Ascot Vale Estate
245-311 & 256-292 ASCOT VALE RD, 1-35 & 2-58 BROWNING ST, 1-27 & 2-28 BYRON ST, 1-53 & 2-36 CHAUCER ST, 1-31 & 2-32 ELIZABETH ST, 3-3l GLADSTONE ST, 31-37, 41-45 & 42-74A MARIBYRNONG RD, and 25-65 MOORE ST, ASCOT VALE and MOONEE PO
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Ascot Vale Estate precinct, which is a residential area comprising buildings constructed predominantly in the period from c.1880 to c.1930 in Ascot Vale Road, Browning Street, Byron Street, Chaucer Street, Elizabeth Street, Gladstone Street, Maribyrnong Road, and Moore Street, Moonee Ponds or Ascot Vale is significant. Significant features of the precinct include:
- The original form, scale, detached siting, materials and detailing of the Contributory houses.
- The bluestone laneways and bluestone kerb and channel in some streets.
- The pedestrian walkway extending from Gladstone Street to Maribyrnong Road.
- The extent to which development in key periods before and after 1900 with interwar infill is apparent.
- The low front fences, which allow views to the front and side elevations of the houses.
- The relatively high intactness of the majority of the houses when viewed from the street.
On this basis, the following buildings contribute to the significance of the precinct:
- The houses at 245-65, 271-311 and 256-92 Ascot Vale Road, 1-11, 17-25 & 29 and 2-44 & 54-58 Browning Street, 1-25 & 2-8 & 14-28 Byron Street, 1-17, 21 & 25-53 & 2-6 and 10-36 Chaucer Street, 1, 3-31 & 2-32 Elizabeth Street, 3-13, 17-19 & 27-33 & 35 Gladstone Street, 31-37 & 41-45 and 46-50, 52-74 & 74A (Edwardian house at corner of Moore Street only) Maribyrnong Road, and 25A & 25-59 & 65 Moore Street.*
- The Moonee Valley Uniting Church and former church hall at 23 & 23A Gladstone Street.*
- The former shops and residences at 42-44 Maribyrnong Road.
- The remains of the former Ascot Vale Presbyterian Church at 60 Maribyrnong Road.*
Non-original alterations and additions to the Significant and Contributory houses, the houses at 13, 15, 27, 31-35 & 46-52 Browning Street, 10, 12 & 27 Byron Street, 19 & 23 Chaucer Street, 1A Elizabeth Street, 13, 13A, 15 & 33A Gladstone Street, 50A Maribyrnong Road, 61 & 63 Moore Street, the building at 311-13 Ascot Vale Road, the post-war building associated with Corandirk House at 74A Maribyrnong Road, and the flats at 8 Chaucer Street, 25 Gladstone Street, and 267 & 269 Ascot Vale Road are not significant.
*Note: The house and stables at 262 Ascot Vale Road, the house and former dairy at 41 Moore Street, the houses at 259-61, 276, 282-84 & 283-87 Ascot Vale Road, 28 & 34 Chaucer Street, 19 & 21 Gladstone Street, 41 Maribyrnong Road, and 49 & 59 Moore Street, the Moonee Valley Uniting Church and former church hall at 23 & 23A Gladstone Street, and the former Ascot Vale Presbyterian Church at 60 Maribyrnong Road are of individual significance and have their own Hermes place record and statement of significance.
How is it significant?
The Ascot Vale Estate precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Moonee Valley.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the precinct demonstrates important phases in the residential development of Ascot Vale and Moonee Ponds - the first during the land boom of the late nineteenth century, and the recovery leading to a second wave of development in the early decades of the twentieth century. (Criterion A)
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Ascot Vale Estate - Physical Description 1
This precinct is a residential area that comprises a mix of housing predominantly from the Victorian and Federation/Edwardian eras with a small amount of Inter-war infill. Commercial development is limited to one two storey Victorian era shop row at the corner of Ascot Vale and Maribyrnong roads. The houses have varying frontage widths, containing both detached and attached housing, but many have similar (hipped and gabled roofs, verandahs, porches, some parapets), materials, ornament and siting, which creates visually cohesive streetscapes. Fences are uniformly low allowing views of the houses, which are set close to the frontage.
