is a large built-in cupboard in room (5) and large floor to ceiling cupboards lining the east and west walls of the linen room (43). There is a large cedar wall cupboard in the washroom (9). There are produce bins and storage shelves lining room (19). There is shelving in the cellar (14) and in rooms 16 and 51. Room 16 also has Formica bench and stainless steel sink. The pantry (12) has a timber bench with sink drainer. There is an electric stove in room 33. Some rooms retain their original gas light brass wall brackets and a few ceiling gas fittings remain. Fireplaces: The groundfloor chimneypieces are Victorian in style and are generally of varnished cedar. The first floor chimneypieces are painted timber in art nouveau style. Exceptions are a white
marble chimneypiece to room 3. There are art nouveau cast iron inserts with tiled sides and hearths in the following rooms. 3,4,5, 6, 22a, 23, 24, and 25. There was a Coleman oil heater in the dining room (11) fireplace, which was removed in 1986. A Vulcan oil heater is in room 8. There are Artesses slow combustion stoves to rooms 26 and 31. There is an artese sitting on the west balcony 28 and another stored in the
shed loft (feature 89) The kitchen (15) has an aga slow combustion cooking stove installed in 1936 which is presently oil-fired. The laundry 17 is fitted with a wood-fired copper. There is a wood-fired cast iron stove in kitchen 20. Hardware: Doors generally have timber door knobs with brass escutcheons and timber fingerplates. Hinges are of iron and all remaining door and window furniture is of brass. Bathrooms and lavatories: The bathrooms appear to retain their original fittings with the following exceptions: 10 have a new bath, 30 have a new bath and new toilet: 32 have a new toilet. These items date from 1930 to 1950. With the above exceptions all porcelain fittings are white in colour and supplied by Tyllors. Furnishings: The furnishings date from 1880s to the late 1970s. Several items are of Australian timber and manufactured by Sydney firms such as David Jones & Co. and Beard Watson's. Of considerable interest is a large collection of elaborately carved furniture, picture frames and smaller objects worked by members of the family and friends.
Outbuildings and features The main outbuilding complex is situated on the slope to the south of the house. It contains a number of white painted timber structures with iron roofs. These are set amongst grassed paddocks and are interspersed with fences, yards, drains, and troughs. There are copses and a number of individual trees (principally pines and elms). There are a number of structures, which lie to the west outside the trust's boundary. These include a machine shed, cottage and vehicle shed. Another concentration of outbuildings is situated on the south side of Saumarez Creek, 2 kilometers outside the National Trust's property boundary. This consists of the woolshed and shearer's accommodation. A gardener's cottage (unoccupied) is located east of the Trust's boundary. To the south end of the National Trust's property boundary is the site of the early Saumarez Head station of Dumaresq and Thomas. This contained a homestead, stables yards and garden. The structure which have survived from this period are the stables (now Store and a brick addition to the homestead. All the remaining structures in the outbuilding area were built during the White's occupancy. Many were constructed by carpenter/contractor J.McLennan. A plan of –10 depicts the outbuilding area as containing Jack Hay's cottage (northern section) (173), early brick homestead (142), store (132), hay shed (92), blacksmiths machinery shed 989), stables (102) and a structure (possibly a kitchen) (177) between Jack Hay's and the early brick homestead. The office of F.J. White (72) stood on the crest of the ridge and formed the visual and functional link between the main house and the outbuilding area. A path (64) provided access to the office from the house.
Condition The physical condition of the property was reported as good as at 16 July 2013. Storm damage occurred to the property in 2001/2, with some trees falling causing damage to some buildings. Several aging Monterey pines on the entrance drive avenue fell in the storm. Saumarez is largely intact. == Heritage listing ==