GLENDALOUGH
197-199 CASHMERE STREET TRAVANCORE, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
'Glendalough', built in 1923 by local plumber, Norman Grey, is an intact red brick attic-style bungalow with Japanese stylistic influences. Located in the Travancore estate, the house is situated on land once belonging to the famous Flemington house estate of Hugh Glass, who made his fortune in land and stock dealing. The estate was sold late last century to Henry Madden who was prominent in the horse trading business in India. Madden renamed the mansion and estate Travancore. Subdivision of the estate commenced in 1918 with the street being given Indian names in accordance with the name of the mansion. Glendalough takes fill advantage of its elevated position, having a gracious set of steps leading through a terraced garden to a wide entrance porch.
Glendalough is of historical, architectural, and social significance to Victoria.
Glendalough's intactness as an inter-war bungalow is socially and historically important for illustrating the material culture of a middle class home of this period.
The house is architecturally and socially important as a good and intact representative example of early 1920's bungalow design which demonstrates the principal characteristics of the type. The ensemble of house, fence, garden layout, garage and fernery represent the type of middle class home and comforts promoted widely in magazines of the day which new home owners aspired to attain. The plan of the interior is socially important for illustrating the living patterns of an inter-war family.
Glendalough was built on the Travancore estate, a small inter-war subdivision historically important for its associations with prominent nineteenth century citizen, Hugh Glass. The estate has further associations with prominent horse trader, Henry Madden who owned the mansion in the early twentieth century and subsequently subdivided the surrounding land. Title vol: 4436 fol 143.
[The information below is taken from the Melbourne Backlog Study. Prepared for the Australian Heritage Commission. January 1997.]
Glendalough, 199 Cashmere Street, Ascot Vale, was built in 1923 by local plumber Norman Grey. Its intactness as an inter-war bungalow is socially and historically significant for illustrating the material culture of a middle class home of this period. It is architecturally and socially significant for demonstrating the principal characteristics of early 1920's bungalow design. The ensemble of house, fence, garden layout, garage and fernery represent the type of middle class home and comforts promoted widely in magazines of the day which new home owners aspired to attain. The plan of the interior is socially significant for illustrating the living patterns of an inter-war family.
(Criteria a4 and d2)
Glendalough was built on the Travancore Estate, a small inter-war subdivision historically significant for associations with prominent nineteenth century citizen, Hugh Glass. The estate has further associations with Indian horse trader, Henry Madden, who owned the mansion in the early twentieth century and subsequently subdivided the surrounding land. (criterion h.1)
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GLENDALOUGH - History
Contextual History:
Travancore
Travancore is the name given to a small estate bounded by Mt Alexander Road, Baroda Street and the Tullamarine Freeway. Straddling the suburbs of Flemington and Ascot Vale, it was initially subdivided for residentual purposes in 1918, and then in 1924/5. Most of the estate was settled during this inter-war period resulting in a compact and distinctive architectural entity of bungaloid, Tudor Revival and Moderne designs, surrounded by older Victorian and Edwardian style suburban development. All of the streets are tree-lined, with the earliest part of the estate being planted with native flowering gums and the latter part with planes. A number of early residents in the estate had some interest in racing or in the local industries which arose from the nearby abattoirs, saleyards and related industries.
Early Settlement
The land was initially part of a 320 acre sheep run owned in the 1840s by James Watson. After making a fortune in land and stock dealing Hugh Glass purchased the estate in 1849 for £4,100 and built Flemington House. In the 1850s the towered mansion was valued at £60,000, and ‘with its artificial lake and white swans, its Corinthian collonaded portico supporting a long balcony, its huge ballroom and its landscaped garden sloping down to the Maribyrnong River, it became the showplace of Melbourne.’ Following a succession of severe financial losses starting in 1869, the vast empire collapsed and his holdings were assigned to trustees. All that remained was the mansion, and in the following years sales of its surrounding suburban land helped to clear debts estimated at more than £500,000. Glass died in 1871 aged 55, survived by his wife and eight children who remained at Flemington House until 1899 when it was sold to Henry Madden. A trader in Indian horses, Madden renamed the mansion Travancore after the British army base in India. Horses were brought from all over the country and kept in yards on the estate before being moved to Newmarket whence they were exported to serve in the Indian and African wars. In 1918 the Madden family commenced subdivision of the estate grounds to the north and east of the mansion, giving Indian names to the streets. The house, Travancore, was sold in 1926 to the State Government for use as a special school. In 1941 the mansion was demolished leaving the grand entrance gates and a number of exotic trees as the only remaining evidence of the Glass occupation.
