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Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
UPC2 Boroondara Planning Scheme Amendment C208 introduce Heritage Overlays and other
administrative heritage updates; Amendment C215 interim Heritage Overlays
Abstract
This report seeks a resolution from the Urban Planning Special Committee (UPSC) to
progress two (2) separate planning scheme amendments related to the introduction
of heritage controls for individual places. The report also seeks a resolution from the
UPSC to update the adopted citations for Surrey Hills North Residential and
Canterbury Hills Estate heritage precincts and Schedule of Gradings Map to regrade
four (4) properties in response to recent demolition and alteration.
Part A
Amendment C208 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme
Officers recommend that Council request Ministerial authorisation to prepare and
exhibit Amendment C208 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme. The amendment
seeks to introduce Heritage Overlays to seven (7) places located in Balwyn North,
Kew, Deepdene, Camberwell and Hawthorn East. These heritage places were
identified by the Strategic Planning Department’s heritage consultant with the
exception of 15 Deepdene Road, Deepdene which was identified in the Draft Balwyn
and Balwyn North Heritage Study 2013.
Subject to receiving authorisation from the Minister for Planning, Amendment C208
will be placed on public exhibition in accordance with Section 19 of the Planning and
Environment Act 1987 (Part A of the officers' recommendations). The outcomes of
exhibition will be reported to Council at a subsequent meeting. Council will then have
the opportunity to adopt, abandon or refer the amendment to an independent
Planning Panel.
Amendment C215 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme
Officers also recommend that Council submit a request to the Minister for Planning
under Section 20(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to prepare, adopt and
approve Amendment C215 to introduce interim heritage controls to the properties
proposed for heritage protection by Amendment C208. This is further discussed in
the report.
Part B
Re-adopt citations for Surrey Hills North Residential and Canterbury Hills Estate
heritage precincts to reflect revised gradings for four (4) properties.
This report also seeks Council’s resolution to regrade four (4) properties as identified
in the citations for Surrey Hills North Residential and Canterbury Hills Estate heritage
precincts and reflect these changes in the Schedule of Gradings Map. The properties
were included in the Heritage Overlay by Amendment C150. It is worth noting that
updating the citations for Surrey Hills North Residential and Canterbury Hills Estate
heritage precincts and the Schedule of Gradings Map will not require a planning
scheme amendment. This is further discussed in the report.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 1 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
Officers' recommendation
That the Urban Planning Special Committee resolve to:
Part A:
1.
Adopt Heritage Citations at Attachment 1.
2.
Request authorisation from the Minister for Planning to prepare Amendment
C208 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme in accordance with documentation
contained in Attachment 1.
3.
Following receipt of Ministerial authorisation, exhibit Amendment C208 in
accordance with Section 19 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
4.
Submit a request to the Minister for Planning under Section 20(4) of the
Planning and Environment Act 1987 to prepare, adopt and approve Amendment
C215 to introduce interim heritage controls to the properties included in
Attachment 1 to provide heritage protection to those properties whilst
Amendment C208 is underway.
5.
Authorise the Chief Executive Officer and the Director City Planning to
undertake minor administrative changes to the amendment and associated
planning controls that do not change the intent of the controls, or any changes
required under the Minister for Planning’s authorisation.
Part B:
6.
Update Reference Documents to the Boroondara Planning Scheme Clause
22.05 - Boroondara Schedule of Gradings Map, Surrey Hills North Residential
precinct citation and Canterbury Hills Estate heritage precinct citation to regrade
16 Empress Road, 5 Sir Garnet Road, 15 Queen Street and 7 Albert Street,
Surrey Hills from "contributory" to "non-contributory", as shown in Attachment
2.
7.
Notify the affected and adjoining property owner(s) and occupiers of the
heritage regrading(s) shown in Attachment 2.
46 Rowland Street, Kew:
8.
Make a submission to the Heritage Council in support of the inclusion of
46 Rowland Street, Kew on the Victorian Heritage Register as part of the public
submission process to consider inclusion of the property on the register.
9.
Withdraw 46 Rowland Street, Kew from Amendment C208 and C215 if the
Heritage Council approves the inclusion of the property on the Victorian
Heritage Register.
Document information
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 2 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
Responsible director:
John Luppino
City Planning
___________________________________________________________________
1.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is twofold. Part A of the officers’ recommendation
seeks the UPSC's resolution to commence Amendment C208 to the
Boroondara Planning Scheme to introduce heritage controls to seven (7)
places. Part A also seeks Council’s support to request interim Heritage
Overlays for the seven (7) places (Amendment C215).
Part B seeks a resolution to endorse updates to heritage gradings of four (4)
properties in Surrey Hills included in the Heritage Overlay to the Boroondara
Planning Scheme by Amendment C150. It is worth noting that Part B does not
require a planning scheme amendment.
2.
Policy implications and relevance to council plan
Council Plan
The amendment implements Council's commitment to “engage with our
community in striving for protection and enhancement of the natural and built
environment” in order to achieve the objective "the character of our
neighbourhoods is protected and improved" (Council Plan June 2013-17).
Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2013-17
The amendment implements Strategic Objective 2 of the Municipal Public
Health and Wellbeing Plan 2013-17, to ‘enhance and develop our
neighbourhoods to support health and wellbeing’ by including places of
heritage significance in the Heritage Overlay. In particular this amendment
implements Strategy 2.2: to support practices that assist Council and the
community maintain and enhance our natural environment for future
generations.
Boroondara Planning Scheme
The amendment is consistent with the State Planning Policy Framework and
Council's Heritage Policy (Clause 22.05) objectives to protect and conserve
places of heritage significance by introducing heritage controls to identified
heritage precincts and places.
The amendment also implements an objective to the Boroondara Municipal
Strategic Statement “to identify and protect all individual places, objects and
precincts of cultural heritage, aboriginal, townscape and landscape
significance” (Clause 21.05).
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 3 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
3.
24/11/14
Background
Part A
Context Pty Ltd (heritage consultants) was engaged in August 2012 to provide
heritage consultancy services to the City of Boroondara through the Strategic
Planning Department. The service implements the following actions in the
Heritage Action Plan which was adopted by Council on 17 September 2012:

VH1 (very high priority) - Employ a full / part time heritage consultant to
provide heritage services and advice to the Strategic Planning Department.

VH2 (very high priority) - Develop an annual program of proactive individual
heritage assessments prioritising properties graded B or C* in former
heritage studies which are not in a heritage overlay and have not been
reviewed since their initial grading; places listed in the Boroondara
Thematic Environmental History, particularly post war architect designed
buildings, churches and hotels; places on the Register of the National
Estate.

OAR3 (ongoing / as required) - Continue to implement a referral process to
ensure sites of possible heritage significance are assessed by a heritage
consultant prior to issuing report and consent to demolition under Section
29A of the Building Act 1993.
The scope of services includes:

Proactive assessments of potential heritage places to minimise the risk of
individually significant heritage places being demolished or substantially
modified.

Assessments in response to community queries / concerns when a place is
under threat, including places under threat of demolition.
Council's "possible heritage list" includes approximately 7,000 properties
identified in previous heritage studies or nominated by the community as well
as professional historian and design organisations such as the Royal
Australian Institute of Architects. Council's Heritage Consultant undertakes
proactive assessments of properties on this list. Proactive assessments are
prioritised according to threat of demolition or alteration, followed by priority
according to recommendations of nominating heritage study and nominations
by the community.
Permanent Heritage Overlay Amendment C208
This amendment recommends that three (3) places assessed by Council’s
heritage consultant as part of proactive assessments be included in the
Heritage Overlay:

203 Doncaster Road, North Balwyn

29 & 31 Parkhill Road, Kew (2 properties); and

7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn East.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 4 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
It should be noted that 7 Leura Gove, Hawthorn East was previously
recommended for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as part of Amendments
C178 and C211 in a report to the UPSC on 18 August 2014. At that meeting
the UPSC resolved that the Heritage Overlay for this property would be
considered at a later UPSC meeting. This report now presents for the
Committee’s consideration the proposal to include this property in the Heritage
Overlay. The following is an excerpt from the meeting minutes: “The Director
City Planning confirmed officers were withdrawing from the Committee’s
agenda, any consideration of the property at 7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn East
indicating that this property would be the subject of a separate report to a
future meeting.”
This report also recommends that four (4) places identified as being of
individual heritage significance which were recently subject of applications for
consent to demolition under Section 29A of Building Act 1993 or application
for subdivision implying demolition be included on the Heritage Overlay as part
Amendment C208:

16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury

15 Deepdene Road, Deepdene

23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell; and

46 Rowland Street, Kew.
The property at 16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury was assessed by Council’s
Heritage Consultant upon receipt of the Section 29A application for its
demolition. The property at 15 Deepdene Road, Deepdene had already been
assessed as part of the Draft Balwyn and Balwyn North Heritage Study 2013
when the Section 29A application for this property was received.
Council requested interim Heritage Overlays for both of the properties
(Amendments C203 and C194) and suspended both Section 29A applications
to allow time for the Minister for Planning to consider Council’s requests for
interim protection. The Minister for Planning is yet to make a decision on the
request for an interim Heritage Overlay for 16 Victoria Avenue (Amendment
C203). Council has withdrawn the request for interim protection of 15
Deepdene Road (Amendment C194) on the basis that the original application
for full-demolition was revised to an application of partial demolition which was
not considered detrimental to the heritage significance of the place. However it
is still considered pertinent that Council progress an amendment to
permanently introduce a Heritage Overlay to 15 Deepdene Road, Deepdene.
The property at 23-25 and property at part of 27 (TP 129339) Canterbury
Road, Camberwell are subject of an application for subdivision through
Council’s Statutory Planning Department. That application was referred to
Strategic Planning because the property was identified on Council’s Possible
Heritage List. Council’s Heritage Consultant determined that collectively, the
house at 23-25 Canterbury Road and property containing a tennis court and
garage at part of 27 (TP129339) Canterbury Road are of individual heritage
significance, warranting protection in the Heritage Overlay. Following this
assessment, preliminary consultation was undertaken with the affected and
immediately adjoining property owners and occupiers on the proposal to
introduce a Heritage Overlay to the property.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 5 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
During this time, a Section 29A application was lodged for the property
seeking total demolition of the existing dwelling. In response, a request was
made to the Minister for Planning under Section 20(4) of the Planning and
Environment Act 1987 (Amendment C216) seeking interim heritage protection
of the property. The Minister is yet to make a decision on this request.
It is noted that the adjacent property at 27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell
(TP613803E) is proposed for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay by Amendment
C178. A report on the proposal to commence a planning scheme amendment
to include this and other 26 other properties in the Heritage Overlay was
considered by the UPSC on 18 August 2014. The amendment was exhibited
from 16 October 2014 to 21 November 2014.
46 Rowland Street, Kew (Ngara - Gough Whitlam’s birthplace)
Officers recommend that Amendment C208 include the introduction of the
Heritage Overlay to 46 Rowland Street, Kew. The property is the birthplace of
the late former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
Council will be aware that on 22 October 2014, the Minister for Planning
applied for an Interim Protection Order (IPO) under Section 56 of the Heritage
Act 1995 to cease demolition of the dwelling at 46 Rowland Street, Kew. The
Heritage Council made the Order on 23 October 2014.
The Order places a cease on demolition works to the property and places the
property on the Victorian Heritage Register on a temporary basis for a period
of 4 months.
The Executive Director of Heritage Victoria has 60 days from when the IPO
was issued to make a recommendation to the Heritage Council as to whether
to include the property within the Victorian Heritage Register on a permanent
basis. If the Executive Director recommends that the property not be included
in the Victorian Heritage Register, the nomination may be referred to Council
for consideration of inclusion in the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme. This issue is further discussed in Section 4 of the officers’
report.
The Heritage Council had previously considered an IPO request for the
property. However at the time, the Heritage Council determined not to issue
the Order on the basis that the information presented was insufficient in
demonstrating the property’s heritage significance at a state level, and
consequently, justification for its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Citations for the above places recommended for inclusion in the Heritage
Overlay as part C208 are provided at Attachment 1.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 6 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
Part B
Separate from Amendment C208 but seeking UPSC's consideration, officers
also recommend that the following four (4) properties included in the Heritage
Overlay by Amendment C150 be regraded from ‘contributory’ to ‘noncontributory’:

16 Empress Road, Surrey Hills;

5 Sir Garnet Road, Surrey Hills;

15 Queen Street, Surrey Hills, and;

7 Albert Street, Surrey Hills.
Council adopted Amendment C150 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme on 24
February 2014 and was approved by officers of the Department of Transport
Planning and Local Infrastructure (DTPLI) under delegation from the Minister
for Planning on 17 September 2014. Amendment C150 came into effect on 25
September 2014 when it was published in the Victorian Government Gazette.
Amendment C150 includes three (3) residential precincts in Surrey Hills in the
Heritage Overlay. Following notification to affected owners and occupiers of
Council’s decision to adopt Amendment C150:

The impact of alterations and additions to this property (16 Empress Road,
Surrey Hills) included in the Heritage Overlay by Amendment C150 were
investigated in response to an enquiry from a community member. This
investigation found that the alterations and additions were detrimental to its
significance, subsequently downgrading its level of significance.

Section 29A demolition applications were received for properties at 5 Sir
Garnet Road, 15 Queen Street and 7 Albert Street, Surrey Hills. All three
properties were identified in the adopted Amendment C150 which was with
the Minister for approval at the time the S29A applications were received
by Council. Council requested that the Minister for Planning introduce
interim Heritage Overlays for these properties (Amendment C201) on the
basis of the S29A applications. On 3 July 2014 Amendment C201 was
refused by officers of the DTPLI under delegation from the Minister for
Planning. Council was then bound to issue consent for the demolition and
permits for demolition have been granted and acted upon.
Given that Amendment C150 has now been approved, all properties noted
above are now included in permanent Heritage Overlays. Therefore, Council is
only required to update the heritage citations relevant to each property (Surrey
Hills North Residential and Canterbury Hills Estate heritage precinct citations)
which are Reference Documents to the Heritage Policy at Clause 22.05 of the
Boroondara Planning Scheme along with the Schedule of Gradings Map.
Undertaking these changes does not require a planning scheme amendment.
Maps showing the changes in grading are provided at Attachment 2.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 7 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
4.
24/11/14
Outline of key issues/options
Part A
Permanent Heritage Overlay - Amendment C208
The heritage places identified in Attachment 1 currently have no statutory
heritage protection. This poses a risk to the loss of the City's heritage should
demolition or unsympathetic alterations of the heritage buildings occur.
It is therefore considered appropriate that the UPSC resolve to seek
authorisation from the Minister for Planning to commence Amendment C208
to include these properties in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay at Clause
43.01 of the Boroondara Planning Scheme.
Subject to receiving authorisation from the Minister for Planning, Amendment
C208 will be placed on public exhibition in accordance with Section 19 of the
Planning and Environment Act 1987. The outcomes of the public exhibition
process will be reported to Council at a subsequent meeting. Council will then
have the opportunity to adopt, abandon or refer the amendment to an
independent Planning Panel.
If Council resolves not to proceed with the amendment, there will be no
statutory heritage protection of the sites. Consequently any future demolition
or alteration to the identified heritage buildings cannot be assessed against
Council's Heritage Policy.
Interim Heritage Overlay - Amendment C215
Officers note that there is a risk of one or more of the six (6) properties which
are not already subject of a request for an interim Heritage Overlay being
demolished before permanent heritage controls are introduced by Amendment
C208. The duration of a planning scheme amendment is between 18 to 24
months and there is a possibility of a request for demolition of these properties
being made during this time. Therefore, it is recommended that the UPSC also
resolve to submit a request to the Minister for Planning under Section 20(4) of
the Planning and Environment Act to prepare, adopt and approve Amendment
C215 to introduce interim heritage controls to properties recommended for
inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as part of Amendment C208. Outstanding
requests for interim Heritage Overlays for the following properties, currently
with the Minister for Planning, would then be withdrawn:

16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury (Amendment C203), and;

23-25 and part of 27 (TP 129339) Canterbury Road, Camberwell
(Amendment C217).
The interim heritage controls will be the same as the permanent heritage
controls proposed under Amendment C208, but will provide interim protection
to these properties while Amendment C208 is being progressed.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 8 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
46 Rowland Street, Kew
As discussed earlier, 46 Rowland Street, Kew is subject of an Interim
Protection Order (IPO) issued under Section 56 of the Heritage Act 1995 on
23 October 2014 for a period of four (4) months. The Executive Director of
Heritage Victoria has 60 days from the date of issue of the IPO to make a
recommendation to the Heritage Council as to whether the property should be
permanently included on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Executive
Director may instead refer the nomination to Council for consideration of the
property’s inclusion in the Heritage Overlay in the Boroondara Planning
Scheme.
Any person may make a written submission to the Heritage Council in relation
to the Executive Director’s recommendation. A submission must be made
within 60 days of notice being given of the Executive Director’s
recommendation.
Officers recommend that Council be party to this process and make a
submission in support of the property’s inclusion on the Victorian Heritage
Register.
In the event that the Heritage Council reaffirms its previous position that the
evidence presented is insufficient in demonstrating that the property is of state
heritage significance, it is recommended that Council pursue inclusion of the
property in the Heritage Overlay for its local significance.
In preparation of this outcome, officers recommend that Council resolve to
make an application to the Minister to apply an interim Heritage Overlay to the
property as well as progress permanent heritage controls through Amendment
C208. The heritage citation prepared and previously lodged with the Minister
for Planning for consideration under Amendment C202 is provided in
Attachment 1 and provides the basis of Council’s application to include the
property in the Heritage Overlay.
Should the Heritage Council determine that the property be included on the
Victorian Heritage Register on the basis of its state significance, then the
property will be included in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the
Boroondara Planning Scheme and noted as being included in the Victorian
Heritage Register. Following this, future building or works would require
planning approval from Heritage Victoria. It is recommended that the property
be withdrawn from Amendment 208 (permanent heritage controls ) and
Amendment C215 (interim heritage controls) should the property be included
on the Victorian Heritage Register on a permanent basis.
If Council resolves not to include the property in Amendments C208 and
C215, there is a risk that the property would not be protected through any
heritage controls and open to the threat of demolition.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 9 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
Part B
Regrading of four (4) properties proposed for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay
by Amendment C150
Officers also recommend that Council resolve to regrade the following
properties from ‘contributory’ to ‘non-contributory’ to maintain the Boroondara
Planning Scheme:

16 Empress Road, Surrey Hills;

5 Sir Garnet Road, Surrey Hills;

7 Albert Street, Surrey Hills, and;

15 Queen Street, Surrey Hills.
The property at 16 Empress Road, Surrey Hills has been substantially altered
including changes to the facade which added embellishment that is not
original to the design. These alterations where assessed by Council’s Heritage
Consultant who found that these changes had diminished the heritage
significance of the property. For this reason it is recommended that the
property be regraded.
As Council’s request for interim Heritage Overlays for properties at 5 Sir
Garnet Road, 15 Queen Street and 7 Albert Street, Surrey Hills (Amendment
C201) was refused by DTPLI, Council officers were bound to issue consent for
their demolition. Buildings on these properties have now been demolished.
The loss of these buildings suggests that the properties should be regraded
from ‘contributory’ to ‘non-contributory’ as the built fabric which was the basis
for their ‘contributory’ grading is no longer evident.
If the Committee adopts these changes in grading, these properties would be
shown as "non-contributory" in the Boroondara Schedule of Gradings Map.
The above changes in grading are required to ensure that the Boroondara
Schedule of Gradings Map is up to date and reflects appropriate gradings in
accordance with grading definitions in Council’s Heritage Policy at Clause
22.05-6 to the Boroondara Planning Scheme provided below:
5.

