South Street and East Street
9-15 & 2-4 EAST ST, 1-39 & 2-50 FILSON ST, 22-60 & 7-81 MIDDLE ST, 2 & 4 RAILWAY PL, 2-12, 20-86 & 1-83 SOUTH ST, 2 & 4 WEST ST, 2-24 & 1-25 WIGTON ST, 2-18 AILSA ST, 2-28 AYR ST, 1-23 & 2-30 HARDING ST, and 2-68 KENT ST AS
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The South Street and East Street precinct, which is a residential area comprising late Victorian, Federation, Edwardian and Interwar era houses constructed c.1890 to c.1940, is significant. The following buildings and features contribute to the significance of the place:
- The Contributory houses (and one former shop) at: 2-6, 10, 12 & 16 Ailsa Street; 2-28 Ayr St; 1-39 and 2-10, 14, 18, 22, 24 & 28-50 Filson St; 1-11A, 17-23, 2-12, 18-24 & 28-30 Harding St; 2-8, 12-40, 46-68 Kent St; 7-13, 21, 31-41, 45-65 & 69-79 and 22, 26, 28, 34-40, 46, 48 & 54-60 Middle St; 1-15, 27-33, 49-55, 61, 63 & 69-83 and 2-12, 20-28, 32-38, 40-66 & 70-86 South St; 2 & 4 West St, and; 1-21 & 25 and 2-24 Wigton St.
- Varying frontage widths, containing both detached and attached housing, but possesses commonality of a limited form range (hipped and gabled roofs, verandahs or porches, some parapets), materials, detailing, ornament and siting.
- The extent to which the majority of development occurred in two main periods before and after 1900 with a small amount of 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.
- The bluestone laneways and bluestone kerb and channelling throughout the precinct.
Non-original alterations and additions to the Contributory houses, and the houses at: . 2 & 2A Ayr Street; 8, 14 & 18 Ailsa St; 2, 2A, 2B & 9-15 East St; 12, 16, 20 & 26 Filson St; 15, 16 & 26 Harding St; 10 & 40-44 Kent St; 15, 17, 23-29, 24, 30, 32, 42, 43, 50, 52, 67 & 81 Middle St; 17-25, 30, 35-47, 38A, 57, 59, 65, 67 & 68 South St; and 23 Wigton St are not significant.
The houses at 14 and 34 Kent Street are of individual significance.
How is it significant?
The South Street and East Street precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Moonee Valley.
Why is it significant?
Historically, the precinct demonstrates two phases of rapid residential expansion in Ascot Vale; the first during the late nineteenth century boom, and the second beginning in the early decades of the twentieth century, which was stimulated by the opening of the electric tramway along Mt Alexander Road in 1906 and the electrification of the railway in 1919. (Criterion A)
Aesthetically, the precinct is significant as a good example of an early twentieth century residential area that contains cohesive streetscapes of predominantly Victorian and Federation/Edwardian era houses with a smaller amount of Interwar infill, which are related in scale, form and detailing. Of note within the precinct are:
- The house at 16 Ailsa Street, which is a fine and intact bungalow with Arts & Crafts influences. This is demonstrated by the bold and simple massing comprised of hipped slate roof that extends to form a porch with arched openings to one side of a curved bay window, and the tapered chimneys placed symmetrically.
- The house at 2 Kent Street, which is of note for the lancet-arch half-timbering to the massive porch gable.
- The duplexes with original front fences at nos. 9-11 and 10-12 South Street, which are notable for their high degree of intactness.
- The duplex at 2-4 South Street, which is notable for the bold patterning creating by the clinker brick detailing. The integral garages are also of interest.
(Criteria D & E)-
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South Street and East Street - 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 Interwar infill. The houses have varying frontage widths, containing both detached and attached housing, but many have similar form (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 Victorian houses include several semi-detached pairs with shared (that is, no dividing wall) hipped or gabled roofs with simple form and detailing which indicates an early construction date. These include 31-33 Middle Street and 24-26, 27-29, 31-33 South Street
The late Victorian houses (e.g., 14 Filson St, 21, 38, 40, 54, 56 Middle Str, 20, 28, 64, 69, 71, 83 South Str*) often demonstrate Italianate influences such as symmetrical or asymmetrical massing with a faceted bay, stucco wall finish or polychromatic brickwork or false ashlar in timber versions, 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. 54 and 56 Middle Street are of interest for the symmetrical facetted bay windows on either side of the entrance. There are also single fronted Victorian brick or timber cottages either detached (e.g., 34, 36 Middle St*), or semi-detached (e.g., 72-82 South Str*), while the terrace houses at 73-79 South Street are examples with less common transverse gable roofs .