Subdivision
‘The Beautiful Slopes of Travancore - the Toorak of the Northern Suburbs’, was how the second subdivision of this estate was promoted in March 1925. By now a number of fashionable, solidly built houses graced the most elevated part of the small estate. Most were built of brick, some were rendered with textured stucco, and one of the earliest was constructed with reinforced concrete. All display bay windows, leadlights, ornamental brickwork and tiling, tall chimneys, and often flights of imposing steps lead to deep porches framed by heavy pillars. Many possess Marseilles tile rooves, bracketted shingle gables, trellis work and suggested half-timbering. Much of the land was sold in double lots, accounting for the two lot numbers of the houses today. Those single lots that were built on tended to result in maisonette designs that retained the appearance at least of double lot facades. All of the streets included right of ways, allowing for car access to the rear. The last blocks to be sold were those along Mooltan Street, the serpentine road that curved to the contour of the hill, along which several houses and flats were built possessing the rounded, streamlined elements of the 1930s Moderne. These houses tended to have front drive-ways leading to side garages.
History of Place:
Glendalough
Local plumber, Norman Grey and his wife Eileen of 538 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, submitted plans to the Melbourne City Council on 25 June 1923 for a single storey red brick bungalow, rear brick garage and fence to be built on Lot 52, Cashmere Street, Travancore. Still held by the council, the floor plan indicates that the house was to be commodiously built with a music room and bedroom occupying the large front rooms either side of a broad entrance hall. These were to be followed by another bedroom, a roomy bathroom with internal w.c., a kitchen with walk-in pantry, a large central dining room, laundry, and verandah stretching along the back facing west. Each of the principal rooms was appointed with an open fire place, and the music room was given a broad bay window. Space was provided in the roof for an attic already indicated by windows drawn in the front elevation. The house was to take full command of its position on the brow of the hill, having a gracious set of steps leading up to a wide, deep porch that would afford expansive views across the Moonee Ponds Creek valley to the hill beyond. The plans indicate that Grey may have acted as the builder of his own house.
By October 1923 the plumbing and associated services were connected, signalling that the new house was almost completed. The Grey’s named their residence Glendalough, and displayed the name plate on a pergola gateway held up by two massive pillars that formed the focal point of the front fence. Such gateways were featured as suitable street frontages for residences in the Australian Home Builder, the forerunner of The Australian Home Beautiful. Bungalows in all their styles were well promoted in this magazine, together with suitable fixtures and fittings such as the latest mantles, fire grates, leadlights, and timber panelling. Similar examples of these items continue to remain in the house today, and the IXL Patent Cooking Stove consistently advertised as the ‘most perfect cooking apparatus’ and ‘the heaviest and best made stove in Melbourne’, still stands in its tiled kitchen alcove.
When the second sale of the Travancore Golf Links Estate was held in March 1925, Glendalough was among the homes shown on the sales brochure, setting the tone for potential builders and owners to imitate the solid bungalow residences standing in their garden settings. The Grey home appeared established in its young terrace garden surrounds, which were divided by steep concrete steps that rose to the front door.
The Greys continued to reside at Glendalough until 1927, when James S. Miller became the new owner. It was probably during the Miller ownership that the home was extended to give access to the attic. The house remained in the Miller family, being owned by James’ wife, Mrs Minnie Miller until 1964, and thereafter by Edward and Lorna Bouchier. The Bouchiers, of Woodland Park, Strathmerton, owned the eight roomed house until 1989, renting it to a series of tenants, before selling to the present occupying owner, Stan Turton.
Glendalough is an upmarket brick bungalow with Japanese elements, and a high standard of interior decoration. It has a high level of integrity and is in excellent condition. The designer is not known. There would be many comparable houses in Victoria of this period, although those with Japanese character are less common. The builder Charles Greenhill built numerous houses in and around Kew which he described as Japanese. These houses had rafters which extended way beyond the gutter line . There are two examples of bungalows on the Register at present.
Banool, 18 Fitzroy Street, Kilmore HBR No 752
Constructed in 1926 by George Hudson, with design by Queensland architect Harry Burt, Banool is an important and near to original example of the influence of the Californian and Indian bungalow styles in Australia.
The roof form is more closely derived from Indian style bungalow than Glendalough which has more Japanese influence. Similar age and degree of integrity.
Residence at 9 Gertrude Street, Geelong West
Constructed of concrete in 1921-22 for R L Clement, the residence at 9 Gertude Street is significanrt as an essentially intact, well built and detailed example of the Californian bungalow style.
The Historic Buildings Council resolved not to recommend :
Moonambel, 1050 Malvern Road, Malvern
Originally called Shameen, Moonambel was designed by Arthur W Purnell of Beaver and Purnell and built in 1916 as the architect’s own home. The building suffered considerable damage by fire in 1986. The original porte cochere had been demolished in the 1960s.GLENDALOUGH - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.
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