The late Victorian houses often demonstrate Italianate influences such as symmetrical or asymmetrical massing with a faceted bay, stucco wall finish or polychromatic brickwork, as well as the rich ornamentation such as cast iron verandahs, rendered chimneys and stucco decoration to parapets and end walls including scrolls, masks, consoles and urns that characterises boom era housing.
The Federation and Edwardian houses often demonstrate Queen Anne influences such as asymmetical planning, hip roofs with prominent projecting gables facing the street, half timbering to the gable ends, verandahs with ornamental timber frieze or valance, tall brick and render chimneys with terracotta pots, and casement sash windows (sometimes with coloured toplights).The early twentieth century houses also include some that demonstrate the transition between the late Victorian to the Federation/Edwardian styles having the symmetrical form of the former and the simplified decoration and red face brickwork of the latter.
The Inter-war houses include the ubiquitous bungalow, as well as others that demonstrate popular styles such as Old English Revival and the Moderne influence, which emerged in the 1930s.
While there have been some alterations (e.g., replacement of windows, removal of chimneys, replacement of roof materials, overpainting of brickwork), the majority of houses are relatively intact when viewed from the street. While there has been some intrusive post-war redevelopment (e.g., flats at 267-69 Ascot Vale Road and 8 Chaucer Street), many of the streets have a relatively high degree of intactness to the original development periods.
Also contributory to the historic character of the precinct are the bluestone laneways, bluestone kerb and channelling in some streets, and the pedestrian walkway leading from Maribyrnong Road to Gladstone Street, via Byron, Browning and Chaucer Streets.
Ascot Vale Road
The housing in Ascot Vale Road comprises two distinct sections. To the south of Maribyrnong Road on the east side the houses are predominantly late Victorian or Federation/Edwardian and include the row of six (three pairs) single-fronted semi-detached boom era terrace houses with decorative parapets at 264-74, and the large Victorian era villa with symmetrical canted bay windows and a return verandah at no. 256. Of note are the individually significant house and stables at No.262, and the house at No.276, which is notable for its small tower (refer to the separate Hermes records for these places, which provide a detailed description).Between the Victorian houses on the east side are two interwar houses in the Old English style at nos. 258 and 260. These houses, which are very intact, have similar detailing including steeply pitched gabled roofs, clinker brick or stuccoed walls with clinker brick accents, dominant gabled front porches and are complemented by original front fences.
On the west side, the semi-detached Victorian era houses at nos. 247 to 257 and detached house at no.245 form a distinctive group. Evidently constructed at the same time and by the same builder, the pairs to the north and south ends are constructed of bi-chrome brick and have hipped roofs with projecting hipped bays. Windows are double hung timber sash, arranged in pairs. No.247 is the most intact and retains original bi-chrome brick chimneys and verandah detailing. The key visible change is the non-original roof tiles. The central pair has a shared hip roof, clad in slate, and a continuous return verandah. The detached house is asymmetrical in plan with similar detailing to the northern and southern pairs and retains what appears to be the original verandah details.
The other house south of Maribyrnong Road is the notable Queen Anne style villa at No.259 (for a full description please refer to the separate Hermes record). To the north of this are two transitional Federation Italianate style houses with projecting canted bay windows and unusual corner bay windows at nos. 263 and 265.
The section of Ascot Vale Road to the north of Maribyrnong Road predominantly comprises Edwardian era single and double fronted villas with Queen Anne detailing. There is also a group of late Victorian villas to the south of Elizabeth Street. Of note are: the attached pair at 282-84, which are well detailed Edwardian period cottages formed under a single roof with a dividing party wall and chimney having fish scale slate banding with terra cotta ridge cresting and finials; the trio of houses at 283-87 distinguished by their stuccoed pedimented window heads (283 and 287 being triangular and 285 curved); and, the picturesque middle class Federation period villa at No.297 constructed in red brick with rough cast frieze half timbered gable ends and corner bay.