“Contributory’ heritage places are places that contribute to the cultural
heritage significance of a precinct…”

“Non-contributory’ places are places within a heritage precinct that have no
identifiable cultural heritage significance…”
Consultation/communication
Part A
Council undertook preliminary consultation on proposed Heritage Overlays for
properties recommended for inclusion in the Heritage Overlay as part of
Amendment C208. Owners and occupiers of affected and abutting properties
were notified by mail and invited to provide feedback. Eight (8) submissions
were received during preliminary consultation.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 10 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
The first submission (from the owner of 31 Parkhill Road) stated no objection
to the inclusion of properties at 29 and 31 Parkhill Road in the Heritage
Overlay, this submission also provided additional information about the history
of the place. The second submission, from the owner of 203 Doncaster Road
was opposed to the inclusion of this property in the Heritage Overlay. A further
three (3) submissions were received in support of the Heritage Overlay to 203
Doncaster Road. Two (2) of these supportive submissions were from relatives
of the original property owners for whom the house at 203 Doncaster Road
was designed and the final supportive submission was from the Robin Boyd
Foundation.
A sixth submission was received on behalf of the owner of 23-25 and part of
27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell opposing the inclusion of the property in the
Heritage Overlay. The final two (2) submissions were in support of the
proposal to include 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell. A
summary of the eight (8) submissions and the officers’ response is provided at
Attachment 3.
None of the submissions alter the officers’ recommendation to proceed with
the protection of the properties.
Subject to receiving authorisation from the Minister for Planning, Amendment
C208 will be placed on public exhibition for one (1) month in accordance with
Section 19 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Owners and occupiers
of affected and adjoining properties will be notified of exhibition. The outcomes
of the public exhibition process will be reported at a future UPSC meeting prior
to Council making a decision on the amendment.
Part B
Council undertook preliminary consultation on the proposed regrading of the
property at 16 Empress Road. Owners and occupiers of the affected and
abutting properties were notified by mail and invited to provide a feedback. No
submissions were received to the proposed regrading.
Preliminary consultation was not undertaken for the properties at 5 Sir Garnet
Road, 15 Queen Street and 7 Albert Street, Surrey Hills because Council was
bound to issue consent to demolition after the request for interim protection
(Amendment C201) was refused. The loss of these buildings, which have all
recently been demolished, necessitates the regrading.
46 Rowland Street, Kew
The Executive Director of Heritage Victoria is required to publish a notice
advising of his recommendation to the Heritage Council in relation to the
inclusion of 46 Rowland Street, Kew on the Victorian Heritage Register. The
community and other stakeholders (including Council) have the opportunity to
make a submission to the Heritage Council within 60 days of this notice either
in support or objection of the recommendation.
The Heritage Council may choose to conduct a public hearing to consider any
submission as part of its deliberation.
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 11 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
6.
24/11/14
Financial and resource implications
Resources to progress the amendment and implement the identified actions to
maintain the Boroondara Planning Scheme will be sourced from the Strategic
Planning Department 2014/15 budget.
7.
Governance issues
The implications of this report have been assessed in accordance with the
requirements of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities,
including Council's Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities
Compatibility Assessment Matrix (Version 1, August 2011). It is considered
that the purpose of the officer's report does not negatively impact on the
values identified in the Charter.
The officers responsible for this report have no direct or indirect interests
requiring disclosure.
8.
Social and environmental issues
The proposed heritage controls will provide positive social and environmental
benefits by contributing to the continual protection and management of the
City’s heritage.
9.
Conclusion
The Strategic Planning Department is committed to investigating and
protecting the City's heritage in accordance with the adopted Heritage Action
Plan (2012) and audit of existing heritage places in Boroondara. The
inclusions of places assessed to be of heritage significance in the Heritage
Overlay minimises the risk of individually significant heritage places being
demolished or substantially modified. It is considered appropriate that the
UPSC resolve to commence Amendment C208 to the Boroondara Planning
Scheme (Part A) to preserve and protect the identified heritage values of the
City of Boroondara.
Further, regrading substantially altered or demolished places ‘noncontributory’ (Part B) fulfils the Strategic Planning Department's duty to
maintain and update the Boroondara Planning Scheme and information that
supports the protection of existing heritage places. Updating the Schedule of
Gradings Map to reflect the impact of alterations and demolition ensures that
the map reflects the grading definitions in Councils Heritage Policy,
subsequently allowing for accurate and relevant considerations during the
assessment of any potential future planning permit applications.
Manager:
Zoran Jovanovski, Strategic Planning
Report officer:
Eva Klaic, Senior Strategic Planner, Strategic Planning
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 12 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
______________________________________________________________________________________
$WWDFKPHQW
AV Jennings House
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn East
Name: House
Survey Date: 22 Nov. 2012
Place Type: Residential
Grading: Individually Significant
Architect: Edward Gurney
(attributed)
Builder: A V Jennings
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date: 1940
Historical Context
AV Jennings, builders
A V Jennings, founded in 1932 by Albert Victor Jennings, was Melbourne's first project
builder, Australia's largest private home builder and the largest and most influential
provider of house and land packages (Built Heritage 2012:135; NT citation B7247). The
company was known for providing superior brick homes at an affordable price. The
company's most notable pre-war housing estates were located in Ivanhoe (Beauview and
Beaumont estates) and Murrumbeena (Beauville Estate). During the interwar period, no
A V Jennings estates were built within the current City of Boroondara, although one
suburban dwelling was constructed at 7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn (1940). This house is the
company's earliest identifiable project within the City (Built Heritage 2012:135).
______________________________________________________________________________________
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 13 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
______________________________________________________________________________________
The designer of all of the AV Jennings houses from late 1932 until 1939, and many after
that time, was their in-house designer, Edgar Gurney. Garden (1992:19) notes that while
Guerney was 'essentially designing houses for the middle market, he nevertheless
exhibited an awareness of the latest trends in home architecture'. The majority of his
designs in the 1930s were in the Old English style and a conservative interpretation of
the Moderne style (a standard, hip roof house with Moderne detailing). Garden goes on:
'Few of his homes could be described as avant-garde, but he did include one flat-roof
modern house at Beauville [Estate, Ivanhoe] and of particular interest architecturally is
the flat-roofed, functional Bauhaus which he designed for himself at 17 Melcombe Road,
Ivanhoe.'
In 1943, the company headquarters moved to Trent Street, Burwood. From the early
1940s, A V Jennings began to move away from private housing, in favour of a general
contracting service, which incorporated projects for the Housing Commission of Victoria
and experimentation with prefabricated houses. An example was the prefabricated
plywood house at 55 Birdwood Street, Balwyn (c1940s; demolished), presumably
designed by architect Edgar Gurney, and commissioned as a proto-type by plywood
manufacturers Romcke Pty Ltd. This house was praised as the first wholly prefabricated
house in Australia. In addition to these houses, the company's activities in the 1940s
were limited to a small number of houses in Balwyn North and additions to its
headquarters in Burwood (Built Heritage 2012:135).
A V Jennings is most notably known for their planned community developments in the
post-war decades (NT citation B7247). In the mid-1950s A V Jennings built four
residential estates located around Melbourne, intended to re-establish the company as
providers of high-quality housing. One of these estates was the Trentwood Estate in
Balwyn North, in which cul-de-sacs branched off the central street, Trentwood Avenue.
The estate was progressive for its inclusion of a commercial strip, kindergarten and baby
health centre and RSL clubrooms (Built Heritage 2012:135).
History
In August 1938, Harry Cole, horticulturalist, purchased over one acre (Crown portion
105A, Parish of Boroondara) of land bounded by Leura Grove to the south and Saint
Helens Road to the north. Cole subdivided the land from 1939, and sold 7 Leura Grove to
Frank A G Norton, professional photographer, in April 1940 (LV:V6237/F278). The house
was sold to Louis Pogonowski in November 1950 (LV: V6378/583).
Garden (1992:48) states that the two-storey house at 7 Leura Grove was built in 1940 by
A V Jennings. Jennings was simultaneously building Beauview Estate in Ivanhoe, yet
venturing into other markets. Built Heritage (2012:135) notes that this house is the
company's earliest identified project within the City of Boroondara.
Considering its similarities to houses designed around this time by AV Jenning's in-house
designer, Edgar Gurney, it is believed that he designed the 7 Leura Grove house as well.
Description & Integrity
The house at 7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn East, is a two-story cream-brick Moderne house
set on a slight rise behind a generous front yard. The front yard is enclosed by a low brick
fence (now rendered) with pyramidal tops to the piers. It curves inward at the east side,
to sweep in along the entrance drive.
The house has a flat, concrete-slab roof. The central, two-storey mass is surrounded by
projecting single-storey wings. The front (south) wing has the most dramatic projection,
and curved walls which mirror the curved corner of the east side of the facade. There is a
decorative band at the top of the curved wall, of recessed bricks with projecting soldiers.
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The projecting curved wing has a simple, horizontal metal balustrade set on a projecting
concrete slab, creating a broad terrace accessed via a door with a decorative metal
screen. The front door, at the south-east corner of the house, appears to have a similar
metal screen.
Windows are a combination of fixed and casement timber windows, with a horizontal
band of glass block highlights on the curved corner (at first-floor level). The projecting
curved bay has a continuous curved picture window along its entire length, clearly
demonstrating the capabilities of steel framing.
There is a flat-roofed garage attached to the east side of the house, which appears to be
original. It retains double ledged timber doors. A later carport has been added to the
front.
The walls of the house had been bagged and painted, concealing the cream bricks, when
viewed in 2012. The coating was removed by 2014, restoring the house to its original
appearance.
While a small band of cream bricks are visible above the door to the first-floor terrace, the
rest of the walls have been bagged with cement slurry. It is likely that the majority of the
bricks are cream-coloured, but there may be clinker brick accents, like other AV Jennings
houses of this style and era.
Comparative Analysis
The Moderne, or Streamlined Moderne, style was introduced to Australia in the 1920s via
the USA, but also shares some traits with European Modernism of the time, such as flat
roofs, corner windows (exhibiting steel's capabilities). It was first used for commercial
buildings, before being translated to residential buildings from the early 1930s. Moderne
buildings generally have asymmetric massing, strong horizontal lines sometimes
strengthened by a parapet and flat roof, ribbon windows, rounded corners and semicircular wings jutting out from the central mass. Many Australian designers compromised
the strong horizontals by including a hipped tiled roof, though the more avant-garde and
purist approach was to have a flat roof.
Stylistically, three houses included in the Schedule to the Boroondara Heritage Overlay
compare most closely with 7 Leura Grove.
The first is 15 Walbundry Avenue, Balwyn North, of 1936 (HO189). This two-storey,
rendered Moderne house has similar massing, with a curved corner to the two-storey part
of the facade, and a projecting curved single-storey section to the right, used as a
terrace. These two flat-roof, curved volumes are set in front of a more conservative,
hipped roof body of the house. Windows are modern, steel-framed with a porthole near
the front door. The house retains its low, rendered front fence.
The second is 2 Beatrice Street, Glen Iris, of 1941 (HO370). This two-storey cream-brick
Moderne house has an asymmetrical massing, parapeted walls concealing the flat roof,
projecting semi-circular bays at ground-floor level with terraces on their roof, and a flat
concrete hood above the windows. It is believed that the original windows have been
replaced by the current timber casements.
The third is 89 Studley Park Road, Kew, of 1940-41 (HO347). It is another two-storey
cream-brick Moderne house with asymmetrical massing, curved corners, particularly fine
steel windows with curved plate glass, etched-glass porthole windows, and a curved
projecting single-storey bay. The roof is hipped and tiled, but is largely hidden by a high
brick parapet.
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7 Leura Grove compares well in its massing and detailing with the above examples. It
represents the purist end of the style, with a wholly flat roof. The windows lack the quality
of the curved steel-framed windows seen at 89 Studley Park Road. The bagging of the
face brick compromises its presentation, but this alteration is fairly simple to reverse (with
a careful acid wash).
Further afield, the development of the Moderne style by Edward Guerney is seen at the
two 1930s AV Jennings estates in Ivanhoe: Beaumont and Beauview.
The Beaumont Estate of 1936-39 (Banyule, HO4) comprises houses in the Olde English
style of clinker brick, and Moderne in clinker, apricot and cream brick (one of these three
the dominant material with accents of the others). While most of the houses have pitched
roofs, a handful show more influence from International Modernism, with flat roofs hidden
by a parapet. The roofs were constructed of hollow-block reinforced concrete slabs.
Other indicators of this style include corner windows, curved balconies and glass blocks.
With their sculptural, three-dimensional form, these houses were given pride of place on
corner blocks (6, 17 and 25 Melcombe Avenue; no 17 was Edward Guerney's own
house). In comparison with the slightly later 7 Leura Grove, the Beaumont Estate houses
are far more severe and rectilinear. Only 6 Melcombe Road has small curve concrete
balconies.
At the Beauview Estate (Banyule HO91), construction began in 1939, and was halted by
the war. The house at 20 Beauview Parade shares with 7 Leura Grove a prominent
projecting curved bay with a terrace on top, while the roof is a combination of hipped and
flat sections (the face brick has also been given an unfortunate bagged finish, obscuring
the bricks). Other houses have pitched roofs and are in a variety of styles.
AV Jennings also constructed houses for individual clients in the area, such as the house
at 4 Maltravers Road, Ivanhoe (City of Banyule, HO2) of 1939-40. It is a two-storey
cream-brick house with a clinker-brick base, with a flat roof, and a band of recessed
details along the top of the parapet. Also similar to 7 Leura Grove, it has a large curved
wall to one side of the facade.
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
This is the first known house to be built by the AV Jennings Construction Company in the
City of Boroondara, and one of its last individual residential commissions prior to World
War Two. Founded in 1932 to provide high-quality brick houses at affordable prices, the
company began building individual houses but expanded into entire housing estates by
the mid-1930s. The company went on to have a significant presence in the area with the
Trentwood Estate in Balwyn North, and became Australia's largest private home builder
and the largest and most influential provider of house and land packages.
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
This was the first AV Jennings house built in the City.
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
Not applicable
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
The house at 7 Leura Grove is a representative and largely intact example of a Moderne
style two-storey residence of the late interwar period.
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
The house exhibits typical features of the Moderne style, including asymmetric massing,
rounded corners, strong horizontal lines strengthened by the parapet and steel railing to
the terrace, ribbon windows to the single-storey, semi-circular wing at the front, horizontal
bands of glass blocks, and a flat concrete roof.
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
Not applicable
CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
Not applicable
CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
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The design of the house is attributed to AV Jenning's in-house designer, Edgar Gurney.
Gurney designed in many popular styles of the interwar period, but a small number were
more avant-garde interpretations with flat roofs and complex massing, including his own
house at 17 Melcombe Road, Ivanhoe, as well as 7 Leura Grove.
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The cream-brick Moderne house at 7 Leura Grove, Hawthorn East, is significant to the
extent of its 1940 fabric. The house was constructed by developer AV Jennings for owner
Frank Norton, a professional photographer. The design is attributed to Jenning's in-house
designer, Edgar Gurney.
The front fence and the attached garage contribute to the significance of the place.
The carport is not of significance.
How is it significant?
The house at 7 Leura Grove is of local historical and representative significance to the
City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the house is significant as the first known house to be built by the AV
Jennings Construction Company in the City of Boroondara, and one of its last individual
residential commissions prior to World War Two. Founded in 1932 to provide high-quality
brick houses at affordable prices, the company began building individual houses but
expanded into entire housing estates by the mid-1930s. The company went on to have a
significant presence in the area with the Trentwood Estate in Balwyn North, and became
Australia's largest private home builder and the largest and most influential provider of
house and land packages. (Criterion A)
The house at 7 Leura Grove is a representative and largely intact example of a Moderne
style two-storey residence of the late interwar period. It exhibits the aesthetic
characteristics of this style, including asymmetric massing, rounded corners, strong
horizontal lines strengthened by the parapet and steel railing to the terrace, ribbon
windows to the single-storey, semi-circular wing at the front, horizontal bands of glass
blocks, and a flat concrete roof. It is clad in the fashionable cream bricks of the time.
While its presentation has been compromised by bagging of the cream face bricks, its
overall composition is still clearly legible. It is also one of the small number of avantgarde Moderne houses built by AV Jennings in the interwar period, and appears to be
part of the oeuvre of Edgar Gurney, whose own house in Ivanhoe was designed in this
style. (Criteria D, H)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an individually significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme:
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
No
No
No
No
No
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Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
Prohibited uses may be permitted
Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
No
No
Identified By
Built Heritage (2012), 'City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History'.
References
Built Heritage (2012), 'City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History', prepared for
the City of Boroondara.
Garden, Don (1992), Builders To The Nation, The A.V. Jennings Story, Melbourne.
Land Victoria (LV), Certificates of Title, as cited above.
National
Trust
citation
B7247,
'Beauville
Estate',
at http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic/Home, January 2013.
viewed
online
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‘Coryule’
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury
Name: ‘Coryule’
