Hopetoun Stables

The historic 19th century Hopetoun Stables, alongside the Mews complex on the southern side of Government House, date back to 1901. They were named after Lord Hopetoun and were built to house the seventeen horses brought by Hopetoun to Melbourne together with his large entourage of aides and servants. So who was Lord Hopetoun?Lord Hopetoun (John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow) was a British aristocrat and statesman, who in 1889 as a young man age 29, was appointed Governor of Victoria, the youngest governor ever and in July 1900 was appointed as the first Governor-General of the new Commonwealth of Australia.When he first arrived in Melbourne he brought such an unexpectedly large number of servants, horses and carriages with him from England that a separate stable block (the Hopetoun Stables) had to be speedily constructed to house his entourage. He was eventually to have 30 horses in his stables.The stables today are structurally very sound. They have suffered little alteration and still retain their original colour scheme and fixtures and fittings. The interior colour scheme has never been renewed.