The Non-contributory places in Ascot Vale Road are the two blocks of flats at nos. 267 & 269 and the very altered house at No.278.
Browning Street
The majority of housing in Browning Street dates from the late Victorian and Federation/Edwardian eras. There is one inter-war house at No.9. The street is notable within the precinct for the rows of single fronted Victorian era terraces with decorative parapets including those at nos. 1-7, and in the section extending from nos. 6 to 28 on the north side (The latter row includes an unusual Edwardian era gabled-fronted pair at nos. 20-22). There is also a row of Edwardian era houses with unusually deep setbacks at nos. 32-38, and an attached pair (54-56) with prominent gabled porches with notable Art Nouveau timber detailing.The other Contributory houses are a mix of late Victorian, Federation and Edwardian double fronted villas, many of which are in timber - e.g., nos. 11, 17-21, 25, 29, 40 & 42. The house at no.44 stands out because of its unusual triple-gabled front.
Browning Street has a moderate degree of integrity. The Non-Contributory houses include the early houses at nos.15, 31, 33 and 48-52 that have been significantly altered. The other Non-contributory houses are nos. 13 and 30 (sympathetically designed infill houses), and 46 (Post-war house).
Byron Street
Byron Street almost exclusively comprises single storey double fronted late Victorian, Federation or Edwardian villas on garden allotments. The exception are the semi-detached single fronted house at no.3 and double-storey house at no.8, which is one of the small number of two storey houses in the precinct. Also of note is the house at no.28, which is a well executed and very complete example of a 1930s Moderne makeover of a Victorian villa.The consistency of scale, siting, form and detailing creates a very picturesque streetscape. The street has a high degree of integrity to the original periods of development - the only Non-contributory houses are the very altered Victorian era houses at nos. 10 and 12, and the post-war house at no.27.
Chaucer Street
The early housing in Chaucer Street almost exclusively comprises Victorian era villas, which reflects its location closer to the railway station than most other houses in the precinct. On the south side the houses include both single (nos. 1-5) and double storey terraces (nos. 43-53), and double fronted villas. Two group of bi-chromatic villas on the south side - nos. 7-17 and 29-37 are of interest as it appears they were originally identical (although many have now been altered)- the history notes that the south side was in single ownership and so they were likely built by the same builder. Although some (e.g., nos. 11-17, 29, 35) have been altered (e.g., replacement of windows, rendering, removal of chimneys) the relatively intact examples (e.g. nos. 7, 9, 31, 33, 37) provide sufficient evidence to enable restoration if the opportunity arises.The north side is notable for the group of bi-chromatic brick villas at Nos.10-36. As noted in the History, most of the land on the north side was owned by the Albert Building Society, which presumably constructed many of the houses. Of note are the houses at no.28, which is an asymmetrically planned, two-storey coloured brick house, with a two-level cast-iron, verandah, a hipped main roof and a gabled, asymmetrical bay, with a fretted valence, and No.34, which is an unusual, ornately decorated and former, face brick suburban villa, with a strong stylistic combination of Italian and English Medieval period sources.
The other houses on the north side include a timber Edwardian villa (No.1), which is relatively intact, an altered Victorian block-fronted weatherboard house (no.3 - windows have been replaced), and a brick Edwardian villa (no.5).
Chaucer Street has a relatively degree of integrity. The non-contributory places are no.8 (Postwar flats), and the houses at nos.19 and 23.
Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street comprises an intact group of houses built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The late nineteenth century houses include an impressive row of eight single fronted houses (comprising a terrace of four and two pairs) each with decorative parapets at nos. 4-18, and another pair at 26-28. The Italianate form is seen at nos. 7-15 Elizabeth Street and 30 & 32 - these include several bi-chromatic villas of similar design, asymmetrical form with a projecting canted bay, which may have been built by the same builder. The early twentieth century houses, on the other hand demonstrate the Queen Anne style, in both single and double-fronted mode, is seen at nos. 17-31 and 30 & 32 Elizabeth Street.Of note within the street is the former Fire Brigade Station at nos. 3-5. It is a Classical Revival influenced former fire station with dominant central pedimented portico having a segmental archway and surmounting cast cement pediment with foliated tympanum. The hipped roof is terra cotta tiled and the tall chimney stack has strapwork in the Queen Anne manner.