Survey Date: 15 May 2014
Place Type: Residential
Architect: John Beswicke
Grading: Individually Significant
Builder:
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date: 1890
Historical Context
Great Railway Station Estate, Canterbury
In November 1889, William Cairncross, James Paterson, gentleman, and Andrew
Hansen, estate agent, purchased just over 28 acres (part of Elgar’s Crown Special
Survey) bound by Mont Albert Road to the north and Canterbury Road to the south. The
three investors subdivided the land, creating Victoria Avenue, Hopetoun Avenue and
View Street (LV:V2214/F641). That same month they engaged the practice Beswicke &
Hutchins, architects and surveyors, to design at least three show houses for the new
estate, described as ‘magnificent samples of different styles of architecture’ (Argus, 11
Nov 1889: 5; 30 Apr 1890:3).
Two of these houses appear to be 7 Victoria Avenue (HO411) and 13 Victoria Avenue
(HO412), as well as 16 Victoria Avenue. The house at No. 7 is a two-storey Italianate
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villa of rendered brick which is similar to Beswicke’s designs at 39 Kinkora Road,
Hawthorn (Individual in HO152) and 997 Burke Road, Hawthorn (HO19), though it is
distinguished by the two-storey canted bay. No. 13 is a two-storey villa with multiple
gables and a modest tower constructed in red brick with polychrome accents. It is known
to have been owned by developer James Patterson and is a larger version of Beswicke’s
design at 9 Yarra Street, Hawthorn.
Victoria Avenue was listed in the Sands & McDougall Directory from 1889, under the
locality of Surrey Hills until 1892, after which it was listed in Canterbury (S&Mc).
An auction was held on 3 May 1890 to sell ‘Three Splendid two-storey BRICK
RESIDENCES, Just completed’ (Argus, 30 Apr 1890:3), though the first legal transfers of
individual lots are not recorded until December 1890. The first lots sold were mainly
located south of View Street on the west side of Victoria Avenue, with just three sold on
the east side (LV: V2214/F641). By 1891, there were seven houses already built on
Victoria Avenue, under various owners, including 16 Victoria Avenue (Lot 87) which was
owned by James Paterson at this date.
The subdivision was called the Great Railway Station Estate. It was named for its
proximity to the 1882 Canterbury Station, a planned station between Camberwell and
Canterbury, as well as a station on the now-defunct Outer Circle Line (Argus, 30 Apr
1890:3).
An article in the Argus in 1890 (30 Apr 1890:3) advertised the sale of houses within the
Great Railway Station Estate, Canterbury. They were described as ‘three Splendid twostorey brick residences’ which had just been completed, built under the supervision of
prominent architects Beswicke and Hutchins. The article also advertised the sale of ‘60
Magnificent Mansion and Villa sites’.
An auction map for the Great Railway Station Estate of 1898 shows that the Estate which
corresponded with the land purchased by Cairncross, Paterson and Hansen in 1889
(Auction map). The map shows that few lots were built on at this date. It advertises a
‘Trustees Sale by Auction’ for the estate of the late James Hutchings (who presumably
purchased the vacant lots from Cairncross, Paterson and Hansen). It described the
estate:
The property is picturesquely and most advantageously situated, very close to the
Canterbury Station, on the rise and crest of a hill, and commanding extensive and
pretty views. The Outer Circle Railway is also close to the Property, and the
drainage and healthful surroundings are all that could be desired. The distance
from the city is only Seven and a-half Miles, and the district is served by 36 trains
per day each way; and if the suggestion to make Canterbury the terminus is carried
out, the number will be more than doubled.
The Trustees desire to dispose of the Property, and with this view have fixed the
prices at an extremely low figure, and the terms upon an unusually liberal scale.
The Estate was partially developed by 1905, as illustrated on the Melbourne Metropolitan
Board of Works detail plan (Plan No.1995). At this date, there were ten houses located
on Victoria Avenue, south of View Street.
History
No. 16 Victoria Avenue was Lot 87 of the Great Railway Station Estate subdivision
(LV:V2214/F641; RB). The 1890 Boroondara rate books indicate that Lot 87 remained as
land under the ownership of the investors Paterson, Hansen and Cairncross. In 1891, the
rate books do not record lot numbers, however, Walter Haig (who occupied the house at
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Lot 87 from the following year) was pencilled in as the occupant of a house owned by
developer James Paterson. This indicates that the house at 16 Victoria Avenue was built
in 1890, while under ownership of the developers.
This corresponds with one of the construction tender notices placed by Beswicke &
Hutchins in November 1889 for: ‘The ERECTION of Brick VILLA RESIDENCE, Victoriastreet, Great Railway Station Estate, Canterbury’ (Argus, 11 Nov 1889:5 – see below).
Beswicke & Hutchins placed two other tender notices at the same time, for two twostorey brick villa residences
In May 1892, the Metropolitan Bank Ltd held the title for Lot 87, however the rate books
record the owner and occupier of the house as Walter Haig (LV:V2426/F98; RB). By this
date, the Metropolitan Bank held the titles for four houses within the Estate, spread
across Victoria and Hopetoun avenues. The rate books still listed an individual owner for
each house, so they may have financed the purchases through the bank.
Walter Haig remained the rated owner of the house at Lot 87 until 1894, when S
Townsend became the rated owner, yet Walter Haig remained as the occupant (RB).
Samuel Townsend, a (Irish-born) commercial traveller of Hawthorn was recorded as the
owner in the certificate of title from April 1895 (LV:V2564/F788; Argus 22 Sep 1883).
Under Townsend’s ownership, the property was leased to a series of owners, including
Henry Brabazon from 1903 (Sands & McDougall). The 1905 MMBW detail plan shows
the footprint for ‘Coryule’. The plan also shows an outbuilding behind it, on the northern
boundary, and a small stable at the north-east corner of the lot (see below). At this date,
the brick house was recorded as having seven rooms (RB).
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In 1914, Townsend purchased a narrow strip of land (10 foot wide) along the north side
of 16 Victoria Avenue (LV:V3784/F664), presumably extending the lot. After Townsend’s
death in 1918, the property was transferred to his estranged widow Esther Townsend of
‘Keighley’ in Preston West, in July 1919 (LV:V2564/F788). At this date, 16 Victoria
Avenue consisted of a ‘brick villa and outbuildings’ (W&P).
An advertisement in the Argus in 1920 (18 Sep 1920:2) advertised the sale of ‘Coryule’ at
16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury. It stated that Mrs E Townsend was selling the doublefronted brick villa ‘containing 6 rooms (including one room of W.B.), with usual
appurtenances, garage for small car’. The land measured 76 ft x 1232 ft and 6 inches at
this date. It was noted that the property ‘is specially well positioned on a high elevation
amongst good homes’ and was available for immediate vacant possession. An
advertisement in 1922 (Argus 8 Jul 1922:3) further described the building as being a
substantial brick villa with a slate roof and tiled verandah, fitted with ‘E. L.’ (electric
lighting), gas and sewerage. The house was ‘laid out in garden and lawn’.
In 1992 the rear skillion was demolished and replaced with a large extension, designed
by John Gurry & Assoc. Pty Ltd Architects. Most of the extension sat behind the house,
with a wing along the south side. Well set back from the front of the property, its takes
advantage of the sloping site by having utility spaces at the lower-ground level and
bedrooms above. A double garage, set below the floor level of the original house, faces
the street behind a sloping driveway. In keeping with the typical approach to additions for
Victorian houses in the 1980s and ‘90s, the new extension adopted the materials palette
and brick detailing for the walls visible from the street. It is well set back, nearly to the
rear wall of the original house, and the roof is massed separately so that it can be clearly
understood as a later stage of the house.
John Beswicke, architect
Architect John Beswicke (1847-1925) practiced solo and in various partnerships,
designing interesting domestic architecture in Melbourne’s boom period, including many
fine villas in Boroondara. Many of his single-storey villas are recognisable by their
polygonal corner bay with a pointed roof and a ring of steep gablets, one on each face.
His larger two-storey houses in the 1880s tended to be cement-rendered, with a twostorey arcaded verandah/balcony on the front and one side, the lower arcade being of
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semi-circular and the upper of stilted, segmental arches (such as 7 Victoria Avenue).
Notable examples of his various styles include ‘Warrington’ on Tooronga Road, Hawthorn
(1892) and ‘Talano’ (1899) at 1 Harcourt Street (later 27 Auburn Road), Hawthorn.
Beswicke designed his parent’s house in Harcourt Street, Hawthorn, in 1871-2, and
apparently designed at least ten other houses in that street (Lewis 212:81).
Beswicke’s father, Charles, was a property investor and developer and played an
instrumental role in his son’s career. It seems that they made a habit of living in the
newest house they designed and constructed, before selling it on and moving to the next
one. After being articled to Crouch & Wilson, Beswicke partnered with Ralph Wilson to
form Wilson & Beswicke from 1881, and formed the brief partnerships of Beswicke &
Hutchins (1889-90) with Edward Francis Hutchins (believed to have been a surveyor),
and Beswicke & Coote (1890-3) with Francis James Coote (Lewis 212:81).
Beswicke designed a number of churches, including Wesleyan Churches in Camberwell,
Dandenong and Maryborough (QLD), and a Presbyterian Church in Alma Road, St Kilda
(AAI: record nos. 9062, 8613, 9299, 10949). He also designed a number of town halls,
including as the Hawthorn Town Hall (built 1888; HO491) and Malvern Town Hall (AAI,
record no. 43530). He claimed to have been one of the first to exploit valuable city
property with high-rises. Although since demolished, Wilson & Beswicke designed the
five-storey Horatio Beauchamp warehouse on Collins Street, Melbourne (1883-4) and the
six-storey furniture warehouse for James Jamieson on Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
(1883-4). He worked in collaboration with Oakden Addison & Kemp on the design of the
Australian Building (1888; since demolished) that was located on the corner of Elizabeth
and Flinders Lane. The Australian Building was 12 storeys tall and remained the tallest
building in Australia until the 1930s, which is said to have influenced the City Council in
its development of height controls (Lewis 212:81).
Description & Integrity
‘Coryule’, at 16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury, is a single-storey double-fronted Victorian
villa with a symmetrical façade set on a low brick plinth. The M-hip roof retains original
decorative slates (scalloped slates in a diaper pattern), polychrome brick chimneys with a
moulded render cornice and curved withes above, and sits above bracketed eaves. The
paired brackets are particularly bold, with turned and incised bull’s eye motifs as well as
more typical turned pendants.
The façade and side elevations are executed in three-tone polychrome brick (Hawthorn,
cream and red). The tuckpointed façade has cream-brick ‘quoins’ in a diagonal pattern,
red and cream bricks plus a moulded cream stringcourse to the frieze, red and cream
pilasters with moulded cream capitals around the windows, and a red and cream
beltcourse at dado level. The four front windows are long double-hung sashes set above
a fielded timber panel. The central front door has similar fielded panels to its lower part
and below the sidelights. The sidelights, highlights and two lights of the front door are all
leadlights. The door surround has fluting to the bottom section, below small bull’s eye
mouldings. This same detail is also carried to the front verandah.
Along with the unusually rich and detailed polychrome brick, the front verandah is
another highly embellished feature of the façade. It has an ogee-profile corrugated iron
roof which terminates at both ends with a sheet of timber pierced with floral motifs. At the
centre of the verandah, marking the entry is a dentilated segmental pediment. The
verandah is supported on paired cast-iron Corinthian columns, the bottom half of which
has a barley-twist design beneath a bull’s eye motif on a block. The cast-iron frieze and
brackets are also very fine. The frieze has a timber frame and a rinceau pattern
incorporating sculpted female faces and flowers within circular frames. The cast-iron
brackets form pointed arches between the paired columns. The verandah floor retains
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red and cream tiles and bluestone nosing around the perimeter. There is a cast-iron
balustrade at either end of the verandah.
The side elevations have much of the same embellishment as the façade, particularly the
cream and red brick banding to both sides, and the eaves brackets to the south
elevation. Windows are arched with banded cream and red brick voussoirs (two on the
south elevation, three on the north).
The large addition constructed in 1992 is largely concealed behind the original envelope
of the house. A side wing, well set back behind the façade of the house, is visible from
the front, with a sunken garage below it. These two new elements carry on the use of
polychrome brick and hipped slate roof as well as the unusual frieze brackets from the
original house. They are massed separately from the original house, however, and well
set back from the streetfront, giving them both a recessive form and legibility as later
stages. This is further reinforced by the presence of a clearly modern garage on the
lower level of the extension which is also clothed in ‘heritage’ garb (Camberwell Building
Records, Permit No 94349/1992).
Apart from this recessive extension, the house is highly intact.
Comparative Analysis
‘Coryule’ compares well with other polychrome brick houses of the 1880s and 1890s on
listed as individually significant on Boroondara’s Heritage Overlay. The most similar
examples include:
• ‘Waverley’, 98 Pakington Street, Kew, of c1898 (HO332)
Another double-fronted, symmetrical Victorian villa with simpler, bichrome
brickwork than ‘Coryule’. The verandah has a similar level of detail, with paired
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Corinthian columns and pedimented entry, though the cast-iron frieze and skillion
roof are more typical than those of ‘Coryule’.
Figure 1. 98 Pakington Street, Kew (JellisCraig.com.au, 2010)
•
House, 193 Auburn Road, Hawthorn, of c1887 (HO435)
Another double-fronted, symmetrical Victorian villa with very bold polychrome
(three-tone) brickwork. The verandah is typical of its period, and far less ornate
and complex that that at ‘Coryule’.
Figure 2. 193 Auburn Road, Hawthorn (JellisCraig.com.au, 2009)
• House, 486 Barkers Road, Hawthorn East, of c1890 (Individual in HO151)
Another double-fronted, symmetrical Victorian villa with simple polychrome
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brickwork. Its distinguishing feature is the return verandah which has a similar
high level of detail in its frieze and paired columns to that of ‘Coryule’, as well as
an elegant concave roof.
Figure 3. 486 Barkers Road, Hawthorn East (JellisCraig.com.au, 2008)
‘Coryule’ compares well to these three houses and exceeds some of them in its level of
detail to the façade. While 193 Auburn Road is distinguished by the vigour and boldness
of its polychromy, ‘Coryule’ is distinguished by the elegance and fine sculptural detail of
its brickwork.
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
‘Coryule’ demonstrates the first stage of the Great Railway Station Estate, which
developed from the early 1890s, creating today’s Victoria and Hopetoun avenues as well
as View Street. It was one of the many residential estates created in the former City of
Camberwell as part of the property boom of the 1880s, which saw the creation of the
subdivisions that shape the area to the present day. It is also of interest as one of at least
three ‘display homes’ construction for the Estate’s developers, presumably both to
illustrate what the Estate could become, as well as a financial investment.
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
NA
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
NA
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
‘Coryule’ is a fine and relatively externally intact Victorian villa, which displays all of the
typical features of this type, including a symmetrical double-fronted façade, M-hipped
slate roof, polychrome brickwork, bracketed eaves, and cast-iron verandah.
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
‘Coryule’ is an elegant and highly ornamented example of a typical house form. It is
distinguished by its finely modelled polychrome brickwork both to the façade and side
elevations, bold eaves brackets, pedimented verandah form with its ogee roof and
pierced end-boards, barley-twist paired columns and uncommon cast-iron pattern, as
well as the skilful coordination of applied ornament demonstrated by the recurrent bull’seye motif (to the brackets, door surround and columns).
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
NA
CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
NA
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CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
‘Coryule’ is associated with its designer, architect John Beswicke. He was a major
architect in 19th-century Melbourne, working in a series of partnerships. A large number
of his fine villa residences and mansions were constructed in the city of Boroondara, with
a notable concentration on Harcourt Street, Hawthorn. He was also the designer of
Hawthorn Town Hall, as well as many other town halls in the metropolitan area.
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
‘Coryule’, at 16 Victoria Avenue, Canterbury, of 1890 is significant. It is a single-storey
double-fronted Victorian villa with a symmetrical façade constructed of polychrome brick.
The M-hip roof retains original slates with a diaper pattern and eaves brackets. A
pedimented verandah stretches across the front with heavy cast-iron and an ogee roof.
‘Coryule’ was designed in 1889 by architect John Beswicke, then of Beswicke &
Hutchins, for the owners and developers of the Great Railway Station Estate, which
encompassed Victoria and Harcourt avenues as well as View Street. It was one of at
least three show homes designed by Beswicke that were then sold off to private owners.
The 1992 extension and the current front picket fence are not significant.
How is it significant?
‘Coryule’ is of local aesthetic and architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
‘Coryule’ is aesthetically significant an elegant and highly ornamented example of the
Victorian double-fronted house form. It is distinguished by its finely modelled polychrome
brickwork both to the façade and side elevations, bold eaves brackets, pedimented
verandah form with its ogee roof and pierced end-boards, barley-twist paired columns
and uncommon cast-iron pattern (a rinceau pattern featuring female faces), as well as
the skilful coordination of applied ornament demonstrated by the recurrent bull’s-eye
motif (to the brackets, door surround and columns). (Criterion E)
‘Coryule’ is of architectural and historical significance as an accomplished and intact
design by architect John Beswicke. He was a major architect in 19th-century Melbourne,
working in a series of partnerships. A large number of his fine villa residences and
mansions were constructed in the city of Boroondara, with a notable concentration on
Harcourt Street, Hawthorn. He was also the designer of Hawthorn Town Hall, as well as
many other town halls in the metropolitan area. (Criterion H)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an Individually Significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme:
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
No
No
No
No
No
No
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Prohibited uses may be permitted
Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
No
Identified By
G Butler, Camberwell Conservation Study, 1991.
References
Auction map of ‘Great Railway Station Estate’, dated 1898, accessed online via State
Library of Victoria, <http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/>.
Australian Architectural Index (AAI), accessed online. Copyright Miles Lewis.
City of Camberwell Building Records, held by the City of Boroondara.
Built Heritage (2012), ‘City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History’.
Land Victoria (LV), Certificates of Title, as cited above.
Lewis, Miles (2012), ‘John Beswicke’ in Philip Goad & Julie Willis’s The Encyclopedia of
Australian Architecture, Cambridge.
Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) detail plan, dated 1905 (Plan no.
1995).
Sands & McDougall Directories.
Shire of Boroondara Rate Books (RB), accessed at Public Records Office of Victoria
(PROV), VPRS 379/P0: Unit 28 (1887-8); Unit 29 (1888-9). North Riding: Unit 30 (188990); Unit 33 (1890-1); Unit 36 (1891-2); Unit 39 (1892-3); Unit 42 (1893-4); Unit 45 (18945). Shire of Camberwell & Boroondara, North Riding: Unit 78 (1905-6).
The Argus.
Will & Probate Inventory (W&P), accessed online at PROV, VPRS 28/P3, unit 910.
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Vial House
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell
Name: Vial House
Survey Date: 7 August 2014
Place Type: Residential
Grading: Individually Significant
Architect: Cowper, Murphy &
Appleford
Builder: C W Ward
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date: 1923