The Federation and Edwardian houses (e.g., 2-6 Ailsa St, 12-18 Ayr St, 22, 24, 28-32 & 44-48 Filson St, 30, 32, 36 Kent St, 26, 7-13 & 53 Middle Str, 13, 54-62 South Str, 7-17, 4 & 10-22 Wigton Street*) often demonstrate Queen Anne influences such as asymmetrical 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). 'Nyallo' at 14 Kent Street is a very finely detailed example of the style (refer to individual citation for more information). There are also detached or semi-detached cottages in timber or brick with hipped or gable-fronted roofs (e.g., 2-10 Ayr St, 17 & 29 Filson St, 20-26 Kent St, 1-5 South St, 3 & 5 Wigton St*).
The other early twentieth century houses also include some that demonstrate the transition between the late Victorian to the Federation/Edwardian styles often having the Italianate form and detailing of the former combined with details of the latter such as turned timber verandah posts, timber frieze and brackets and corbelled brick or brick and render chimneys. Harding Street and the south side of Filson Street also contain several examples with false ashlar block fronts, and paired or tripartite windows. Those at 20 and 28 Harding Street are distinguished by central gablets with cast-iron infill to the verandahs, while no.24 also features gablets to the paired bay windows and verandah, which has an intricate carved gable end screen and brackets.
The precinct also includes many examples of the ubiquitous late Edwardian or 1920s brick or timber bungalows either gable fronted or with hipped or transverse gable tile or iron roofs with a projecting gable (e.g., 1 & 3 Filson Str, 4 Harding St, 2, 4, 28, 34 Kent St, 28 Middle St, 7 South St*). Some notable examples include 22 Middle Street (a hipped roof extending to form a verandah with timber posts with blade brackets between twin symmetrical gables), 32 South Street (very intact with original carved verandah brackets and an early cyclone wire front fence) 53 South Street (an unusual example of a transitional Edwardian bungalow with a broad hip roof encompassing the verandah), while the house at 16 Ailsa Street is a simple bungalow with Arts & Crafts influences. The Ailsa Street house has roughcast rendered walls and a hipped slate roof that extends to form a porch with arched openings to one side of a curved bay window, and the tapered chimneys are placed symmetrically. Other fine examples of bungalows with Arts & Crafts influences include 2 Kent Street, which is of note for the lancet-arch half-timbering to the massive porch gable, and 'Dunboyne' at 34 Kent Street (refer to individual citation for more information), which demonstrates the transition from Federation/Edwardian bungalows to those of the Interwar period.
There are also some houses in the popular styles such as Old English Revival and Moderne , which emerged in the 1930s. These include the group of duplexes at the east end of South Street. Nos. 2 & 4 are contained under a long low hipped roof and future integrated garages. They are notable for the bold patterning created by the clinker brick details to the chimneys and walls, and are complemented by early brick and render fence with a mild steel balustrade. The adjoining pair at nos. 10 & 12 also feature the decorative use of clinker brick highlights as quoining and corbelling. They are notable for their highly intact state and are complemented by a fine front fence featured pointed tapestry brick piers. Almost directly opposite, the pair at nos. 9 & 11 feature a Streamlined Moderne style projecting bay with a square rendered parapet. Typical of the style, a strong horizontal emphasis is created by the bands to the parapet (repeated in the chimneys) the shallow window hoods, and the glazing bars to the windows, which contrasts with the vertical anchor provided by the front chimney. Highly intact, they are also complemented by an original low render and brick front and side fences.
A non-residential building in the precinct is the former corner shop at 80 Kent Street, which retains a parapet with elaborate cement decoration including vermiculated piers with rosettes and surmounted by urns, and acroteria to the parapets. The door with toplight to the splayed corner entry may be original, but the shop windows have been replaced. The attached residence has a gable-fronted bay facing Kent Street with a shallow bay window with leadlights to the upper panes.
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 24 and 42 Middle Str), 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 central median in Middle Street.
*The examples cited are representative, they do not include all of the houses in that style in the precinct.
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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FORMER FLEMINGTON COURT HOUSEVictorian Heritage Register H1470
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NATHAN'S TERRACEVictorian Heritage Register H1205
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FORMER ROYAL PARK PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALVictorian Heritage Register H2062
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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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'ELAINE'Boroondara City
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-oonahYarra City
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..eld HouseYarra City
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