War Service Homes Brick Houses
42 & 50 SHAMROCK STREET, BRUNSWICK WEST and 17, 19, 25, 27, 29 & 31 GLENORA AVENUE, COBURG, MORELAND CITY
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Statement of Significance
The Commonwealth Government created the War Service Homes Commission in 1919 to assist returned servicemen and their families to buy affordable houses by providing low interest loans to purchase homes built by or on behalf of the Commission, or existing houses. From 1919 to 1922 the Commission purchased large areas of land and built houses in advance of applications in a range of standard designs prepared by Commission's architect. However, due to mounting costs the Commission ceased building houses and from 1921 all new housing was built by others under contract issued after public tender. Then, from 1922, the Commission appointed the State Savings Bank of Victoria to provide homes on the same terms as the Commission and from then until at least 1940 all new War Service homes in Victoria were designed and built by or on behalf of the SSBV.
- Hip or gable clay tile roofs. The deep eaves have visible rafters and are often supported by timber brackets.
- Timber double hung sash windows with multi-paned uppers, in singles or pairs or set within projecting bays with shingled hoods.
- Shingled or timbered gable ends with louvered vents.
- Tiled hoods supported on timber brackets above front windows. In some designs, this is continuous across the facade creating a 'floating' gable above.
- Plain brick or render chimneys with terracotta pots
- Entry porches or verandahs set under the main roof line with arched or square openings.
The War Service Homes Brick Houses are of local historic and aesthetic significance to Merri-bek City Council.
The houses demonstrate the important Commonwealth repatriation initiative to provide affordable housing for returned servicemen and their families after World War I and are among the first houses built by the Commission in Melbourne. They are of particular significance as representative examples of the standard designs used by the Commission from 1919 to 1922 and demonstrate how the Commission designed and built houses before responsibility was transferred to the State Savings Bank of Victoria, which went on to the construct the majority of the War Service Homes in Victoria. Collectively, the houses demonstrate the approach of using standard designs to ensure the houses could be built economically and efficiently and to achieve visual cohesion when built as a group, but with variations in appearance to avoid repetition. Together with the timber homes constructed by the Commission elsewhere in Moreland they demonstrate the range of house types provided by the scheme. (Criteria A & D)
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War Service Homes Brick Houses - Physical Description 1
The War Service Homes are detached bungalows in garden settings, modest in scale and character, built with similar materials and architectural elements displaying Arts & Crafts influences in a range of standard designs. Common design elements include:
- Walls of face brick or face brick and render
- Hip or gable clay tile roofs. The deep eaves have visible rafters and are often supported by timber brackets.
- Timber double hung sash windows with multi-paned uppers, in singles or pairs or set within projecting bays with shingled hoods.
- Shingled or timbered gable ends with louvered vents.
- Tiled hoods supported on timber brackets above front windows. In some designs, this is continuous across the facade creating a 'floating' gable above.
- Plain brick or render chimneys with terracotta pots
- Entry porches or verandahs set under the main roof line with arched or square openings.Due to a fall in the land, the houses in Shamrock Street are elevated, giving them added prominence in streetscape, and access to the porches is via brick stairs with low balustrades.
Most of the houses are relatively intact. 27 Glenora Avenue is notable as it retains original unpainted render to the upper walls and the chimney. It also has a low brick fence of unusual design with castellated wall, dwarf buttresses and a mild steel gate, which may not be original but could date from the late inter-war or early post-war era. This front fence forms part of a series of related low brick fences to nos. 25-31 Glenora Avenue.There is a similar fence at 46 Glenora Avenue.
Visible alterations include installation of metal window shutters (42 & 46 Shamrock), enclosure of porch (50 Shamrock), and over-painting of face brick (17 & 25 Glenora). There are visible additions at sides of 29 Glenora and 48 Shamrock and there are non-original garages and carports (e.g.,25 & 31 Glenora).
Heritage Study and Grading
Moreland - Moreland Heritage Gaps Study 2017
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 2017
Grading: Local
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