Historical Context
This area of Camberwell saw the construction of a series of large houses in the 1890s, in
part due to improved rail transport to the area. They include 'Coolattie' at 29 Canterbury
Road and 'Linda' at 19 Canterbury Road, both set on large blocks of land. Many of these
large estates were subdivided and developed during the first three decades of the 20th
century, and developed with single-family houses for the middle classes. The
Camberwell Ridge Estate, creating The Ridge, was surveyed in 1904 and encompassed
the grounds of Victorian mansion ‘Versailles’ (where Marcellin Junior College is now)
(Butler, 1991: Precinct 16). The Ridge, in particular, running as far south as Canterbury
Road, saw extensive development with substantial houses during the interwar period.
History
In October 1919, Lena Mary Vial, married woman of Broadway in Camberwell, became
the owner of four lots on the corner of Canterbury Road and The Ridge. These lots
included the current 23-25 Canterbury Road (including the tennis court) and 2 The Ridge.
Two covenants were noted on the title that defined acceptable future development. The
first covenant noted that upon one lot (current No. 2 The Ridge) ‘no brickmaking or
quarrying operations may be carried upon the said land and that no part of the said land
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may be used as a backyard for any building other than a building erected thereon’. A
second covenant on the title indicated that on two lots fronting Canterbury Road
(currently 23-25 Canterbury Road) ‘not more than one house and no house (except
outbuildings) of less value than £800- or having a main roof of other material than slates
or tiles may be erected on either of the said lots and that no building erected on either of
the said lots may be used as a place for the reception or treatment of persons suffering
from infectious diseases and that no brickmaking or quarrying operation may be carried
on upon the said land and that no part of the lots may be used as a backyard for any
building other than a building erected thereon’ (LV:V4299/F649). Such covenants were
common in the City of Camberwell to ensure the high quality of construction and amenity
for residents.
In August 1921, the Vials sold a small slice of land off the eastern edge of their property
to Ernest and Ethel Goss, to consolidate with their property on the corner of Stanley
Grove (27 Canterbury Road). The first covenant on the property may have resulted in the
Vials selling the northern lot (the current No. 2 The Ridge) to Reginald W Horsley in
December 1921 (LV:V4299/F649), as they could not use it as their backyard.
Lena Vial was the wife of George Oliver Vial. Prior to 1924 George O Vial was listed in
the Sands & McDougall Directory as residing at 71 Broadway, Camberwell. The twostorey brick house at 71 Broadway (HO159) was designed for Vial by architect
Christopher Cowper (Butler, 1991:42).
Builder CW Ward applied for a building permit on behalf of George Vial to construct a 12room brick and tile dwelling at a cost of £5,230 on The Ridge on 20 February 1923 (BP
No. 3232). This was by far the largest and most expensive dwelling for which a building
permit was obtained in the City of Camberwell in January or February 1923. A typical 5room house cost as little as £450, while the second most expensive one in that period
cost £2,850 – about half the price of the Vials’ new residence.
The timing of the building permit corresponds precisely with a tender notice placed by
architects Chris A Cowper, Murphy & Appleford in February 1923 both in the Argus (7
Feb. 1923:3) and Cazaly’s Contract Register (13 Feb. 1923:25) for construction of a
‘large brick residence’ in Camberwell. Tenders were due on 14 February. There were
also earlier notices from that architectural practice in Cazaly’s during January for the
construction of a ‘brick residence at Camberwell, with tenders due 7 February, which may
have been the same job. There were no other tender notices by other architects in
January or February of that year that could have applied to this site. Clearly Christopher
Cowper continued to be George Vials’ favoured architect, even as part of the new
partnership he formed with Murphy and Appleford in 1921.
In April 1937, the property was sold to Winifred M Scott, married woman of Kew
(LV:V4299/F649). Shortly afterward, in October 1937, she commissioned architectural
firm Chris A Cowper, Murphy & Appleford to design a sunporch for the rear of the house
(BP plans). In 1948, the Scotts made internal and external additions to the house, which
included the extensions of two bedrooms. In 1951 further alterations were carried out on
the east side of the house to create a separate flat for a member of the family. These
works were completed by Master Builders DR Swan Pty Ltd (BP drawings).
Upon Winifred’s death in December 1950, probate was granted to Harry Giddy,
Chartered Accountant of Melbourne, and Alan Scott of 25 Canterbury Road, Camberwell,
an Assistant Manager. In August 1952, the house and property was officially transferred
to Alan Scott and Lillie Tulloch, married woman (LV:V4299/F649; V6106/F045). They
retained ownership until July 1962 when the house was sold to the Bacons
(LV:V6106/F045). In 2013, the covenant described above was removed by the current
owners (LV: V9476/F373).
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George Vial
George Oliver Vial and Lena Mary Vial had four sons, Ronald, Alan, Kenneth and
Leonard (Argus 15 Mar 1939:2). After selling 23-25 Canterbury Road in 1937, George
and Lena Vial moved to 107 Mont Albert Road, Balwyn, before George’s death in 1939
(Argus 15 Mar 1939:2).
George Vial worked with his father Frank Vial, as ‘Frank Vial & Sons’, a belt manufactory
of which Frank was the founder. Frank Vial started the business in 1882, named Frank
Vial and Co, located in Kensington (Building Engineering & Mining Journal; Australian 29
Aug 1891:18S). In Frank’s view, the company compared with any in the world in terms of
modern machinery and up-to-date methods. Butler notes that Frank was claimed to be a
‘pioneer of leather belt making industry in Victoria’ (Butler, 1991:42). In 1890, a tender
was accepted from AE Duguid to build a large shed for Frank Vial & Co, belt
manufacturers at Kensington (Building Engineering & Mining Journal), which indicates
the business was successfully growing since its beginning in 1882.
The company named changes to ‘Frank Vial and Sons’ around the turn of the century
(Argus 7 Sep 1901:2). In 1918, the Sands & McDougall Directory described ‘Frank Vial &
Sons’, located at 369-375 Queen Street, Melbourne as ‘Belting manufacturer (leather,
cotton, canvas, mill requirements), machinery merchants; sole agents ‘Dodge’ split
pulleys, wood or iron’ (S&Mc). George and Edgar Vial later inherited the business on
Queen Street (Butler, 1991:42) and George was Managing Director until his death in
1939 (Argus 15 Mar 1939:2).
Figure 1. Frank Vial & Sons price list, 1920. (Museum Victoria)
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Both George and Frank Vial owned and occupied many houses, a number of which were
located within the current City of Boroondara.
Places owned and occupied by Frank Vial:
- 36 Wellington Street, Flemington (HO124) was occupied by Frank Vial for a short period
in the 1890s (Hermes no. 23926).
- Fenhurst Grove, Kew was subdivided by Frank Vial c1893 (HO300) (Hermes nos.
14618; 14770).
- Birralie, 52 Walpole Street, Kew, built for owner Frank Vial in 1907 (HO352) (Hermes
no. 14671).
- 53-63 Victoria Crescent, Abbotsford (HO52) was a factory that Frank Vial occupied
between 1905-10, presumably for Frank Vial & Sons (Hermes no. 103726).
Houses owned or occupied by George Vial:
- 71 Broadway, Camberwell (Significant in HO159), designed by architect Chris Cowper
in 1909 (Butler, 1991:42).
- 23-25 Canterbury Road, Camberwell, designed by architectural firm Chris A. Cowper,
Murphy & Appleford.
- 107 Mont Albert Road, Balwyn (Argus 15 Mar 1939:2).
Chris A. Cowper, Murphy and Appleford, architects
Christopher Alfred Cowper (1868-1954) was a Melbourne-based architect and property
developer, born in Cape Town, South Africa. After migrating to Melbourne in 1883 he
was articled to Evander McIver and was in a solo practice by 1892. However, in 1895 he
took up farming and other employment before a world tour in 1906, only to re-establish
his architectural career upon his return. His key works at this period include the 33
houses for the Grace Park Estate in Hawthorn (HO152), which George Tibbits described
as ‘a sanctuary of houses in the Melbourne Queen Anne manner’. He designed many
other houses and several commercial buildings within Boroondara and other middle-class
Melbourne suburbs such as Brighton, South Yarra and St Kilda (Logan 2012:179). His
work included houses at 62 Riversdale Road, Hawthorn (HO112, c1910), 71 Broadway,
Camberwell (HO159, 1909), 14 and 22 Studley Avenue, Kew (both Contributory to
HO143), and 14 or 16 Stawell Street (corner Barry Street), Kew (both Contributory to
HO143). Apart from houses, he was also responsible for innovative designs such as the
Hawthorn Motor Garage (1912, VHR H2296), and Summerland Mansions, St Kilda
(1920, VHR H1808)
After 1915, Cowper appointed his young associate Gordon Murphy as the office’s chief
designer. In 1921 he formed Chris A. Cowper, Murphy and Appleford with Gordon
Murphy and young draftsman Reginald W Appleford, moving into an office at Chancery
House, 440 Little Collins Street the following year (Logan 2012:179). Chris A. Cowper,
Murphy and Appleford produced many blocks of flats in the 1920s and were later known
for their work on modern cinemas and hotels (Hermes no. 124662), in particular the
Regent Theatre, Ballarat (1927, VHR H2221) and the Sun Theatre, Yarraville (1938,
VHR H0679).
In the 1920s Cowper focussed on real estate and finance as a speculative builder and
real estate developer, but also continued residential design, which Logan (2012:179)
notes ‘exhibits great refinement in detail and composition. His highly individual handling
of joints and bracket details is especially skilful, and adds not only visual interest to the
houses, but also imparts a craft-like quality to his architecture’ (Logan 2012:179). The
partnership was dissolved in 1930 when Cowper retired from the practice, however,
Murphy and Appleford were able to continue running the practice under the same name
(Argus 3 Jun 1932:1).
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Works by the office include buildings at Emerald Country Club Estate (the Clubhouse and
a number of picturesque cottages, 1920s) (Hermes no. 30389), the Spanish Mission Bryn
Flats, Orrong Road, Toorak (Australian Home Beautiful 1 Oct 1927: 19), Okataina Flats,
33 Chelsea Street, Brighton (c1932) (Hermes no. 124662), Sun Theatre in Yarraville (late
1930s) (Hermes no. 28117), the upgrade of the Regent Picture Theatre in Ballarat (1943)
and the Koroit Memorial Hall and cinema (1957) (Hermes nos. 112528; 127276). They
are also known to have designed houses within the current City of Boroondara, including
in Canterbury and Kew in the 1920s and early 1930s (Argus 21 Mar 1925; 20 Mar
1926:2; 2 Apr 1930:3).
Interwar Mediterranean
The Interwar Mediterranean style is also referred to as Mediterranean Revival and
Mediterranean Villa. The style appeared in Australia in the late 1910s in response to the
temperate climate and sunlight, which were conducive to ‘an architecture of simple
shapes, light and shade, bleached pastel colours and accents of classical detail’,
according to Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney, Leslie Wilkinson, who
is credited with popularising the style in Australia after his arrival in 1918 (Apperley et al.
1989:172). Through his influence, and that of architect Hardy Wilson, the style gained
popularity in the 1920s (Cuffley 1989:74-5). The style was commonly applied to domestic
architecture in upper and upper-middle class suburbs, but later to modest-sized
commercial and institutional buildings (Apperley et al. 1989:172). In the 1920s, many saw
Mediterranean-based design as a potential basis for a future national design (Raworth
2012:450).
It is related to the Interwar Spanish Mission style, but is intentionally designed with
subtler features, in a simple yet elegant form. Details take on an austere classical or
Renaissance mode, which subtly evokes a vaguely Mediterranean feel, in comparison to
the more blatant and bold Iberian features of Spanish Mission architecture. In particular,
Interwar Mediterranean domestic architecture incorporates pergolas, balconies, arcaded
loggia and a formal entrance, with sidelights and highlights, while Tuscan columns
appear in verandahs and porches. The exterior is lightly bagged or cement-rendered.
Large double-hung sashes have small panes with narrow wooden glazing bars which
reflect Georgian principles, often with louvered shutters (Apperley et al. 1989:172-4;
Cuffley 1989:75-6).
In 1922, architect Rodney Alsop wrote an article on architecture and climate for the
November issue of Australia Home Builder, in which he commented on the growing trend
to draw from Georgian and Mediterranean styles, often in the same building (Cuffley
1989:80). Three years later in 1925, drawings of the style by Melbourne architects
Marcus Barlow and FGB Hawkins, blending Georgian and Mediterranean influences,
were published in the November edition of The Australian Home Beautiful (Cuffley
1989:78-9).
The Prime Minister’s residence, ‘The Lodge’, designed by the Melbourne partnership
Oakley & Parkes in 1926, is one of the best known examples of the Interwar
Mediterranean style in Australia. In addition to their stylistically varied work in Melbourne,
Oakley & Parkes (established in 1926) are known to have designed 150 houses in
Canberra (Dernelley 2012:509-510). They played a key role in the design of Canberra’s
permanent housing for public servants in its initial phase, working with architect John
Scarborough, in the Federal Capital Advisory Committee housing competition in 1924
(ACT RSTCA Register). A significant number of the houses were designed in the
Interwar Mediterranean style, located in Manuka, Forrest, Reed and Barton.
The style was popularised in Australia by the 1930s, appearing as small-scale bungalows
in new suburban subdivisions.
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Description & Integrity
The house at 23-25 Canterbury Road is a substantial and sprawling house set behind a
large front garden at the corner of Canterbury Road and The Ridge. The garden retains
the original concrete drive which leads from the intersection (south-west corner), curves
past the front façade of the house and then leads to the garage at the north-east corner
of the site. The garage at part of 27 Canterbury Road appears to be clad in similar
materials to the house: roughcast render to the walls and concrete roof tiles to the hip
roof. The front garden comprises low hedge plantings (possibly rose bushes) along part
of the front drive and up against the front façade of the house. In front of the house is a
large expanse of lawn, with rows of semi-mature exotic trees along the south and west
boundaries, providing a sense of enclosure. On the east side of the house and garden is
a large clay tennis court.
A modern lych gate stands just inside modern metal gates at the south-west corner of the
site. A modern high Colorbond fence has been installed along the south and west
property boundaries, making the main view to the house via the corner gates.
The house is single storey with a high hip roof covered in dark grey Marseille-pattern
tiles. There are hipped side wings, set back from the façade, and an L-shaped service
wing at the rear. The house has two main chimneys along the front slope of the main roof
which are rectangular, finished in roughcast render, with simple banding and terracotta
chimney pots at the top. The roughcast appears to retain an early sand-coloured
limewash on it. There areanother four chimneys of the same design to the rear of the
house, visible from The Ridge.
The front façade displays a restrained, symmetrical composition with a loggia of three
round arches set in the centre. It is finished in a warm grey roughcast render that either
has never been painted or is covered only with a sheer wash. The front steps, plinth and
associated planter boxes below the loggia are of face brick (overpainted). The arches
have restrained detailing with a neat incised edge in lieu of a raised moulded architrave.
On either side of the arcade is a bank of three double-hung sash windows in a box frame
resting on simple brick corbels. The upper sashes have six panes above a single-paned
sash, as was common for a range of styles in the early 1920s. Above the central window
of each group is a round-arched tympanum expressed in brick headers (overpainted).
Behind the loggia are two pairs of the same type of box windows, as well as an arched
entrance doorway with leadlights to the large fanlight and sidelights. Two lanterns fixed
between the arches may be original.
The east side wing, set back from the main façade, has arched openings of the same
type as the façade, here filled with French doors. The west side wing, also set back from
the main façade, has a single box window of the same type as the façade. In the reentrant corner between the two sections is a flat-roofed porch with an arch on each face.
While slightly smaller than those of the entrance arcade, they have the same incised
edge detail and the masonry is finished with a matching roughcast render. It is believed
that this porch was added in 1948 or 1951 when the house was split into self-contained
flats.
Comparative Analysis
The house at 23-25 Canterbury Road is an early example of the Interwar Mediterranean
style in Boroondara and more widely in the metropolitan area. As discussed in the
history, this style was influenced by classical Italian and Spanish forms and precedents.
There is often crossover between this style and elements of the concurrent Georgian
Revival, particularly the use of dominant hip roofs and louvered shutters. It also has
some relation to the more embellished Spanish Mission style, which has similar massing
and use of loggias but is also characterised by multiple decorative flourishes such as
ogee parapets, twisted columns, Cordoba roof tiles and cast-cement reliefs.
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The earliest example of the Interwar Mediterranean style identified in Boroondara is
Lionel San Miguel’s 1921 design, ‘Montalegre’ (HO255, 168A Mont Albert Road,
Canterbury). The two houses share symmetrical massing with a simple loggia at the
centre and the pairing of textured render with a face brick plinth. Unlike the integrated
massing of the loggia into the façade at 23-25 Canterbury Road, ‘Montalegre’ is visually
broken up by the recessed and parapeted loggia set between hipped wings. The two
houses are of a similar scale and are set behind usually generous gardens.
Figure 2. HO255 ‘Montalegre’, 168A Mont Albert Road, Canterbury, of 1921-22. Designed by
architect Lionel San Miguel. (Jellis Craig, 2011)
In its materiality, 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road is comparable to the HO277 1
Bradford Avenue, Kew, of 1927-28, which is finished in natural roughcast render (as well
as the 1923 bungalow HO382 ‘Mallow’ 33 Deepdene Road, Deepdene, which is also
noted for retaining this original finish). The two also share the typical Mediterranean style
loggia, and the hip roof and multipaned windows also seen with the Georgian Revival. In
contrast, the two-storey 1 Bradford Avenue has unusual massing, balancing solids and
voids across its two levels.
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Figure 3. HO277 1 Bradford Avenue, Kew, of 1927-28. (Lovell Chen, 2005)
Many more examples of the Interwar Mediterranean are seen in the late 1920s and
1930s, including Contributory examples in precincts such as HO1 Golf Links Estate,
Camberwell. Among the later Individually Significant examples there is the more
decorative HO282 Burke Road, Kew, of 1931, which incorporates moulded arch tympani
and quoins.
Figure 4. HO282 Burke Road, Kew, of 1931 (Lovell Chen, 2005)
Of that same year, HO406 1292 Toorak Road, Glen Iris, has a less complete integration
of the style in its design, with an arcaded porch appended to the façade.
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Figure 5. HO406 1292 Toorak Road, Glen Iris, of 1931 (Google Streetview, 2009)
In comparison with these Individually Significant buildings, 23-25 and part of 27
Canterbury Road is of a comparable level of architectural pretension and substantial size,
both house and front garden, which express the status of their owner. While there have
been changes to the internal configuration - converting one very large dwelling into three
flats - this has resulted in minimal external change. The most visible is the new entrance
porch on the west side, which is very sympathetic in its form and materials.
Of the four comparable Individually Significant properties, the architect of only one has
been identified, but all appear to be architect-designed like Cowper, Murphy &
Appleford’s 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road. The house is both an early example
of the Interwar Mediterranean style and a very elegant one in execution, which was
substantial in scale and cost at the time of its construction.
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
The house at 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road illustrates the subdivision in the
early 20th-century of the large 19th-century estates in this area of Camberwell, to allow for
the development of middle-class housing.
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
The house at 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road is an early example of the Interwar
Mediterranean style in Boroondara. It was a style that became very popular in the area
by the early 1930s.
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
Not applicable
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
