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FORMER ST KILDA RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX
352 CANTERBURY ROAD AND 60 FITZROY STREET ST KILDA, PORT PHILLIP CITY
FORMER ST KILDA RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX
352 CANTERBURY ROAD AND 60 FITZROY STREET ST KILDA, PORT PHILLIP CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
In 1857 the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company opened its line to St Kilda and erected a restrained Italianate brick building at the termination of the line on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It is believed that William Eldson, who is believed to have been the company's engineer at the time, was probably responsible for the design. The building contract was awarded to William Porter and Alexander Robertson.
The railway complex consisted of a booking hall and refreshment saloon, both of grand proportions. They were flanked at one end by public conveniences and at the Fitzroy Street frontage by a station master's residence and yard. An elegant canopy, the train hall, covered the platform and the tracks. The hall was extended to the Fitzroy Street frontage in 1882 when a locomotive traverser was installed. A bluestone retaining wall was erected along what is now Canterbury Road to contain the embankment on which the station was built.
In the early 1900s the station master's yard was built over and the residence converted for use a post and telegraph office. A bow-fronted verandah, which marked the entrance to the booking hall and refreshment saloon, was replaced in about 1907 by the existing verandah. The verandah extends the whole length of the station facade and faces Canterbury Road.
How is it significant?
The former St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of historical, social and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of historical and social significance as the oldest extant railway building in Victoria. Although damaged by fires in 1989, it is by far the most complete of the three surviving privately built station complexes in Victoria. Of the other two stations relating to the period of private railway construction in Victoria, Werribee (VHR 1309) is less intact and South Yarra (VHR 1068) has been significantly altered. The St Kilda Station marks the terminus of the first suburban passenger railway to be constructed in Victoria. It is particularly important for its association with the development of St Kilda as an elite residential suburb and a fashionable seaside resort. It contributed directly to the growth of St Kilda as a popular recreational area and in the 1920s the volume of traffic passing through St Kilda was estimated to be second only to Flinders Street.
The St Kilda Railway Station is historically significant as an indicator of the extent of Melbourne's suburban spread in the mid-nineteenth century. The complex is important for its potential to yield information on the changing nature of railways, locomotive technology and public transport use in Victoria
The St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of architectural significance as a rare surviving example of a Victorian era railway station. The train hall is rare for Victoria and unique in a suburban context. Its size and grand proportions demonstrate the busyness and importance of the station. The many structural alterations to the original two large rooms, (the booking hall and refreshment saloon), demonstrate changing passenger requirements and the flexibility of the station's construction. The strapped queen post trusses spanning the two rooms allowed numerous alterations without substantially changing the original design of the building. These trusses demonstrate the desire for space and opulence, both of which were characteristic of the time of the building's construction.
In 1857 the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company opened its line to St Kilda and erected a restrained Italianate brick building at the termination of the line on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It is believed that William Eldson, who is believed to have been the company's engineer at the time, was probably responsible for the design. The building contract was awarded to William Porter and Alexander Robertson.
The railway complex consisted of a booking hall and refreshment saloon, both of grand proportions. They were flanked at one end by public conveniences and at the Fitzroy Street frontage by a station master's residence and yard. An elegant canopy, the train hall, covered the platform and the tracks. The hall was extended to the Fitzroy Street frontage in 1882 when a locomotive traverser was installed. A bluestone retaining wall was erected along what is now Canterbury Road to contain the embankment on which the station was built.
In the early 1900s the station master's yard was built over and the residence converted for use a post and telegraph office. A bow-fronted verandah, which marked the entrance to the booking hall and refreshment saloon, was replaced in about 1907 by the existing verandah. The verandah extends the whole length of the station facade and faces Canterbury Road.
How is it significant?
The former St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of historical, social and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of historical and social significance as the oldest extant railway building in Victoria. Although damaged by fires in 1989, it is by far the most complete of the three surviving privately built station complexes in Victoria. Of the other two stations relating to the period of private railway construction in Victoria, Werribee (VHR 1309) is less intact and South Yarra (VHR 1068) has been significantly altered. The St Kilda Station marks the terminus of the first suburban passenger railway to be constructed in Victoria. It is particularly important for its association with the development of St Kilda as an elite residential suburb and a fashionable seaside resort. It contributed directly to the growth of St Kilda as a popular recreational area and in the 1920s the volume of traffic passing through St Kilda was estimated to be second only to Flinders Street.
The St Kilda Railway Station is historically significant as an indicator of the extent of Melbourne's suburban spread in the mid-nineteenth century. The complex is important for its potential to yield information on the changing nature of railways, locomotive technology and public transport use in Victoria
The St Kilda Railway Station Complex is of architectural significance as a rare surviving example of a Victorian era railway station. The train hall is rare for Victoria and unique in a suburban context. Its size and grand proportions demonstrate the busyness and importance of the station. The many structural alterations to the original two large rooms, (the booking hall and refreshment saloon), demonstrate changing passenger requirements and the flexibility of the station's construction. The strapped queen post trusses spanning the two rooms allowed numerous alterations without substantially changing the original design of the building. These trusses demonstrate the desire for space and opulence, both of which were characteristic of the time of the building's construction.
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FORMER ST KILDA RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX - History
Associated People:
FORMER ST KILDA RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
(Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)
General Conditions:
1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.
Exterior
* Minor repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
* Removal of extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good.
* Installation or repair of damp-proofing by either injection method or grouted pocket method.
* Repair or replacement of timber paling fences and gates.
* Regular garden maintenance.
* Installation, removal or replacement of garden watering systems.
* Repair and maintenance of the asphalt car park.
Interior
* Painting of previously painted walls and ceilings provided that preparation or painting does not remove evidence of the original paint or other decorative scheme.
* Removal of paint from originally unpainted or oiled joinery, doors, architraves, skirtings and decorative strapping.
* Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor coverings.
* Installation, removal or replacement of curtain track, rods, blinds and other window dressings.
* Installation, removal or replacement of hooks, nails and other devices for the hanging of mirrors, paintings and other wall mounted artworks.
* Refurbishment of bathrooms, toilets and or en suites including removal, installation or replacement of sanitary fixtures and associated piping, mirrors, wall and floor coverings.
* Installation, removal or replacement of kitchen benches and fixtures including sinks, stoves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers etc and associated plumbing and wiring.
* Installation, removal or replacement of ducted, hydronic or concealed radiant type heating provided that the installation does not damage existing skirtings and architraves and provided that the location of the heating unit is concealed from view.
* Installation, removal or replacement of electrical wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed and any original light switches, pull cords, push buttons or power outlets are retained in-situ. Note: if wiring original to the place was carried in timber conduits then the conduits should remain in-situ.
* Installation, removal or replacement of bulk insulation in the roof space.
* Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.
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