HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham
197 Sherbourne Road ELTHAM, NILLUMBIK SHIRE
-
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
HERITAGE VALUE 2005: Local
SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT
What is significant?
Landscape fabric associated with:
-the 1950-60s
How is it significant?
Fayrefield Hats Factory garden is locally significant aesthetically and historically.
Why is it significant?
Fayrefield Hats Factory garden is among a small group of large scale factory pleasure gardens and the complex is perhaps the only factory and garden combination built in the Shire during Victoria's immediate post World War Two expansion era (Criterion A4).
The Fayrefield Hats Factory garden is a highly distinctive and orchestrated design including:
- concrete bridge remnant over creek
- Concrete terraces and garden bed or lawn edges, curved and straight;
- Concrete stair flights with landings and distinctive twist-bar wrought iron balustrade to creek from north side;
- informal stone steps,
- rough stone boulders;
- pedestals;
- distinctive curvilinear concrete lined water channels;
- random stone paving and fine faced random stone retaining walls,
- three main grassed terraces,
- organic and iris-shaped pools, fountains or elements, with blue mosaic tile lining in some patterns of stone and tile. (Criterion E1)
-
-
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 1
DESCRIPTION
This site contains:
. Two single storey masonry factory wings, one renovated c1994;
. A flat roof building set by the creekside, apparently once used as a staff amenity in association with the garden;
. The garden, a highly,orchestrated design using concrete and mosaic tiles, with some surviving planting, along the creek banks. Given that the buildings have been altered, the potential significance of the place lies with the unusual garden design .and historical associations with the factory and its owner.
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 2
Factory wings
There are two single storey red brick (some painted over) and render factory wings, the western block refaced apparently c1994. This section (see Fort Knox storage, Eltham Waterhouse, Walker Filtram) has fenestration typical of Moderne-style factory facades. This is expressed through the Mondrian-like pattern of the window openings and the stepped profile of part of the facade (Fort Knox). The roofs are typically sawtooth profile with parapeted side walls in a matching stepped profile; clad in corrugated 'Super-six' fibre cement; the, windows were steel framed, the lintels are concrete. One block is of recent construction.
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 3
Staff amenity wing
A flat roof red brick building, set on a curved irregular plan set above and next to the creek, was apparently once used as a staff amenity wing in association with the garden. The roof is a concrete slab, Malthoid clad. It appears to date from the 1960s.
The factory although superficially changed in the 1990s appears to have been custom designed with a Modernist character that could be' regarded 'as conservative when built (if post WW2 as appears) but still of local interest as one of the few surviving early purpose-designed industrial building in the. Eltham area;
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 4
The garden is a highly orchestrated design using coloured concrete, stone (grey granite) and mosaic tiles, with some surviving planting, along the creek banks. The plan is based on intersecting circle segments in stone or concrete with a serpentine channel route winding through tress as counterpoint to the more formal geometry.
.Trees include three semi-mature gums (Eucalypts); shrubs include garrya and bergenia specimens. .
. The structure of the garden includes:
. Ruins of concrete bridge over creek (removed for safety reasons)
. Concrete terraces and garden bed or lawn edges, curved and straight;
. Concrete stair flights with landings and distinctive twist-bar wrought iron balustrade to creek from north side;
. informal stone steps,
. rough stone boulders;
. pedestals;
. distinctive curvilinear concrete lined water channels;
. .random stone paving and fine faced random stone retaining walls,
. three main grassed terraces,
. organic and iris-shaped pools, fountains or elements, with blue mosaic tile lining in some
. patterns of stone and tile. The garden is a highly unusual and significant design and very architecturally
focussed. It is reminiscent of landscape designs by Glen Wilson (see Squibb office courtyard). Further work is required to find the designers.
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 5
Integrity
See above
The factory blocks have been altered externally (west wing) and some rebuilt (east). , The amenity block openings have been closed in and the bricks painted. The bridge and some planting have been removed from the garden and detailing has been changed, with some maintenance required of concrete elements.
HO246 - Fayrefield Hat Factory (former) garden or landscape design, 197 Sherbourne Road, Eltham - Physical Description 6
Context
Set below Sherbourne Road and south of the railway line but north of the Eltham village in an area now dominated by industry.
Heritage Study and Grading
Nillumbik - C13 Heritage Stage 2 Final Report Revised Citation
Author: Graeme Butler and Assoc.
Year: 2001
Grading: Local
-
-
-
-
-
RICE HOUSEVictorian Heritage Register H0123
-
SOUTHERNWOODVictorian Heritage Register H2235
-
ADOBE HOUSES AND DAM (PECK'S DAM)Banyule City
-
-