The house at 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road is an elegant and well-preserved
example of a substantial Interwar Mediterranean villa. The style was most often seen in
the domestic architecture in upper and upper-middle class suburbs from the 1920s,
becoming widespread in the following decade for small bungalows. At the time it was
seen as a potential basis for a future national design, due to the similarity in climate and
the quality of light in Australia and the Mediterranean. This was symbolically expressed
by the use of the style for the Prime Minister’s Residence and housing for public servants
in Canberra in the mid-1920s.
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
The house at 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road exhibits a graceful combination of
features that would come to define the Interwar Mediterranean style, including a
symmetrical composition, the use of a loggia as a main design feature, planar surfaces
stripped of ornament relying on voids and textured solids for visual interest, a dominant
hip roof providing a horizontal emphasis punctuated by tall chimneys, and multi-light sash
windows set beneath decorative tympani.
The house is enhanced by the retention of its large front garden, the curved concrete
entrance drive and the original or early garage.
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
Not applicable
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CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
Not applicable
CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
The house was designed by architectural practice Chris A Cowper, Murphy & Appleford.
The practice, formed in 1921, was headed by prominent Melbourne architect Christopher
Cowper who was important in early 20th century Boroondara, with his extensive Queen
Anne residential development in Grace Park, Hawthorn, as well as many other mid to
large-sized houses for the well-to-do residents of other suburbs in Boroondara and other
areas of Melbourne.
The house was built as the home of Lena Mary Vial and her husband George Oliver Vial.
George was the Managing Director of Frank Vial & Sons, founded by his father, which
was a manufacturer of machine belting for industrial use. While the company was
variously based in Abbotsford and the CBD, both Frank and George Vial settled in
Boroondara by the first decade of the 20th century, commissioning substantial houses. In
this they were typical of Boroondara’s residents in the early 20th century: well-off
businessmen who commissioned homes to reflect their status.
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The house at 23-25 and part of 27 Canterbury Road, Camberwell, and its setting
including the front garden, the curved concrete entrance drive, and the garage at part of
27 Canterbury Road situated behind the tennis court. The house was designed by
architectural firm Chris A Cowper, Murphy & Appleford and constructed in 1923 for
married couple Lena Mary Vial and George Oliver Vial and their children. George Vial
was the Managing Director of Frank Vial & Sons, founded by his father, which was a
manufacturer of machine belting for industrial use.
How is it significant?
The place is of local historical, architectural and aesthetic significance to the City of
Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the house illustrates the subdivision in the early 20th-century of the large 19thcentury estates in this area of Camberwell for the substantial dwellings erected as homes
for well-to-do businessmen. (Criterion A)
Architecturally and historically, the house is significant for its associations with prominent
Melbourne architect Christopher Cowper, and his practice Cowper, Murphy & Appleford
formed in 1921. Christopher Cowper was a significant architect in early 20th century
Boroondara, best known for his extensive Queen Anne residential development in Grace
Park, Hawthorn, as well as many other mid to large-sized houses for the well-to-do
residents of Kew and Camberwell, and other suburbs of Melbourne. (Criterion H)
Architecturally, the house is an elegant and well-preserved example of a substantial
Interwar Mediterranean villa. The style was most often seen in the domestic architecture
in upper and upper-middle class suburbs from the 1920s, becoming widespread in the
following decade for small bungalows. At the time it was seen as a potential basis for a
future national design, due to the similarity in climate and the quality of light in Australia
and the Mediterranean. This was symbolically expressed by the use of the style for the
Prime Minister’s Residence and housing for public servants in Canberra in the mid1920s. (Criterion D)
Aesthetically, the house exhibits a graceful combination of features that would come to
define the Interwar Mediterranean style, including a symmetrical composition, the use of
a loggia as a main design feature, planar surfaces stripped of ornament relying on voids
and textured solids for visual interest, a dominant hip roof providing a horizontal
emphasis punctuated by tall chimneys, and multi-light sash windows set beneath
decorative tympani. It is enhanced by the retention of its setting, including a large front
garden, curved concrete entrance drive and original or early garage. (Criterion E)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an Individually Significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme:
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Yes
No
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Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
Prohibited uses may be permitted
Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
No
No
No
No
No
Identified By
G Butler, Camberwell Conservation Study, 1991.
References
Building Engineering & Mining Journal, 16 August 1890, supplement, p3. Cited online in
Miles Lewis’ Australian Architectural Index, 25 August 2014, Record No. 45612.
Building Permit (BP) drawings, held by Boroondara City Council.
Butler, Graeme (1991), ‘Camberwell Conservation Study’, Vol. 3 ‘Significant Areas’ &
Vol.4 ‘Significant Sites’.
Cazaly’s Contract Reporter.
City of Boroondara Building Plan (BP), drawings.
Hermes records, as cited above.
Land Victoria (LV), Certificates of Title, as cited above.
Logan, Cameron (2012), ‘Chris Cowper’, in Philip Goad & Julie Willis (Ed.), The
Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Cambridge, p179.
Museum Victoria, online collections, <http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/>,
accessed 25 August 2014.
Sands & McDougal Directories (S&Mc): 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924.
Table Talk [Melbourne].
The Argus.
The Australian.
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DUPLEX
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 29-31 Parkhill Road, Kew
Name: Duplex
Survey Date: 20 Dec. 2012
Place Type: Residential
Architect:
Grading: Individually Significant
Builder:
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date:
Historical Context
Metropolitan Melbourne experienced a land boom in the 1880s, which lent its name
('Boom Style') to a highly ornamented variation of High Victorian styles. Davison (year:
Land Boom) describes the period and its impact on the city as follows:
Between about 1883 and 1889 Melbourne experienced a rapid, uncontrolled and
ultimately disastrous period of real estate inflation and speculation known to
contemporaries and later historians as the 'land boom'. At its peak, around 1888-89,
land values in some parts of Central Melbourne rose as high as those in central
London, and the aggregate level of new building activity in the city increased by more
than 50% at a time when national output rose by only 25%. The physical legacy of
the land boom is visible throughout the metropolis in the opulent architecture of
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Gothic Collins Street, the palatial coffee houses standing by suburban railway
stations, the far-flung rail and tram lines, and in the dates '1888' and '1889' proudly
inscribed on the pediments of thousands of humbler buildings from factories to
cottages.
In contrast, Sanderson (1988: p 1) notes that Kew 'had experienced in the boom of the
1880s a much smaller volume of development than other Melbourne suburbs ... Various
large subdivisions were attempted and failed ... because it remained without adequate
transportation links with Melbourne.' These links were only established at the end of the
1880s, including a horse-drawn tram from the gates of the Boroondara Cemetery to the
Victoria Bridge, a spur line from Hawthorn, and the Outer Circle railway line, constructed
between 1888 and 1891 but soon closed with the financial crash in 1893 (Sanderson,
1988: Chapter 4, p 7).
Local concentrations of Boom-era housing developed near transport routes, as they were
realised. One example is the area bounded by Wrixton Street, and Glenferrie, Barkers
and Cotham roads (much of it in HO150); another is the area around the junction of High
Street and Cotham Road (part also in HO150). In contrast, the area situated north of
Cotham Road and east of Belmont Avenue was very sparsely developed during the 19th
century. As seen on a Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works plan (No. 65 of 1902;
No. 66 of 1903), it had mainly large houses and mansions on very large allotments, set
well back from the street fronts. There were just a few exceptions to this pattern, houses
with narrow lots and a modest setback from the street, anticipating a much higher level of
density and residents of more modest income. These include the subject duplex on
Parkhill Street, a double-fronted house at 47 or 49 Parkhill Street (demolished), and two
houses to the north on what is now Argyle Road (demolished).
History
In July 1866, James Thornton sold an allotment (part of Crown portion 83, Parish of
Boroondara) on Park Hill Road to Walter Hart. In January 1888 this land was sold to
prominent Kew residents and tea merchants, James Griffiths and John Moore Griffiths
(LV: Application 26703; Rogers 1973:33). The land was bound by Park Hill Road to the
south and what is now Adeney Avenue to the west, totalling just over three acres (LV:
V2292/F227; V2239/F796).
James Griffiths had migrated to Australia in 1873, with his wife, Emily, before his brother
John followed in 1877 (Rogers 1973:177). In 1879, the brothers entered the tea trade
and opened the firm Griffiths Brothers Pty Ltd, trading nationally in tea, coffee, cocoa and
chocolate, from headquarters in Flinders Lane. They also opened Griffiths' Brothers Tea
Rooms as 64 Elizabeth Street. The brothers had strong associations with the Anglican
Church and Evangelisation Society of Victoria (Paproth 2004; Griffiths Coffee).
In 1886, James had the mansion 'Monnington' built as his residence, which is located at
15 Adeney Avenue, Kew (then Park Street; individually significant to HO142) (Rogers
1973:176-7; Built Heritage 2012:184; MMBW Detail Plan 1593, 1904). The house was
designed by prominent Melbourne architectural practice Reed, Henderson & Smart
(Argus, 23/02/1884:6, as cited in Australian Architectural Index).
In 1891, his brother John Griffiths and wife Margaret Wightman nee Davidson moved to
their own mansion called 'Goldthorns' at 86 Normanby Road, Kew (HO102; Rogers
1973:177; MMBW, Detail Plan no. 2406). While the original designer is not known, the
house was altered in 1895 by architects Wilkinson & Permewan (ABCN, 26/01/1895: ii;
as cited in Melbourne Mansions Database).
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The Griffiths brothers subdivided their land on Park Hill Road, but retained some lots,
including lot 6, which contained 29 and 31 Parkhill Road. In September 1895, John M
Griffiths became the sole owner of nos. 29 and 31 (LV: V2292/F227; V2239/F796).
The Sands & McDougall's street directory listings indicate that the duplex was
constructed c1890, for the Griffiths brothers as rental properties. The section of Parkhill
Road between Park Street (now Adeney) and Normanby Road is listed as 'vacant' in
1890, and then three occupancies are listed in 1891. The first of these occupants, John
McDonald, remained until at least 1897, and his precise street address (No. 30) is first
given in 1893. The adjoining dwelling had a series of tenants during the 1890s, starting
with Hugh Hughes in 1891, then Robert Miller, James Higgens, and John Riley.
No architect and/or builder has been identified for the duplex.
Figure 1. Intersection of Parkhill Road and Park Street (now Adeney Road) in 1902. The subject
duplex is just above the word 'Park' (numbered 30-32). James Griffiths' 'Monnington' is visible
near the bottom. (Detail of MMBW Plan No. 66, 1903)
From the late 1890s to just after World War I, both 29 and 31 Park Hill Road were leased
by Thomas W Sherrin, founder of the famous football manufacturing company T.W.
Sherrin Pty Ltd, to house leather workers employed at the Collingwood factory. This
lease term corresponds with the Griffith’s ownership, from the construction of the duplex
c1890, to 1920. Upon the death of Thomas Sherrin in November 1912, workers held a
wake at 31 Parkhill Road (Bailey pers. comm. 1 Aug 2014; Argus 20 Nov 1912:11).
Formatted: Font: Italic
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In March 1920 the two houses were sold to Andrew R Cameron, chemist, who sold both
to Margaret J Bible one month later. In 1935 Bible sold number 29 to Reginald Wallace,
dairyman; prior to this date both houses were under sole ownership (LV: V2684/F620;
V6003/547; V8451/705).
Reginald Wallace was the owner of Kew Dairy, which was located on the corner of Burke
Road and Doncaster Road, Kew East. During this period, the dairy’s milk trucks were
stored at no. 33 Park Hill Road. It is reported that during this date, number 31 was
occupied by the foreman of the dairy (Bailey, pers. comm. 1 Aug 2014).
Thomas W Sherrin
In 1879, Thomas William Sherrin made the first football that was designed specifically for
Australian Rules Football. The following year, T.W. Sherrin Pty Ltd was established in
Wellington Street, Collingwood. Sherrin was also a founding member of the Collingwood
Football Club in 1892, the club’s first ticket holder and a committee member for twenty
years. Later family members would also stand as President and Vice President of the
club throughout its history (Sherrin; Robert Bailey pers. comm. 1 Aug 2014).
Upon Thomas Sherrin’s death in November 1912, his nephew John Sydney ‘Syd’ Sherrin
took over the company. At this date, Sherrin was remembered as an ‘athletic requisite
manufacturer’ (Argus 20 Nov 1912:11) and a ‘well known football and punching ball
manufacturer’ for the leading boxers of Australia, and the ‘official football maker for the
Australian Football Council’ (Albany Advertiser 20 Nov 1912:3). The Thom Sherrin stand
at Victoria Park is named in his honour (Sherrin).
Description & Integrity
This is a pair of boldly detailed polychrome brick Victorian two-storey houses forming a
duplex. They are set back from the street behind modest front yards, with reproduction
picket fences.
Each house has symmetrical hip roof, with a valley between them, both clad in slate.
Each roof has a chimney at the centre of its ridge; these are of polychrome brick with four
terracotta chimney pots. The same three brick types - primarily brown Hawthorn bricks
with cream and red brick accents, all with weathered white tuckpointing - are used for the
facade. Polychrome decoration includes cream and red banded flat arches over windows
at the first and ground floor levels, and cream and red brick voussoirs to the round arches
above the recessed front entries, all linked by horizontal bands of cream and red bricks
intersecting with the lintels and sills of the windows at both levels. A projecting band of
red brick serves as a beltcourse between the two floors, and as decorative aprons below
the basalt window sills. The windows are all one-over-one double-hung sashes. The
cornice, beneath the slightly projecting eaves, comprises a flat band of red brick
stretchers, a projecting band of dog-tooth cream bricks, beneath a projecting band of
Hawthorn brick stretchers (which may have originally been colour-washed black). The
cornice and beltcourse continue around to the two side elevations, though the treatment
of the windows on thee elevations is simpler, with red brick flat arches.
The cornice is divided in two by a cast-cement corbel, with decorative vermiculation and
scroll at the base. Apart from this, the party wall is not expressed. The two front entries
are set side by side at the centre of the facade. Each front door is recessed behind a
small entry porch, with a tessellated tile floor. The doors are well-detailed, with six panels
of cricket bat moulds. Around the doors are sidelights and highlights of flashed ruby
glass.
There have been minor repairs to the bricks of No. 31 in inappropriate cement
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mortar, but otherwise both facades are highly intact. Both houses have recessive rear
additions. The duplex does not have a front verandah, but this appears to be its original
design.
Comparative Analysis
The duplex at 29-31 Parkhill Road is an unusual example of Victorian-era, high-density
development in the eastern part of Kew. This sort of development - small houses,
duplexes and terraces on narrow lots - was seen more commonly in Hawthorn. The
majority of Victorian-era housing in Kew was in the form of more substantial single-family
houses and villas, with modest detached cottages grouped near the intersection of High
Street and Cotham Road. The few examples of medium-density forms (duplexes and
terraces) are generally situated along transportation lines. These include the following:
x
x
x
x
x
x
18-26 Union Street - a terrace of five single-storey rendered Victorian houses
(Contributory to HO150).
'The Carrington', 153-155 Cotham Road - a two-storey rendered Victorian duplex,
converted into flats in the 1920s with the facade remodelled (not on the HO).
160-162 Cotham Road - a two-storey rendered Victorian duplex with a Boomstyle parapet (not on the HO).
7-9 Ermington Place - a Victorian timber duplex, of moderate intactness (not on
the HO).
14-16 Princes St, Kew - an 1880s two-storey duplex with rendered walls and
intact cast-iron verandah detail (not on the HO).
83-85 Barkers Rd, Kew - an 1887 two-storey rendered duplex, no street setback,
with the ground-floor porches set within the building envelope behind an arcade
(arches) (HO270).
In its form, the duplex at 83-85 Barkers Road is most comparable to 29-31 Parkhill Road,
in that the entry porch is recessed within the building envelope, in a manner more
commonly seen in the inner suburbs (e.g., a polychrome brick terrace at 579-585
Canning Street, Carlton; Individually Significant to HO326, City of Yarra). The remaining
examples all have single or double-storey verandahs appended to the front of the
building.
Bichrome (and polychrome) brickwork was popular for use on houses of the Victorian era
from the 1870s to 1890s, and represented an alternative to a rendered finish, also
popular at the time (particularly during the 1880s). This transitioned to a use of red brick
with render dressings during the Federation era around the turn of the century. Examples
of the use of bichrome (two-colour) and polychrome (three-plus colour) brickwork seen
on Victorian houses in Kew include:
x
x
x
x
123-133 Wellington St (Individually Significant to HO150) - a single-storey terrace
of the 1880s, bichrome brick walls beneath a rendered parapet. The walls are of
Hawthorn brick with cream brick dressings (simple quoining, striped flat arches
and decorative diaper patterns around the windows and doors)
32 Belmont Ave (Individually Significant to HO142) - a two-storey birchrome brick
house, with Hawthorn brick walls and very simple cream brick dressings.
46 Adeney Avenue (Individually Significant to HO142) - a large, two-storey
bichrome brick villa (red brick with cream brick dressings).
4 Selbourne Road (Individually Significant to HO150) - a large, two-storey house
with polychrome brickwork. The walls are of Hawthorn brick with cream brick
accents used for quoining at the corners and around windows, beltcourses,
striped flat arches, and a diamond diaper pattern. There is limited use of red brick
as edging to the beltcourse between floors, at the centre of the diaper pattern,
and to the cornice.
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In comparison with the above examples, 29-31 Parkhill Road compares most closely with
4 Selbourne Road, both in the use of three colours of brick (polychromy, instead of the
common bichrome brickwork), and in its overall form: hip roof with narrow eaves (but not
hidden behind a parapet) and a recessed entry porch (instead of appended verandah).
The polychromy at 29-31 Parkhill Road, however, is bolder in its patterns, and replaces
the typical bracketed cornice (seen at 4 Selbourne Road) with a bold dogtooth frieze of
cream bricks. Like 4 Selbourne Road, it retains its original tuckpointing.
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
The duplex is a tangible illustration of the peak of the property boom that took place in
Melbourne and its suburbs in the late 1880s, leading to the 1890s depression. In
anticipation of dense and rapid suburban development in this part of Kew, the two
dwellings were constructed as a compact duplex, a form seen more commonly along
Kew's tram routes and in Melbourne's inner suburb In contrast, the area situated north of
Cotham Road and east of Belmont Avenue was very sparsely developed during the 19th
century, and developed primarily with large houses and mansions, set well back from the
street fronts.
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
The duplex is an unusual residential form for this part of Kew, which was characterised
by freestanding Victorian villas and mansions. The use of small entry porches, recessed
within the building envelope, is also quite rare for a middle suburb like Kew, where
Victorian houses generally have generous verandahs appended to the facade.
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
