and mechanized farming the one prize he won was for pumpkins. However, after his death wine from Tomago won a certificate of merit at Paris in 1855. Progress on Tomago House was slow, hampered by the 1840s depression. It seems likely that the house was fit for habitation by 1847. The house formed the nucleus of what was, in the mid-19th century, a vast agricultural estate and the country residence of one of the nation's leading politico-legal figures. The house comprises two distinct buildings to which some modern structures have been added. The first phase was between 1842 and 1847, construction of the main stone house. Clear evidence exists to confirm that the house was originally constructed with a slate roof. Little is known of the early form of the gardens at Tomago, though a sundial pedestal is mentioned in 1848. When in 1843 Windeyer added to his farm management and his immense legal practice the cares of a legislator in the Legislative Council, his health broke down and he was compelled to retire. Ill from overwork, financial worries and some internal disease, Windeyer died on a holiday near Launceston, 2 December 1847, when his role was far from completed. But his private affairs had suffered. His optimism and enterprise had led him to entertain projects that he could not afford and to incur large debts. From this cause and the economic depression of the 1840s, he died impoverished. His widow, a woman of remarkable character and determination, was enabled by money received from her family to retain a part of Tomago, where she lived, devoting herself to the prudent management of the property, the welfare of her infant son and local affairs. Although most of the holding passed out of family ownership his widow Maria was able to retain the house and . The estate included a range of outbuildings comprising a gatehouse, stables and dairy. Maria was left to complete the property, refinance it and maintain viability. This she did, adding to it with a Chapel built in 1860–1861. Maria Windeyer was determined not to return to Sydney as she had grown to love Tomago. Her interest in the property is thought to have continued after her death, with inexplicable sightings of an elderly woman rocking in her chair on the verandah, and keeping a watchful eye in the cellars. Little is known of the early form of