The Rosby Cellar Door & Gallery is a contemporary, rammed earth building response that respects the existing suite of earth buildings on a working property in Mudgee, NSW.
The historic dairy farm was taken over by Kay and Gerald Norton-Knight in 1982, who established a vineyard while raising four daughters in the homestead. Rosby Wines was launched in a mudbrick hut overlooking the vineyard at the top of the property, a building that plays a special role in the history of Rosby and the collective memory of all who have attended wine lunches and family weddings there.
The roof of the new Cellar Door rises to salute the top of the vineyard and mudbrick hut, a formal gesture of recognition to where it all started, while also welcoming visitors arriving from the parking area.
The four timber portal frames reference the four daughters of the Norton-Knight family while the rammed earth walls respect the alignment and materiality of the historic earth buildings. Since 2010 Rosby has been home to an annual Sculpture exhibition and calendar of art workshops.
The new building unites these art functions with the Cellar Door experience, allowing visitors to enjoy the gallery space alongside commanding views of the vineyard while subtly nodding towards the history of the vineyard & the family who run it.
The building is entirely off grid, relying on 13.2kw of solar panels with 15kw battery storage and 45,000L rainwater storage servicing the building and bushfire requirements. Large overhangs shade the Northern and Western facades, while existing and new trees further shade the low western sun in summer.
All timber used for the building was sustainably sourced Spotted Gum hardwood which will grey over time. Windows, doors & benchtops were all manufactured locally. Rammed earth was constructed by a neighbour who lives less than two kilometres from the site.