Not applicable.
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
The duplex is representative of a Victorian polychrome brick residential building,
constructed at the height of the 1880s boom. Typical features of the era include the slate
hipped roof above narrow eaves, corbelled brick chimneys, double-hung sash windows
below flat arches with bluestone sills.
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
The duplex is distinguished by its bold polychrome brickwork, particularly details such as
the dogtooth frieze in the cornice, the banded voussoirs to the window and door arches,
decorative raised aprons of red brick below the window sills, and diaper pattern to the
chimneys. A simplified version of the polychromy continues around the side elevations.
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
Not applicable.
CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
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Not applicable.
CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
The duplex has associations with its first owners, prominent Melbourne tea merchants,
James and John Griffiths, whose former residences, 'Monnington' and 'Goldthorns', are
located in this area of Kew. It also has associations with the renowned football
manufacturers T.W. Sherrin Pty Ltd, whose staff occupied the house from the late 1890s
to just after World War I.
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The duplex at 29-31 Parkhill Road, Kew, of c1890, to the extent of its 19th-century fabric.
The duplex was constructed as a rental property for owners James and John Griffiths,
prominent Kew residents and Melbourne tea merchants. It was leased by renowned
football manufacturers, T.W. Sherrin Pty Ltd, for occupation by their leatherworkers for
almost thirty years from the time of its completion. The building is two-storey, with
polychrome brick walls, a slate hipped roof, narrow eaves and corbelled polychrome brick
chimneys. It is set behind a modest front garden.
How is it significant?
The duplex is of local historical and architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the duplex is a tangible illustration of the peak of the property boom that took
place in Melbourne and its suburbs in the late 1880s, leading to the 1890s depression. In
anticipation of dense and rapid suburban development in this part of Kew, the two
dwellings were constructed as a compact duplex, a form seen more commonly along
Kew's tram routes and in Melbourne's inner suburb. In contrast, the area situated north of
Cotham Road and east of Belmont Avenue was very sparsely developed during the 19th
century, and developed primarily with large houses and mansions, set well back from the
street fronts. (Criterion A)
Architecturally, the duplex is an unusual residential form for this part of Kew, which was
characterised by freestanding Victorian villas and mansions. The use of small entry
porches, recessed within the building envelope, is also quite rare for a middle suburb like
Kew, where Victorian houses generally have generous verandahs appended to the
facade. In addition, the duplex is distinguished by its bold polychrome brickwork,
particularly details such as the dogtooth frieze in the cornice, the banded voussoirs to the
window and door arches, decorative raised aprons of red brick below the window sills,
and diaper pattern to the chimneys. (Criteria B & E)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an Individually Significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme:
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
Prohibited uses may be permitted
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
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Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
Identified By
Community member, 2012.
References
Bailey, Robert, personal communication via email, 1 August 2014. Robert Bailey is the
current owner of 31 Park Hill Road and has provided historical information directly from
Marlow Sherrin, daughter of the Sherrin company owner John Sydney ‘Syd’ Sherrin,
following personal communication with her c2006.
Davison, Graeme. 'Land Boom' in A Brown-May & S Swan (eds.) The Encyclopedia of
Melbourne, 2005.
Griffiths Coffee, 'About: Our Heritage', http://www.griffithscoffee.com.au/, accessed
January 2012.
Land Victoria (LV), Certificates of Title, as cited above.
Land Victoria (LV), Old Law Note, Application no. 26703, Griffiths.
Melbourne Mansions database (MMDB), record no.
2406, http://fmpro.abp.unimelb.edu.au/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=mmdb&-loadframes, accessed
January 2013.
Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, No. 65, Kew, 1902.
Paproth, Darrell, 'John Moore Griffiths (1855-1943)' and 'James Griffiths (1850-1925)', on
webjounrals.ac.ed.au, http://webjournals.ac.edu.au/, accessed January 2013.
Rogers, Dorothy (1973), A History of Kew, Kilmore [Vic].
Sanderson, Pru. 'Kew Urban Conservation Study', 1988.
Sands & McDougal street directories.
Sherrin, ‘History’, <https://www.sherri. n.com.au/history>, accessed 29 August 2014.
The Albany Advertiser [WA]
The Argus.
Formatted: Default Paragraph Font,
Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12
pt
Formatted: Default Paragraph Font,
Font: (Default) Times New Roman, 12
pt
Formatted: Font: Italic
Formatted: Font: Italic
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Amendment C208
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Bunbury house
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 203 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
Name: House
Survey Date: June 2014
Place Type: Residential
Architect: Robin Boyd
Grading: Individually Significant
Builder: H.H. Miles
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date: 1949
Figure 1. Original architects sketch, signed Robin Boyd, showing the garden front of 203 Doncaster Road, 1949.
(Ann Louise Munro, nee Bunbury)
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Figure 2 The garden front of 203 Doncaster Road, 2014.
Source: Real estate agent advertising material obtained from website
http://www.jelliscraig.com.au/property/BALWYN-NORTH-203-Doncaster-Road/7032897/#.U6IrKzjlqSk,
accessed 19/06/14
Historical Context
Place history
The suburb of Balwyn North developed significantly later than the older established
suburbs of the City of Boroondara; with the majority of development occurring as
suburban infill following the Second World War. This later period of development arises
from the more intensive development pattern of the City of Boroondara of the late
Victorian period that developed along transportation networks. This saw Boom era
development (1880s) follow railway lines with early twentieth century development
following the expansion of the electric tram network from 1910. A delay in the extension
of the tram network to Balwyn North until 1938, and the lack of public transport
associated with this, had a noticeable effect upon the delayed development of the area.
(City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History, 2012)
Significant suburban infill development within Balwyn North followed the Second World
War with the influx of returning servicemen. A popular source for middle class house
designs during this post war period was the Small Homes Service (SHS), with the
notable architect Robin Boyd as its director The SHS was a joint venture between The
Age newspaper and the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects (RVIA). The SHS was
established in order to provide architecturally designed homes for people who could
otherwise not engage an architect to undertake such work. The suitability of Balwyn
North was noted, by Robin Boyd himself, as an area where the construction of SHS
homes was considered suitable. Within three months of the commencement of the SHS,
Boyd declared in his weekly newspaper column within The Age that success in
homebuilding was achievable if ‘you are seeking land in a good residential suburb such
as Balwyn North’. (City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History, 2012)
As a result of, and in tandem to, the SHS program, areas surrounding Balwyn North saw
a large number of Melbourne architects design some of their most significant projects
within this part of Boroondara during the 1950s and 1960s. A large number of architects
also developed their own homes in Boroondara, including Robin Boyd at Camberwell.
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The subsequent development of Balwyn North was to see it emerge as a location for
some of ‘the most important architect-designed modernist housing to be seen in
Australia’. (City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History, 2012)
Robin Boyd ARAIA, Architect
Robin Gerard Penleigh Boyd (1919-1971) was a prominent architect, author, theorist and
architectural critic. During his lifetime, Boyd was ‘one of Australia’s most influential voices
within the architecture profession’ and it is considered that he was more than likely the
‘only public intellectual on matters related to architecture’. (The Encyclopedia of
Australian Architecture, p. 100)
Boyd’s work is revered for its experimental nature and its continual development and
experimentation in the search for more effective home designs, both in regard to their
construction cost and the quality of their internal environments. A majority of Boyd’s
pioneering work in this area was undertaken as part of the RVIA Small Homes Service, to
which he was appointed director in 1947.
As part of his realising of the Small Homes Service, Boyd:
“…delighted in the ‘movement towards logical structure and free planning’, the
conversion of young architects to a linear stretch of rooms, their affection for natural
materials and decorative simplicity, and the growing ‘Mediterranean resemblance’.
He had imposed a Small Homes style, fighting against ‘the dominant configuration of a
hipped roof over an asymmetrically-fronted house and its thoughtlessly dived up interior’,
and insisting upon open planning.” (Robin Boyd: A Life, p.94)
In his own portfolio of built work, one of Boyd’s earliest and most significant homes was
his own house in Riversdale Road, Camberwell, built in 1946, which exemplifies his early
and significant contribution to the City of Boroondara. (City of Boroondara Thematic
Environmental History, 2012)
History
The neighbourhood character of Balwyn North was defined during the post war period
when broad acre subdivisions were undertaken in conjunction with major suburban infill
development. The late development of Balwyn North, coupled with its proximity to
comfortable and affluent middle class suburbs including Camberwell, Kew and Hawthorn,
was to see huge demand for the services of architects with people eager to embrace the
opportunity of constructing comfortable modern homes within the immediate proximity of
the established middle classes.
Designed by architect Robin Boyd in 1949 for A.E. (Austin) and Alice Bunbury, the house
at 203 Doncaster Road (the Bunbury house), at the corner of Balwyn Road, North
Balwyn, represents one of Boyd’s earliest substantial works following his development of
the Small Homes Service (SHS) and its cache of economical home designs for a
conservative post war Australian society.
The Robin Boyd Foundation, established in 2005, continues the work and spirit of Robin
Boyd through an active, innovative and ongoing series of public learning programs
developed to increase individual and community awareness, understanding and
participation in design.
Description & Integrity
The Bunbury house represents a development of the core principles of the Small Homes
Service (SHS) while demonstrating a preliminary level of experimentation in architectural
detailing for which Boyd would become renown.
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The Bunbury house further developed the single storey idiom promoted in the SHS into a
two storey design that expanded upon Boyd’s insistence for open planning in addition to
the ‘Mediterranean resemblance’ of whitewashed brickwork with which he first
experimented with in his winning student design for ‘House with a Skillion Roof’ in 1939;
this student design was never realised as a constructed project. As part of this design
development, Boyd incorporated design elements that would later contribute his
recognisable design style in the house at 203 Doncaster Road/Bunbury House. These
elements include floor to ceiling glazing, projecting eaves and suspended sun shading
devices constructed from timber slats. Refined examples of these design elements were
later revisited in projects that came to trademark Boyd’s work, such as the Gillison house,
Balwyn (1952) immediately following his return from Haddon Scholarship to Europe in
1951.
Photographs available on the website of real estate agents for the house, Jellis Craig,
read in conjunction with the original architect’s drawing (held by the City of Boroondara)
and the original architect’s presentation sketch of the house (refer Figure 1) reveal that
203 Doncaster Road retains a high level of integrity; including its original planning, (minor
partitioning occurring to first floor bedrooms), and the retention of its original external
appearance according to Boyd’s sketch in 1949. The current external colour scheme is
also representative of that portrayed by Boyd in his 1949 design.
The following chronology of Boyd’s early practice, and the place of the Bunbury house
during these informative years, has been developed up until the mid 1950s at which point
he established his lucrative commercial architectural partnerships and during which his
most notable architectural works were undertaken.
Chronology
1938: Design and construction of Murrumbeena studio for cousin, and artist, Arthur
Boyd.
1939: Designs prize winning ‘House with a Skillion Roof’ for the Building Industry
Congress’s Exhibition, Melbourne;
Works for A. & K. Henderson, architects.
1940-2: Boyd joins Australian Imperial Forces, serving 3rd Field Survey Company in New
Guinea, serving with other architecture students, including Neil Clerehan, Kevin
Petherbridge and Frank Bell.
1945: End of World War II;
Boyd enters into unofficial partnership with Kevin Petherbridge and Frank Bell,
designing mainly houses including the Howard Pettigrew house and Boyd’s own
house.
1946: Boyd registers as an architect;
Design of Howard Pettigrew house, Kew.
1947: Design of Robin Boyd house, 158 Riversdale Road, Camberwell;
End of Boyd, Petherbridge and Bell partnership;
Boyd author’s Victorian Modern, the first history of modern architecture in
Victoria;
Boyd appointed director of Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Small Homes
Service;
Boyd commences own architectural practice from his Camberwell home.
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1948: Wins Robert and Ada Haddon Travelling Scholarship.
1949: Designs ‘The House of Tomorrow’ for the Red Cross Homes Exhibition at the
Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton;
Designs house, and construction commences, at 203 Doncaster Road,
North Balwyn for Austin and Alice Bunbury.
1950: Travels to Europe on Haddon Scholarship.
1951: Returns from Haddon Scholarship.
1952: Designs Douglas Gillison house, Balwyn;
Designs Manning and Dymphna Clark house, Canberra;
1952-4: Designs Wood house and shop, Jordanville (Vic.), an experimental structure
house.
1953: Passes directorship of Small Homes Service onto Neil Clerehan
1953-4: Designs Professor Frank Fenner house, Canberra.
Comparative Analysis
Comparative analysis has focussed on the City of Boroondara for comparable examples
of Boyd’s residential work as the City contains many examples. Currently, the City of
Boroondara contains ten (10) documented examples of Boyd’s work, with eight (8) of
these listed on the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara Planning Scheme
for their individual heritage significance as ‘Robin Boyd houses’. Two of these eight
properties have been identified as being of State Significance by the Victorian Heritage
Council and are listed with Heritage Victoria. The approach undertaken in this
comparative analysis has been to benchmark the Bunbury house against several of
these examples, taking into account their comparative construction dates of 1946 – 1947
with that of the Bunbury house (1949).
Related Places
1946: Boyd house, 664-666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell – Of state significance
(HO116)
1947: Pettigrew house, 21 Redmond Street, Kew (HO337)
1949: Bunbury house, 203 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
1952: Gillison house, 43 Kireep Road, Balwyn (HO177)
1955: Wilson house, 23 Dunlop Avenue, Kew (HO530)
1956: R. Haughton James house, 82 Molesworth Street, Kew (HO326)
1959: Clemson house, 24 Milfay Avenue, Kew - Of state significance (HO251)
1967: Lawrence house and flats, 13 Studley Avenue, Kew (HO342)
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The Boyd house, 664-666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell was constructed in 1946 and
is significant as one of Robin Boyd’s earliest works and as his own family home. This
house demonstrates the practical sensibilities of Boyd in his own home which are later
evidenced in the Bunbury house, including bedrooms located within the southern
sections of the house with a compact living/dining area, with a connecting servery
kitchen, within the northern sections in order to maximise orientation of the buildings for
sun and internal outlook. The influence of this simplified yet practical planning is
evidenced within the planning of the Bunbury house three years later. Despite the later
extension of the Boyd house with a storeyed addition, it is considered to be of both local
and state significance.
Figure 3. The Boyd house, 664-666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell, 1946. Note the later two storeyed extensions to
the original house. (Heritage Victoria)
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The Pettigrew house, 21 Redmond Street, Kew was constructed in 1947 and is
significant as ‘a very early example of modern domestic design in Melbourne by noted
architects Robin Boyd, Kevin Petherbridge and Frank Bell, and is a forerunner of much of
the design which was to originate from these practitioners and other young architects in
the decades to follow’. The Bunbury house is a comparable example for its construction
during this early period and as a result can also be regarded as ‘a forerunner’ for much of
the design that was to follow from Robin Boyd, and as a result ‘other young designers for
decades to follow’. (HERMES record, Boroondara City Council)
Figure 4. The Howard Pettigrew house, 21 Redmond Street, Kew. 1947 (Boroondara City Council)
Summary
In summary, it is considered that the Bunbury house, 203 Doncaster Road, Balwyn North
is of an equivalent architectural quality and integrity to a number of Robin Boyd houses
within the City of Boroondara that have been recognised on the Schedule to the Heritage
Overlay of the Boroondara Planning Scheme. In some instances, it is considered that the
Bunbury house in fact surpasses the architectural qualities and integrity of some of these
properties due to its intact external appearance including its form and representative
colour scheme that is consistent with the original design intent expressed in an original
architects sketch, by Robin Boyd, of the house in 1949. It also retains its original
planning, with only minor alterations having occurred in upstairs bedrooms only. The
house also represents one of Robin Boyd’s earliest, and most intact, works, and as such
is a design precursor for much of his later highly regarded works which have proven to be
an inspiration for many contemporary designers. For these reasons, the Bunbury house
makes a significant contribution towards the already notable group of modernist architect
designed houses on the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay in the City of Boroondara.
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Amendment C208
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
The Bunbury House at 203 Doncaster Road is one of a number of Balwyn North houses
designed by notable architects in the immediate post war period when the area was
rapidly developing. The place represents the aspirations of those who sought to settle in
the newly subdivided areas of Balwyn and Balwyn North adjacent to established areas of
Camberwell, Kew and Hawthorn. The Bunbury House demonstrates the principles of The
Age Small Homes Service established with Boyd as its first Director.
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
N/A
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
N/A
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
The Bunbury house is significant as a representative place in the large body of residential
work of architect and architectural theorist Robin Boyd. As one of ten places in
Boroondara designed by Boyd, it provides a link to the development of his early practice.
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
The Bunbury house represents a significantly early and intact example of modernist
architecture by the significant 20th century Australian architect, theorist, author and critic
Robin Boyd. The Bunbury house displays clear associations in its design and detailing
with the designs of Robin Boyd that were developed as part of the Small Homes Service,
an initiative that sought to provide cost effective, architecturally designed homes to a
wider audience. The Bunbury House incorporates design elements that are recognisable
and important in Boyd’s design work, including the design of efficient floor plans, floor to
ceiling glazing, projecting eaves and suspended sun shading devices constructed from
timber slats. The Bunbury house represents a significantly early, large and intact
example of work from the formative years of the important architect, theorist, author and
critic, and former resident of the City of Boroondara, Robin Boyd.
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
N/A
CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
