WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former)
1 McRobert Street NEWPORT, Hobsons Bay 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
The WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former), comprising the two storey brick storage and dispatch building constructed c.1903, three early concrete silos constructed c.1908 and associated buildings from the Interwar period, at 1 McRobert Street, Newport.
How is it Significant?The WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former) at 1 McRobert Street, Newport is of local historic and technical significance to the City of Hobsons Bay.
Why is it Significant?Historically, it is significant for its strong associations with the firm of WC Thomas &Sons, which was one of the major milling companies during the mid-twentieth century in Victoria. It is also significant as one of the few surviving early twentieth century flour mills in Melbourne still used for its original purpose, falling between the late nineteenth century mills of Kimpton and Brunton and the 1920s Albion mill at Sunshine of John Darling, in technology and date, which illustrates an important transitional period after roller plants became the norm when the increasingly competitive market meant that constant improvements to efficiency were required to stay in business. As a major industrial complex, it demonstrates the development of Newport and Spotswood as important industrial areas during the first half of the twentieth century and the influence of the railways upon the location of industry in this area. (AHC criteria A4, B2 and H1)
Technically, it is significant as one of the earliest intact mill complexes in Melbourne with others such as Kimpton's having been drastically modified and for the documented use of new milling technology in this complex, using new power sources as soon as they had proved themselves to be viable and quickly adopting bulk storage and handling methods. It is especially notable for the riveted iron bulk wheat silos, which are possibly some of the earliest of their type in Melbourne. (AHC criteria B2 and F1)
-
-
WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former) - Physical Description 1
This is a two storey bichrome brick storage and dispatch building with timber verandah along the rail siding. There are later brick office buildings and the corrugated iron clad sheds constructed about 1934 are in a style sympathetic with that of the mill.
The early section of this complex includes a multi-level red brick mill structure, with a gabled roof line, punched window openings and cream brick headers, and a long timber-post verandah over a railway siding next to the main Williamstown to Melbourne Railway. Gabled roofs project above the verandah to accommodate two external sack hoists. A partition wall projects above the roof marking the re-proof division between the milling and wheat cleaning. Two separate structures are noticeable by their different roof heights, the track side loading, wheat cleaning and store building being on three levels and the main mill building being four storeys. On the west of this building are three early silos and north of these is a group of more modern concrete silos.
A photograph in the 1934 The History of Williamstown shows this building and the three silos. Four gabled bays with circular vents in each gable end are evident on the south, and a larger gabled structure is to the north. The three silos are shown with a corrugated iron clad tower on the east of the southernmost tank. A metal framed gantry attaches to the top of the silos, similar to, but in a less elaborate form to the existing gantry.
The verandah along the siding had segment-arched corrugated iron valances in place of today's horizontal lines, and a large 'WC THOMAS & SONS P/L FLOUR MILLERS' as a banner sign repeating along the valence. Two of the silos also had the business name attached.
WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former) - Integrity
External Condition
Good
External Integrity
Moderate
WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former) - Historical Australian Themes
Context
Contributory part of Spotswood Industrial Precinct, next to railway.
Manufacturing and Processing
WC Thomas & Sons Flour Mill (Former) - Physical Description 2
Associations
WC Thomas & Sons, John Monash, Defiance Milling
Heritage Study and Grading
Hobsons Bay - Hobsons Bay Heritage Study
Author: Hobsons Bay City Council
Year: 2006
Grading:
-
-
-
-
-
NEWPORT OIL WHARVESVictorian Heritage Inventory
-
GREENWICH BAY UNIDENTIFIED JETTIES #1, 2 AND 3Victorian Heritage Inventory
-
BUSE'S BOATSHEDVictorian Heritage Inventory
-
"1890"Yarra City
-
"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
-
"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
-
-