MELBA’S SWIMMING POOL
COOMBE COTTAGE, COLDSTREAM, VICTORIA
IMAGE NUMBER 1240a
The swimming pool in which the great opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, entertained royalty, statesmen and her friends from the golden age of silent movies, including Gloria Swanson, Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow, all of whom swam in this pool.
Melba’s estate, Coombe Cottage. is now preserved as she left it, save for an exceptional a la carte restaurant and wine tastings from the estate vineyard. The estate is now owned by her great-grandson, Lord Vestey, who grew up at Coombe Cottage and went to the local school on horseback. While taking these images Atticus met one of Melba’s great-great-great grandsons who was visiting from London.
This image was one of a series of images commissioned from Atticus Webb by the Amber Property Group for the Geoff Brady Collection of unique Victorian landscapes in 2020. The collection was compiled to mark the opening of the Sebel Hotel in Ringwood in February 2021. The images feature throughout the hotel.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 400. Exposure of 1/80th of a second and an aperture of F22. Phase One 45 mm lens with focal plane shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.