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The Bunbury house is of significance to the Robin Boyd Foundation, a not for profit
organisation that promotes the built works of Robin Boyd, and 20th century Australian
modernist architecture in general, and their contribution towards the understanding of
modernist design within Australian culture.
CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
N/A
Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The Bunbury house designed in 1949 by architect Robin Boyd at 203 Doncaster Road,
Balwyn North.
How is it significant?
The Bunbury house is of local historical and aesthetic significance to Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
The Bunbury House at 203 Doncaster Road is a significant example of modern
architecture in the post war period when areas of Balwyn and Balwyn North were
developing. The Bunbury house represents early work of notable 20th century Australian
architect, theorist, author and critic Robin Boyd, from his work with the influential Royal
Victorian Institute of Architects (RVIA) and The Age Small Homes Service (SHS). The
SHS was an initiative that sought to provide cost effective, architecturally designed
homes to a wide audience, including those who would not otherwise have been able to
afford an architect designed home.
The Bunbury house represents a significant, early and intact example of modernist
architecture by Robin Boyd. The Bunbury house displays clear associations in its design
and detailing with other designs developed as part of Boyd’s work with the SHS. The
Bunbury house incorporates design elements that are recognisable from Boyd’s popular
designs, including efficient floor plans, floor to ceiling glazing, projecting eaves and
suspended sun shading devices constructed from timber slats. The Bunbury house
contributes to the understanding and legacy of Boyd’s work as preserved by the Boyd
Foundation.
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an Individually Significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme.
It is noted that internal controls are not usually recommended for private residential
buildings. Likewise external paint controls are not usually recommended unless colour
scheme is considered integral to significance. In this instance internal controls and
external paint controls are not considered necessary for the conservation of this place.
However, it is noted that the existing external colour scheme reflects that in the original
sketch by Robin Boyd (figure 1). Additionally, much of the interior appears to be original
to the residence and its original construction date.
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
No
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Amendment C208
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Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
Prohibited uses may be permitted
Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Identified By
Alisa Bunbury and Ann Louise Munro (Bunbury), grandchildren of Austin and Alice
Bunbury.
References
Built Heritage Pty. Ltd. 2012. City of Boroondara Thematic Environmental History,
prepared for the Boroondara City Council.
Goad, P. in Boyd, Robin, in Philip Goad & Julie Willis (Eds.) 2012.
The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Port Melbourne AU.
Serle, G. 1996. Robin Boyd: A Life, Melbourne.
‘Former Robin Boyd house’, HERMES record, Boroondara City Council, accessed
19 June 2014.
‘Howard Pettigrew house’, HERMES record, Boroondara City Council, accessed
19 June 2014.
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Amendment C208
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IDENTIFER HOUSE (WYNNIVY)
Other/s
Arnold Residence (former)
Address
15 (15-17) Deepdene Road
BALWYN
Date/s
1924
Designer/s Barlow & Hawkins
Builder/s
-
Theme/s
6.7.1 Making homes for the upper classes
Heritage Group
Residential Building (Private)
9.3.2 Designing fine buildings
Heritage Category
House
Heritage status
-
Intactness Excellent
Significance
Local
Condition
Recommendation
Include in HO as individual place
Survey date
01/10/12
Excellent
(inset) Australian Home Builder, Nov 1924
Extent
To title boundaries
%$/:<1%$/:<11257++(5,7$*( 678'<-81( 57
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______________________________________________________________________________________
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
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______________________________________________________________________________________
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
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______________________________________________________________________________________
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
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“Ngara”, Gough Whitlam Birthplace
Prepared by: Context Pty Ltd
Address: 46 Rowland Street, Kew
Name: ‘Ngara’, Gough Whitlam’s birthplace
Place Type: Residential
Survey Date: 15 May 2014,
30 Oct. 2014
Architect:
Grading: Individually Significant
Builder: Edward Maddocks
Extent of Overlay: To title boundaries
Construction Date: 1915-16
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Historical Context
The land occupied by 46 Rowland Street was originally part of the large land holding
acquired by Captain Edward Dumaresq at sale in October 1851. Many of the streets in
the vicinity of the subject property are named for Captain Dumaresq's sons - Alfred,
Edward, John, Thomas, and Rowland (Rogers, 1973:12-13).
Early development along Rowland Street lagged behind that of the adjacent Sackville
Street, where many large villas and mansions had been built by 1904, with outbuildings
backing onto Rowland Street. The only exceptions were to the east of John Street, with
St Hilary’s Church of England on the north side and the vicarage across the street at 34
Rowland Street (HO338) (MMBW Detail Plans Nos. 1569 & 1568, 1904).
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It was not until the 1910s that the subdivision and sale of the south side of Rowland
Street, to the east of John Street, took off. Owner Walter Hiscock, an accountant,
purchased over six acres, almost all of it on Rowland Street, and that same year began
to sell off individual house blocks measuring 66 feet wide and 189 feet 9 inches deep.
The fourth sale, in 1914, was to the future parents of Gough Whitlam (LV: Vol. 3583 Fol.
481).
History
Edward Gough Whitlam, future Prime Minister of Australia, was born on 11 July 1916 to
Harry Frederick (“Fred”) Whitlam and Martha (“Mattie”) Whitlam nee Maddocks. Their
first-born child was named after his respective grandfathers: Henry Hugh Gough Whitlam
and Edward Maddocks (Hocking, 2008:25; Vic. Birth Cert. 1916/22079). According to the
birth announcement, this took place at “Ngara”, Rowland Street, East Kew (Argus, 22 Jul
1916: 13).
Fred Whitlam and Mattie Maddocks had wed on 10 September 1914 at the Collins Street
Baptist Church (Hazlehurst, 2002). It is not clear where the couple first resided, as some
sources give their first residence as Serrell Street, Malvern East (Sands & McDougall,
1915; Hocking, 2008:24), while legal documents from late 1914 and early 1915 give it as
Torrington Street, Balwyn (now Canterbury) (LV: Vol. 3856 Fol. 071; MMBW Drainage
Plan No 98321).
In any case, the couple purchased a block of land on Rowland Street on 18 December
1914 (LV: Vol. 3856 Fol. 071). By February 1915 plans for a new house on this site were
complete, and ‘agent’ E. Maddocks of Station Street, Box Hill, applied for a sewer
connection on behalf of owner F. Whitlam (MMBW Drainage Plan No 98321).
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Amendment C208
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The ‘agent’ shown on the plan of drainage was typically the builder or architect of a new
building to be hooked up to the sewerage system. In this case it is known that Mattie
Whitlam’s father, Edward Maddocks, was a master builder (Hocking, 2008:25). By the
time of his death, in 1938, Edward Maddocks resided on Tower Street, Hawthorn East, in
a house he reportedly built as well (Argus, 17 Oct 1938:14; Hockings, 2008: 23).
The Whitlams took a mortgage out from the State Savings Bank of Victoria on 30
January 1915, presumably under the Credit Foncier programme to finance construction
of the house (LV: Vol. 3856 Fol. 071). No architect has been identified for the house at 46
Rowland Street, and it may well have been the design of Edward Maddocks. *
*
Note that the State Savings Bank of Victoria only began to provide standard houses designs and
specifications along with the Credit Foncier loans in 1924, so the design of the house would not have
been provided by the bank (Cooch, 1934:102).
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The house was completed by May 1915, and Harry F. E. Whitlan [sic] is listed as residing
at 46 Rowland Street in the 1916 street directory (MMBW Drainage Plan No 98321;
Sands & McDougall, 1916).
Fred Whitlam was born in Prahran in 1884, and became a clerk in the Victorian
Department of Lands and Survey in 1901, before moving to the Commonwealth Public
Service in 1911 at the land tax branch of Treasury. At the same time he obtained
accountancy and legal qualifications, and moved to the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor’s
Office in 1913, just before his marriage. In 1917 Fred Whitlam was promoted to senior
clerk and then moved to the Sydney office in 1918 (Hazlehurst, 2002). This led to the
sale of the family home on Rowland Street on 25 October 1917 just prior to the move
(LV: Vol. 3856 Fol. 071).
Fred Whitlam and family then moved to Canberra in 1927 to become assistant crown
solicitor and was crown solicitor from 1936 until his retirement in 1949. He was a major
community figure in Canberra, lecturing at and serving on the council of Canberra
University College, serving as president of the University Association of Canberra and
the Young Men’s Christian Association of Canberra (Hazlehurst, 2002).
While Fred and Mattie Whitlam’s daughter, Freda, would become principal of the
Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Croydon (Sydney), and a moderator of the NSW Uniting
Church Synod, it was their son, E Gough Whitlam, born at 46 Rowland Street, who would
become the most famous of their offspring (Hazlehurst, 2002).
Gough Whitlam began his schooling in Sydney, completing his leaving certificate in
Canberra after the family moved there in 1927. From 1935 he studied law and arts at the
University of Sydney. During World War II he was a Flight-Lieutenant navigator in the
Royal Australian Air Force, and married Margaret Dovey in 1942. At war’s end, in 1945,
he joined the Australian Labor Party, and won his first Federal seat in 1952. Whitlam was
elected leader of the Labor Party in 1967, and brought the party to Federal election
victory in 1972, after 23 years in Opposition, becoming the 21st Prime Minister of
Australia. During the three short years of the Whitlam Government, numerous reforms
and innovations were introduced that showed a clear break with the past and still inform
Australian life today. These include ending the draft and involvement in the Vietnam War,
establishing diplomatic relations with China, creation of the Department of Aboriginal
Affairs, introduction of welfare payments for single mothers and the homeless, lowering
the voting age to 18, abolishing university fees, introducing no-fault divorce, replacing
‘God Save the Queen’ as the national anthem, and granting Papua New Guinea
independence (‘A timeline of Gough Whitlam’s life’, Herald Sun, 17 Mar 2012).
The Whitlam Government was dismissed by Governor-General, Sir John Kerr on 11
November 1975, following a loans scandal and blocking of Federal money supply by a
Liberal-Country Party controlled Senate. In the subsequent election, the Labour
Government was replaced by the Liberal-Country Party, led by Malcom Fraser. Gough
Whitlam then lostretained his seat in the 1977 federal election, though the Labor
Government was defeated. He stood down from leadership of the party and retired from
politics the following yearin 1978. In the following decades he served as a fellow and
visiting professor at Australian and American universities, wrote books about his time in
politics, and served on a number of national and international councils and committees.
He retired from public life around 2010 and suffered the death of his wife, Margaret, in
2012 (‘A timeline of Gough Whitlam’s life’, Herald Sun, 17 Mar 2012).
When the Whitlams sold the house at 46 Rowland Street in 1917 it was transferred to the
Starr-Bowkett Building Society, which was providing co-operative finance for Samuel
James Woods, a tailor and mercer, and Mabel Lucy Woods. The property did not pass
into their names until 1932 (LV: Vol. 3856 Fol. 071).
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Later owners, the Swinnertons, made a number of alterations to the house in the late
1950s and early 1960s, optometrist William Swinnerton acting as owner-builder. Apart
from a brick garage in 1955 and a steel garage in 1962, Swinnerton made a series of
alterations to the front of the house. In 1959 he extended the front bay window, doubling
its depth and adding a bowed multi-pane window influenced by the Georgian Revival
style. That same year it appears that he enclosed the original entry porch in a re-entrant
corner on the east side of the house, and extended it to the north with a new open porch.
This was done in a sympathetic manner and appears to have recycled an original turned
timber post. In 1962 Swinnerton enclosed the original front verandah on the west side of
the façade, removing the paired verandah posts and building brick walls (City of Kew
building permit files). Partial demolition in September 2014 revealed that much of the
verandah detail had been left intact beneath the new verandah cladding. This includes
pairs of turned timber posts resting on a brick plinth, with simple lattice fretwork between
the tops of each pair. The hip tiled verandah roof, which extends from the main roof, was
left intact. A ‘family room’ was appended to the rear of the house at an unknown date.
Description & Integrity
The house is a modest-sized Federation villa with tuckpointed brick and roughcast walls,
and a high pyramidal roof with an asymmetric composition created by half-timbered
gabled bays to the front and side elevations. The roof is covered in Marseille tiles with
terracotta ridgecapping and finials, and its line is continued down to the front verandah,
typical of the style. The four chimneys show an Arts & Crafts influence with roughcast
shafts, and flat copings resting on brick headers. Original windows to the side elevations
retain floral leadlight casement windows, typical of the time. This includes the bow
window to the east elevation which sits beneath a hood supported on decorative timber
brackets. Similar brackets sit beneath the jettied apex of the projecting gables.
As noted in the history, there have been alterations to the front of the house. These
include the replacement of the front bay window with a larger, Neo-Georgian one, though
the half-timbering directly above it has survived. The original window was the same size
and presumably had the same details as the surviving bay window on the west elevation.
An enclosed vestibule was created at the front entrance, on the west elevation. The
porch protecting the front door retains a turned timber post which appears to have been
reused from elsewhere in the house (likely from the original entry porch), as it is identical
to the posts of the front verandah. Finally, the front verandah on the east side of the
façade was infilled with rendered brick wallsa concrete block wall on the west side and
rendered sheeting on the face. As noted in the history, recent partial demolition has
revealed that much of this verandah survived intact beneath a later infill. The tiled hip roof
is supported on two pairs of turned timber posts that sit on a low brick plinth. Between
each pair is a small section of lattice timber fretwork. The new walls are set beneath the
original verandah roof, indicating its former presence.
Comparative Analysis
The house at 46 Rowland Street is a Federation villa which displays features typical of
this style, in a form that suggests it was designed by a builder (namely, master builder
Edward Maddocks) as opposed to an architect. There are many such houses as this,
scattered around Kew and the City of Boroondara. Their architectural design generally
places them in the category of ‘contributory’ buildings if in a heritage precinct, while a few
might be judged ‘notable examples’ of their class (middle-class Federation villas). One of
the requirements to be a ‘notable example’ (and meet the threshold of local significance
under HERCON Criterion D – representativeness) is a high level of intactness, among
other things. As the house at 46 Rowland Street has suffered some external alterations
visible from the public domain – particularly the infilling of the front verandah and the
enlargement of the front bay window – it clearly falls short of this requirement. The other
two architectural criteria – E and F – require an even higher standard of design, so a
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‘typical’ example such as this one would – again – not qualify. For these reasons,
comparative analysis of the house has not been carried out on an architectural basis.
Instead, places given heritage protection because of their associations with a famous
person were used as a comparative basis. Two types of such places were sought: those
that served as a residence of a prime minister, and those that were the birthplace of a
prime minister or famous person of any type. As such places are not numerous, a statewide search was carried out using the Victorian Heritage Database.
There are a number of places individually listed on municipal heritage overlays (as well
as the Victorian Heritage Register) because they served as the residence of a prime
minister during his time in office. As Melbourne served as the national capital until 1927,
prior to this all Australian prime ministers had a residence in Melbourne during their time
in Parliament.
-
Boroondara HO315 – 10 Howard Street, Kew. A handsome and intact two-storey
house built in 1912. Robert Menzies owned and occupied it 1928-60,
encompassing his time as prime minister.
-
Boroondara HO285 – 167 Cotham Road, Kew. A single-storey double-fronted
Federation-style villa of brick construction, which features a distinctive centrallyplaced square porch with Art Nouveau parapeted walls. Intact apart from a rear
extension. Built in 1911, it was owned and occupied by Billy Hughes 1915-24,
during his time as prime minister.
-
Southern Grampians HO375 – “Nareen”, Colraine-Nareen Road, Nareen. A
Victorian timber homestead owned by the Fraser family 1946-2000 and closely
associated with Malcom Fraser during his time as prime minister in the 1970s.
The gardens were developed by Malcolm and his wife Tamie.
-
VHR H1126 – “Ballara”, 57-73 Glaneuse Road, Point Lonsdale. An early
bungalow built in 1907-08 as a holiday home for then-prime minister Alfred
Deakin.
-
VHR H1998 – “Bruce Manor”, 34 Pinehill Drive, Frankston. An architectdesigned, Mediterranean Revival villa built for Stanley Bruce in 1926, during his
time as prime minister. He left Australia in 1932. The house is intact and its
design was influential at the time.
-
Moreland HO298 – 2 Fallon Street, Brunswick. A typical block-fronted timber
house of c1906, with a high level of intact detail. It was rented by John Curtain
from 1913-15 during his days as an anti-conscriptionist, prior to his WWII-time
term as prime minister. The house is of architectural significance and historic
interest only for its ‘brief association’ with John Curtain.
The following examples are protected primarily (or equally with other reasons for
significance) because they are the birthplaces of famous people:
-
Hepburn HO823 (Individually significant to precinct) – Church & Hall streets,
Creswick. A simple Victorian timber house believed to be the birthplace, in 1885,
of future prime minster John Curtain. Research has not yet established if his
family owned the house or how long they resided here, but they left Creswick
when John was just five years old. The house has been reclad and the verandah
altered, though its early form is still easily recognisable.
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-
Bayside HO274 – 299 New Street, Brighton. An early house for Brighton (1850s),
it was rented by architect John Grainger during the early 1880s and was the
birthplace of his son, Percy, in 1882. John Grainger, with Charles D’Ebro, was
the designer of Princes Bridge, Fremantle Town Hall and Coombe Cottage. Percy
Grainger became a famous pianist, conductor and composer. The house was
extended in the 1880s and interwar period.
-
Greater Bendigo HO636 – Former McKay Farmhouse, 3536 Elmore-Raywood
Road, Raywood. This simple rendered brick farmhouse was built for Nathanial
McKay by 1864, and was the birthplace of his son, Hugh Vincent McKay, in 1865.
The family moved away in the early 1870s, and the house has been extended
since. HV McKay grew up to invent the Sunshine harvester and was one of
Australia’s most successful industrialists. The 1864 house is ‘effectively obscured
from view by additions and the [later] return verannadah’. A second, timber
cottage was added to the complex in 1916.
“Ngara” compares most closely with the second group, none of which are in the City of
Boroondara. In the case of the HV McKay birthplace, the house was built by his family,
as “Ngara” was by the Whitlam-Maddocks. In the two other cases, the simple event of the
birth of John Curtain and Percy Grainger in a given house was enough to deem it of
individual significance. (Note that while John Grainger’s residence in the Brighton house
is also considered to contribute to its significance, it is unlikely that all of the homes he
rented for a handful of years would deserve heritage protection for that reason alone. It is