Elizabeth Street has a very high degree of integrity. There are no Non-contributory places.
Maribyrnong Road
Maribyrnong Road comprises a mix of housing styles from the Victorian, Federation/Edwardian and inter-war eras, and one Victorian shop row. The houses are variously single (e.g. nos. 31,33, 46, 48, 66, 68) or double fronted. There a fine Italianate villa at no.58 and one boom era terrace row of three houses with richly ornamented parapets at nos. 70 ('Bloxworth'), 72 ('Herne') and 74 ('Kingstone'). The Federation/Edwardian houses include some fine examples of Queen Anne style villas (e.g. 31, 54, 56).There are three Inter-war houses on n the south side of the road at nos. 35, 43 and 45. The house at no.45 is an unusually styled bungalow with a high hip roof extending to form a front verandah supported on Tuscan order columns.
The shop row, at the north-west corner of Ascot Vale Road, a two storey Victorian era building with cornices and string courses and a segmental arched windows to the upper elevation and a splayed corner.
The other place of note within Maribyrnong Road is the Ascot Vale Uniting Church. This contains the remains of the 1896 church, which was destroyed by fire in 2004.
The Non-contributory places are the post-war house at nos.50A, and the post-war building at 74A.
Gladstone Street
The south side of Gladstone Street contains predominantly late Victorian or Federation houses surrounding the landmark former Wesleyan Church and Hall complex. Notable amongst the group are the former Wesleyan Church parsonage at no.21, which is a richly decorated symmetrical Victorian villa, and the Interwar house at no.19, which is a good example of the Mediterranean style (please refer to the individual citations for further details about these buildings).Moore Street
Moore Street contains a mix of Victorian, Federation/Edwardian and Interwar houses.Of note is the section of Moore Street from Browning to Byron Street, which comprises a fine group of Federation Queen Anne villas, which were built at the same time and have similar detailing. Of especial interest within this group is no.49. It is an asymmetrically planned, attic Queen Anne villa with red brick walls, sparse stucco ornament, Marseilles tiled gabled roofs and half-timbered gables. Slatted timber verandah and window-hood friezes comprise the balance of the ornament. Of note are the uncommon half-timbered patterns in the attic, typical of Tudor revival work and the contemporary domestic details used by Harold Desbrowe Annear (Butler, 1985). The house is in good condition and has a relatively high degree of external integrity when viewed from the street.
Another notable house in this street is no.59. It is an unusually imposing inter war villa with symmetrically arranged facade consisting of hipped roofed "pavilions" flanking a semi circular porch with pilasters, curved parapet wall and wrought iron screens using patterns popular at the time. Stuccoed walls are relieved with dark brown bricks to the plinth and corners where they form "rustic" patterns in the manner of the period. The house is complemented by a low rendered front fence with stepped dwarf piers.
The Italianate house at no.41 is also of interest as it retains the original brick stables, which were associated with use of this property as a dairy for many years (please refer to the separate Hermes citation for more information).
Moore Street has a high degree of integrity. The Non-contributory houses are nos. 61 and 63.
Heritage Study and Grading
Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley Heritage Overlay Places Review
Author: David Helms Heritage Planning
Year: 2012
Grading: LocalMoonee Valley - Essendon Conservation Study
Author: Graeme Butler
Year: 1985
Grading:Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley 2017 Heritage Study
Author: Context
Year: 2019
Grading:
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PREFABRICATED RESIDENCEVictorian Heritage Register H1207
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RAILWAY SUB STATIONVictorian Heritage Register H1199
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GLENDALOUGHVictorian Heritage Register H1202
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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'Lawn House' (Former)Hobsons Bay City
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1 Fairchild StreetYarra City
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10 Richardson StreetYarra City
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