Gardiners Creek Bridge
Glenferrie Road KOOYONG, STONNINGTON CITY
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
Relevant themes from the City of Stonnington Environmental History are indicated by TEH.
What is Significant?
Gardiners Creek Bridge at Glenferrie Road, Kooyong is road bridge constructed in two stages. The eastern half of the bridge is a triple-arched red-brick structure dating from 1891. The western half of the bridge is a reinforced concrete girder structure with an arched spandrel wall. It was designed and built in 1912 by John (later Sir) Monash's Reinforced Concrete and Monier Pipe Construction Company.
Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):
- The form, materials and detailing of the bridge surviving from the 1891 and 1912 phases of construction.
- The bridge's high level of intactness to its 1912 state (including unpainted brickwork)
- Unimpeded views to sides of the bridge and the parapet walls at road level.
- The general absence of modern signage on the bridge and its immediate environs.
Modern fabric, including traffic lights, concrete drains and kerbs and road paving, does not contribute to the significance of the bridge.
How is it significant?
Gardiners Creek Bridge is historically, architecturally and technologically significant at a local level to the City of Stonnington.
Why is it significant?
Gardiners Creek Bridge is of historical significance as an early crossing point in to the municipality (TEH 4.2.4 Bridging Gardiners Creek) and for its associations with the expansion of the electrical tram network through Prahran and Malvern, having been widened specifically to allow for the laying of tramlines (Criterion A, TEH 4.5.2 Prahran-Malvern Tramways Trust). Gardiner's Creek Bridge is of additional historical significance for its association with Sir John Monash (Criterion H).
Gardiner's Creek Bridge is architecturally significant as a substantially intact nineteenth century bridge with a well proportioned arched spans and good quality brickwork (Criterion D). The arched spandrel wall of the 1912 addition is a considered design response to the arched format of the original bridge (Criterion E). The appearance of the 1912 bridge addition is further enhanced by its combination of smooth and textured concrete finishes and red-brick parapet wall.
The bridge is technologically significant for its ability to illustrate advances in bridge building methods, being a rare example in which nineteenth century arched brick construction can be found alongside a twentieth century concrete girder structure (Criterion F).-
-
Gardiners Creek Bridge - Local Historical Themes
Gardiners Creek Bridge illustrates the following themes, as identified in the Stonnington Thematic Environmental History (Context Pty Ltd, 2006):
4.2.4 Bridging Gardiners Creek
4.5.2 Prahran-Malvern Tramways TrustGardiners Creek Bridge - Physical Description 1
The bridge carrying Glenferrie Road across Gardiners Creek at Kooyong was built in two stages. The eastern part of the bridge, dating from c1891, has three segmental arched spans of red-brick construction. At road level, the bridge has a red-brick parapet wall with basalt coping. Recessed brick panelling on the spandrel wall and parapet provide a degree of architectural elaboration. The western part of the bridge is a 1912 addition with a triple arched concrete spandrel wall, broadly mirroring the geometry of the original brick arches on the other side of the bridge. The spandrel wall has a roughcast render finish and contrasting smoothrendered archivolts. The road deck is a reinforced concrete slab supported on concrete cross girders spaced at 5 foot 6 inch centres (1.68m). The slab and cross girders form T beams running across the width of the road deck. The 1912 addition also has a red-brick parapet wall with basalt coping matching the c1891 parapet wall on the east side of the bridge (it was possibly built using materials from the demolished c1891 west parapet wall).
Heritage Study and Grading
Stonnington - Heritage Places in the City of Stonnington - Heritage Citations Project
Author: Bryce Raworth Pty Ltd
Year: 2013
Grading: A2
-
-
-
-