House, 43 Aitken Street
43 Aitken Street WILLIAMSTOWN, Hobsons Bay City
Government Survey Heritage Precinct
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Statement of Significance
The house, constructed prior to 1857, at 43 Aitken Street, Williamstown.
How is it Significant?The house at 43 Aitken Street, Williamstown is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Hobsons Bay.
Why is it Significant?Historically, it is significant as perhaps the earliest surviving building in Williamstown and possibly the earliest surviving timber house in the metropolitan area. It is therefore highly important in illustrating the early development of Williamstown, particularly the early role of minor streets for residential use connected with an adjacent commercial centre. (AHC criteria A4 and D2)
Aesthetically, it is significant as an unusual early and almost complete building form, clad with an early and relatively rare material type (wide boards) and among the earliest surviving timber buildings in the State. (AHC criteria B2, E1 and F1)
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House, 43 Aitken Street - Physical Description 1
The Clara Pope house is a four room, high and simply hipped roof double-fronted cottage clad with horizontal, wide beaded-edge softwood boarding fixed to a sawn timber frame. Corrugated iron now covers the shingling to the roof but the ogee-profile rain water gutters are as original. Internally, all walls and ceilings are tongue and grooved, beaded-edge softwood lining; the external wall lining being set to a splay which follows the underside of the roof frame above the wall plate. The one unusually located brick chimney is central, possessing a typical string-course cornice.
A similarly shaped building was owned by Thomas Smith at Tarraville in the 1850s and Judge Fellow's Bungalow Cottage in Mercer Street Queenscliff, in 1859-60; the latter was pre-fabricated by Manning of Britain.[1]
[1] Butler (1982:87f), Allom Lovell & Associates (1982) Queenscliffe Urban Conservation Study Building 71
House, 43 Aitken Street - Integrity
External Integrity and condition
Integrity - High - The house appears to be generally original except for the removal of a verandah from the Aitken Street elevation.
Condition - Poor.
House, 43 Aitken Street - Physical Description 2
An isolated early building in a non-contributory setting.
House, 43 Aitken Street - Historical Australian Themes
Making Suburbs
House, 43 Aitken Street - Physical Description 3
Associations
J. Cain, Mrs Clara Pope, James Backus, Thomas Collins & William Wallace
Heritage Study and Grading
Hobsons Bay - Hobsons Bay Heritage Study
Author: Hobsons Bay City Council
Year: 2006
Grading:
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FORMER MORGUEVictorian Heritage Register H1512
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WILLIAMSTOWN PRIMARY SCHOOLVictorian Heritage Register H1639
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TIME BALL TOWERVictorian Heritage Register H1649
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