LANSDOWNE LANE SITE
2 KING STREET TALBOT, CENTRAL GOLDFIELDS SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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LANSDOWNE LANE SITE - History
Talbot township
Talbot is a gold mining town. It was once part of the Amherst Goldfield, which was officially recognised in December 1852. The nearby Back Creek or Talbot goldfield was discovered in 1854. On the easterly edge of the Back Creek gold diggings an ad hoc township (first known as Back Creek, then Talbot) developed. The town boomed in early 1859, when rich gold was found along the Scandinavian Lead by prospectors Adolph and Carl Olsen. This led to Talbot being surveyed in late 1859. The town’s main street was called Scandinavian Crescent and initially occupied by typical gold rush business (hotels, shops, eating places etc) operating from buildings of timber, iron and canvas. While the surveying of the township was going on, gold digging was still being done within the township, such as at the end of Ballarat Nth Street. Once the survey had been finalised, many of the existing buildings were not on surveyed allotments. For example, the City of London Hotel was located in the middle of the junction of two streets - Ballarat Nth Street and new street named King Street.(Figure 15, Attachment) New owners of illegal buildings were given twelve months to rebuild to conform to the surveyed street pattern. For example, the City of London Hotel was moved to a corner block.
Landsdowne Lane, adjoining 2 King Street
No historical information was found - historic plans, newspaper accounts or records of Talbot historical society – that shed any light on the use of the laneway. This section of laneway was created when allotment 29A/11 was established 1937. The laneway is not very visible on a 1964 aerial photograph suggesting that it was formalised after this time. The 1964 aerial photograph also shows no buildings existing on the adjoining allotment (29A/11).LANSDOWNE LANE SITE - Interpretation of Site
The archaeological material discovered on the laneway is most likely associated with the ad hoc development of Talbot during the late 1850s. Perhaps evidence of an early residence or blacksmith shop built on vacant land. From the extant evidence and oral history, the site does qualify as an archaeological site, because it: • contains 19th-century archaeological material, • provides information on the Victorian Gold Rush, • will require archaeological methods to reveal more information about the place, and • is not associated only Aboriginal occupation. On applying Heritage Victoria’s Policy for determining low archaeological value the site has archaeological value as it addresses both thresholds: Threshold A (archaeology): • It meets the definition of archaeological site under the Act; and • contains archaeological material; and • there is oral history evidence/visible site fabric indicating the site contains archaeological remains; and • has intactness and integrity. Threshold B (place history): • contains archaeological material associated with the Talbot Gold Rush, and • the site history is of significance within a local heritage framework.
Heritage Inventory Description
LANSDOWNE LANE SITE - Heritage Inventory Description
The owners of 2 King Street undertook maintenance works (over ten years ago) on the section of Landsdowne Lane next to their house. The owners provided the following information on what they found – and left exposed or covered up. See attachment for plans (Figures 1 to 4, Attachment) and site photographs. (Figures 5 to 12, Attachment) F1. Roughly paved surface, 9m x 3.5m – which was left exposed. The surface comprises bluestone blocks, rounded quartz pebbles and brick bats. F2. Rectangular feature, possible hearth – it was about 6ft x 2ft, was beautifully edged with old red bricks around the sides and had all bluestone square blocks inside (like paving), but in the middle the bluestones had sunk right down. Two decorative tiles and a fragment of iron fretwork were recovered. Because it was thought to be a grave, it was covered with soil and paved over with bricks. F3. Ash pit – a hole among the paving stones was found to contain black ash and pieces of ironwork (horse shoes, horse stirrup and nails). Artefacts recovered were retained. The ash pit was left in situ. F4. Well –a circle of rocks was discovered enclosing sandy gravel. This feature was covered over and paved with bluestone blocks. There is a now definite slump indicating the location of the well. 5. Ceramics - pieces of willow pattern crockery were also recovered further along (to the north) the laneway when vegetation was removed
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NORTH MELBOURNE POTTERYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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STONY CREEK SLIPWAYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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SEASONING WORKS SITE AND TERRACOTTA LUMBERWALLVictorian Heritage Inventory
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