clearly the fact that Percy was born here that elevates its significance to a local level.)
All three of the ‘birthplaces’ have undergone some external alterations but their form from
the time of the birth is still basically recognisable (the McKay house least of all, but much
is this is due to an intrusive but removable verandah). In this sense they all meet the test
for HERCON Criterion H (special association) that the physical fabric has not ‘been so
altered that it no longer demonstrates reasonable evidence of the association’ with the
person of importance (Heritage Victoria, 2012:21). The same can be argued of “Ngara”.
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Assessment Against Criteria
Criteria referred to in Practice Note 1: Applying the Heritage Overlay, Department of
Planning and Community Development, September 2012, modified for the local context.
CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Boroondara's cultural
or natural history (historical significance).
NA
CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of
Boroondara's cultural or natural history (rarity).
NA
CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of
the City of Boroondara's cultural or natural history (research potential).
NA
CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of
cultural or natural places or environments (representativeness).
NA
CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics (aesthetic
significance).
NA
CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical
achievement at a particular period (technical significance).
NA
CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural
group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to
Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions (social
significance).
NA
CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of
persons, of importance in the City of Boroondara's history (associative significance).
“Ngara”, at 46 Rowland Street, Kew, built in 1915, has a direct association with Edward
Gough (“Gough”) Whitlam, the 21st Prime Minister of Australia, as the place of his birth on
11 July 1916. Gough Whitlam was a person who made a strong, notable and influential
contribution to the course of Australia’s history (and, by extension, that of Victoria and
Boroondara), both for the massive reforms brought by his Labour Government, 1973-75,
and as one of the best known ‘senior statesmen’ in the country. The association relates
to a close interaction between Gough Whitlam - as his birthplace - and his family with the
place. The property was purchased by newlyweds Harry Frederick (“Fred”) and Martha
(“Mattie”) Whitlam two months after their September 1915 wedding, and was built by
Mattie’s father, master builder Edward Maddocks. This association is still evident in the
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Amendment C208
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physical fabric of the place, as, despite some alterations to the façade, it is still clearly
recognisable as a typical Federation brick villa. The association is also clearly evident in
documentary resources (contemporary newspapers, land titles, biographies). Association
with Fred Whitlam also contributes to the significance of the place, as he was a
distinguished lawyer, Commonwealth public servant and long-time Commonwealth
Crown Solicitor, warranting his own entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography
(2002). The house is a tangible representation of the early fortunes of the Whitlam family,
and reflects the taste of Fred and Mattie Whitlam as clients, and most likely Edward
Maddocks (as the known builder and probable designer).
Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
“Ngara”, 46 Rowland Street, Kew, which was the birthplace on 11 July 1916 of Gough
Whitlam, the future 21st Prime Minister of Australia. The house was constructed in 1915
for newlyweds Harry Frederick (“Fred”) and Martha (“Mattie”) Whitlam by Mattie’s father,
master builder Edward Maddocks. The family sold the house in October 1917, moving to
Sydney shortly afterward for Fred Whitlam’s work.
Fred Whitlam was an accountant and lawyer who worked for the Commonwealth Public
Service from 1911, first as a clerk in the Treasury, and then with the Commonwealth
Crown Solicitor’s Office. The family moved to Canberra in 1927 when Fred Whitlam was
promoted to assistant crown solicitor. He later served as crown solicitor from 1936 until
his retirement in 1949, as well as playing a major role in the Canberra community.
Gough Whitlam completed high school in Canberra, after the family’s move, and then
studied law and arts at the University of Sydney from 1935. During WWII he served in the
Royal Australian Air Force and married Margaret Dovey, who would be his long-time
spouse and support. Joining the Labour Party after the war, Gough Whitlam won his first
Federal seat in 1952, and by 1967 was elected leader of the party. Gough Whitlam led
the Labour Party to its first parliamentary victory in 23 years in 1972, and then headed
the government over the next three years through one of the major periods of reform in
Australia’s 20th-century history, ending only with the Whitlam Government’s dismissal in
November 1975. Gough Whitlam then lostretained his seat in the 1977 federal election,
though the Labour Government was defeated. He stood down from leadership of the
party and retired from politics the following yearin 1978. In the following decades he
served as a fellow and visiting professor at Australian and American universities, wrote
books about his time in politics, and served on a number of national and international
councils and committees.
The house is a modest-sized Federation villa with tuckpointed brick and roughcast walls,
a high pyramidal roof with an asymmetric composition created by half-timbered gabled
bays to the front and side elevations. The roof is covered in Marseille tiles with terracotta
ridgecapping and finials. The four chimneys show an Arts & Crafts influence with
roughcast shafts, and flat copings resting on brick headers. Original bay and bow
windows to the side elevations retain floral leadlight casement windows, typical of the
time.
The façade has been altered by the extension of the front bay window, the enclosure of
the small sidefront verandah (though the posts and fretwork have survived), and an
extension to the side entry porch.
The garages, rear extension and alterations to the façade are not significant.
How is it significant?
“Ngara” is of local historical significance to the City of Boroondara.
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Why is it significant?
It is of historical significance for its special association with Gough Whitlam and his
family, particularly his father, Fred Whitlam. The house provides tangible evidence of the
modest middle-class circumstances to Fred and Mattie Whitlam just following their
wedding in 1914, as well as an indication of their taste as the house was purpose built for
them. In particular, it is recorded as the location of Gough Whitlam’s birth, marking the
starting point of the long and illustrious life of a man who was one of the major players in
Australia’s post-war history. (Criterion H)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara
Planning Scheme as an Individually Significant place.
Recommendations for the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay (Clause 43.01) in the
Boroondara Planning Scheme:
External Paint Colours
Is a permit required to paint an already painted surface?
Internal Alteration Controls
Is a permit required for internal alterations?
Tree Controls
Is a permit required to remove a tree?
Victorian Heritage Register
Is the place included on the Victorian Heritage Register?
Incorporated Plan
Does an Incorporated Plan apply to the site?
Outbuildings and fences exemptions
Are there outbuildings and fences which are not exempt from
notice and review?
Prohibited uses may be permitted
Can a permit be granted to use the place for a use which would
otherwise be prohibited?
Aboriginal Heritage Place
Is the place an Aboriginal heritage place which is subject to the
requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006?
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Identified By
P Permezel (2014) ‘Application to nominate a place for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage
Register for 46 Rowland Street, Kew’.
References
Argus [Melbourne], as cited.
City of Kew building records (building card and plans), held by the City of Boroondara, as
cited.
C Hazlehurst (2002) ‘Whitlam, Harry Frederick (Fred) (1884-1961)’ in Australian
Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 16, accessed online 8 May 2014.
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Herald Sun [Melbourne], as cited.
Heritage Victoria (2012) Assessing the cultural heritage significance of places and
objects for possible state heritage listing: The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and
Threshold Guidelines.
J Hocking (2008) Gough Whitlam: A moment in history: the biography, Vol. 1.
LV: Land Victoria, certificates of land title, as cited.
MMBW Detail Plans, as cited.
MMBW Drainage Plan No 98321. (Held by Yarra Water; facsimile provided by P
Permezel)
P Permezel (2014) ‘Application to nominate a place for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage
Register for 46 Rowland Street, Kew’.
D Rogers (1973) A history of Kew.
Sands & McDougall’s Directory of Victoria, as cited.
Victorian Birth Certificate, No. 22079 of 1916. (NB: Information obtained from the ‘Digger
- Great War Index’ of births, deaths and marriages in Victoria, 1914-20. A facsimile of the
birth certificate is not available to the general public as it is less than 100 years old.)
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______________________________________________________________________________________
City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 82 of 90
Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
24/11/14
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City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 83 of 90
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Submission table
#
1
2
Affected property
and relationship
to the property
29 & 31 Parkhill
Road, Kew
Owner of 31 Park
Hill Road
203 Doncaster
Road, Balwyn
North
Owner
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
Support
This submission provided additional
historical information about the property,
specifically:
x T.W.Sherrin leased the properties at 29
and 31 Parkhill Road, Kew from the
late 19th century until the early 20th
century. T.W.Sherrin was a member of
the family who owned the leather works
business which was employed to make
Australian Football League balls.
x The Sherrin Family had friendship with
John Wren of Kew, a significant person
in the history of Kew.
x Three (3) members of the Sherrin
family who are buried at the Kew
Cemetery have a special association
with the Collingwood Football Club
including life membership.
This information was provided to Council's
Heritage Consultant who has verified the
additional information and updated the place
citation accordingly. The updated citation is
provided at Attachment 1.
As part of their submission the owner
included a letter from their lawyer prior to
their purchase of the property. The letter
cited advice from the Robin Boyd
Foundation stating that there was no
evidence 203 Doncaster Road was a Robin
Boyd House.
Officers have contacted the Foundation to
verify this claim. The Foundation responded
explaining that after having given that
advice, the Foundation was approached by
relatives of an earlier owner of the property
with evidence that the property at 203
Doncaster Road was indeed a Robin Boyd
house. Council officers also provided the
Foundation with a copy of the place citation
and sought their views on the proposal to
include the property in the Heritage Overlay.
Object
Officer Recommendation: Update citation
in accordance with submission comments.
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
The Foundation responded by providing
support for the inclusion of the property in
Heritage Overlay.
Officer recommendation: No change,
Boyd Foundation has confirmed that they
support the citations findings.
The objecting submission had questioned
whether a house can be considered a Robin
Boyd house if its construction was not
known to be supervised by Boyd.
It is noted that evidence of supervision of
construction is not part of the criteria for
including a property on the Heritage Overlay
on the basis of it having been designed by
an important architect. Council officers
enquired with the Robin Boyd Foundation as
to whether this was a criterion they use. The
Foundation responded saying that
supervision of construction by Boyd is not a
criterion they use to define whether a place
is a Boyd house. Below is an excerpt from
the Foundation's response:
"That to be a Robin Boyd house it's
construction needed be supervised by Boyd
in addition to it being designed by Boyd' is
not a position held by the Foundation or
other experts in this area such as Philip
Goad (Professor of Architecture at The
University of Melbourne and an
acknowledged expert on the work of Robin
Boyd). We believe that the building is
substantially intact and is a notable example
of Robin Boyd's early work. The fact that
some of the internal detailing and possibly
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Urban Planning Special Committee Agenda
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
the supervision of the construction was
undertaken by [well known architect] Horace
Tribe while Robin was overseas does not
diminish the significance of the building or
it's pedigree as a Boyd building."
It is also noted that no internal controls are
proposed for this property.
Officer recommendation: No change,
design by an architect is sufficient to warrant
recommendation.
The new owners asked whether Council's
Heritage Consultant who prepared the
citation has sufficient expertise to identify
and assess the work of Robin Boyd.
Council's Heritage Consultant (Context
Heritage Consultants Pty Ltd) has
considerable experience as a heritage
consultant preparing place citations for a
range of properties including modernist
buildings. Council officers sought the Robin
Boyd Foundation's views on the matter. The
Foundation responded saying that the
consultant had suitable expertise and noted
that she had worked on a number of Boyd
projects.
Officer recommendation: No change,
heritage consultant’s expertise and advice is
considered appropriate.
3
203 Doncaster
Road, Balwyn
North
Robin Boyd
Support
The Robin Boyd Foundation responded to
the claims in submission 2 in an email to
Council, later stating that they would like
their email to be considered as a
Noted.
Officer recommendation: No change.
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Foundation
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
submission in support of the Heritage
Overlay.
Their email includes a response to specific
questions in relation to submission 2.
Specifically the Foundation noted:
x That they had been provided with
evidence that house at 203 Doncaster
Road was designed by Robyn Boyd.
x That construction of the house did not
need to be supervised by Robin Boyd
for it to be considered a ‘Boyd House’.
x That they were satisfied that the
citation had been prepared by
someone with an appropriate level of
expertise to assess Robin Boyd’s work.
4&
5
203 Doncaster
Road, Balwyn
North
Relatives of earlier
owners for whom
the property was
designed by Boyd
Support
A further two (2) submissions were received
in support of the Heritage Overlay to the
property at 203 Doncaster Road. These
submissions were from relatives of the
earlier owners of the property for whom the
house was designed and constructed. The
property was recently sold as a deceased
estate.
According to Council’s records Council
heritage consultant first retrieved copies of
the plans signed by Boyd on 23 May 2014.
Council’s heritage consultants did not
complete the citation for the property until
the 18 July 2014. This is when the
recommendation for inclusion in the
Heritage Overlay is considered confirmed.
Submission 4 noted the importance of
Robin Boyd's contribution to Modernist
Architecture in Australia. This submission
stated that they believe 203 Doncaster
Road to be an important place as an early
The citation notes the importance of Robin
Boyd's as an architect and significance of
this work for Balwyn.
Officer recommendation: No change.
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
example of Boyd's work and a pioneering
example of modern design in Balwyn.
6
23-25 and Part 27
Canterbury Road,
Camberwell
From a planning
consultant on
behalf of owner
Object
Submission 5 noted that they had provided
evidence that the house was designed by
Robin Boyd (architectural plans and
illustrations signed by Boyd) to the Robin
Boyd Foundation before the recent sale of
the house.
The citation is inadequate because it does
not compare the property to all properties of
cultural significance in the municipality.
It is not practical to compare the property to
all other properties of cultural significance in
the municipality. It is common practice to
compare the subject property to other
properties of similar period and scale.
Officer recommendation: No change,
Comparison to all heritage properties is not
common practice in the assessment of
heritage places, nor is it practical or
beneficial.
There is an error in the citation where it
describes property at Part of 27 (TP
129339) Canterbury Road, Camberwell as
belonging to the same property as 23-25
Canterbury Road. The property at Part of 27
Canterbury Road is in the same ownership
but on a separate title and is therefore
technically a separate property.
Consequently, the property at Part of 27
Canterbury Road should not be included in
the Heritage Overlay.
This lot was recommended for inclusion in
the Heritage Overlay because it is part of
the original grounds that the house was
designed for. A garage on Part 27
Canterbury Road is believed to be original
or early to the property.
Officer recommendation: No change,
retain the lot at part 27 Canterbury Road in
the proposed Heritage Overlay.
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
The Heritage Overlay should not be applied
because a covenant which applied to 23-25
Canterbury Road was removed via the
Supreme Court in good faith on the basis of
the zoning and the owner did so because
they intended to subdivide and develop the
land.
Covenants are private agreements;
covenant and zones are not relevant
considerations when applying the Heritage
Overlay as considerations are limited to an
assessment of significance. The covenant
and land ownership structure was noted in
the history of part of the citation as is normal
practice. The statement of significance is the
part of the citation which is held to be the
basis for recommending a Heritage Overlay.
Officer recommendation: No change,
retain the lot at part 27 Canterbury Road in
the proposed Heritage Overlay.
7
23-25 and Part 27
Canterbury Road,
Camberwell
Neighbour
Support
Properties on the south side of Canterbury
Road are in a precinct Heritage Overlay.
Several properties on the north side of
Canterbury Road are in the Heritage
Overlay. Council should consider a heritage
precinct for land north of Canterbury Road.
Protecting 23-25 and part 27 Canterbury
Road, Camberwell is consistent with the
Boroondara Planning Scheme.
The place is significant because of its
design and architect. A place of the same
style by the same architect in St Kilda is on
the Victoria Heritage Register.
This property was assessed urgently in
response to the application for subdivision.
Council has a program for assessing
outstanding precinct recommendations of
previous studies.
Planning scheme objectives of identifying
and protecting heritage places are noted in
the officer report.
The citation notes the significance of the
architect.
The citation notes that this architect has
several properties in the heritage Overlay in
Boroondara.
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Amendment C208
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Affected property
and relationship
to the property
Support or Object
Comments in Submission
Officer Response to Submission
The architect has several other places in the
Officer recommendation: No change.
Heritage Overlay in Boroondara, he is an
important architect in the of City of
Review precinct recommendations for land
Boroondara’s history.
north of Canterbury Road in future heritage
consultant work.
23-25 and Part 27
Canterbury Road,
Camberwell
Neighbour
Support
The architect, Christopher Alfred Cowper,
played an important role in defining the
aesthetic character of Boroondara.
The importance of architect Christopher
Alfred Cowper for Boroondara is noted in
the citation.
The application for subdivision for this
property should not be supported because it
would mean the loss of this house and
compromise the character of the area.
The application for subdivision has been
advertised and an officer recommendation
on the application is yet to be finalised. The
officer assessing the planning permit
application has been made aware of the
heritage significance as part of the Council’s
internal referral process and has a copy of
the place citation.
The fact that this property has not been
included in the Heritage Overlay before now
seems anomalous given all the properties
on the south side of Canterbury Road,
(including the submitters own) are in the
Heritage Overlay.
Properties on the south side of Canterbury
Road were included in a precinct based on
the original subdivision pattern. Council has
a number of outstanding precinct
recommendations from previous studies
which are to be assessed as part of a long
term program of heritage consultant work.
Officer recommendation: No change.
Review precinct recommendations for land
north of Canterbury Road in future heritage
consultant work.
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City of Boroondara
Amendment C208
Page 90 of 90