Milton Heritage Precinct
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Statement of Significance
Statement of Significance - LOCAL significance
The Milton Heritage Precinct has significance as a physical legacy of Victorian, Late Victorian, Federation, interwar and postwar era residential (and to a lesser degree commercial and cultural) building development over a hundred year period from the 1850s until the 1950s. The precinct comprises a considerable part of Geelong West, between Pakington Street and Shannon Avenue, and Autumn and Waratah and Ann Streets. The allotments have a grid layout with the principal thoroughfares set on an east-west axis. The area is especially identified by its modestly scaled, single storey, detached, residential building stock of largely conventional Victorian, Late Victorian, Edwardian, Federation, interwar Bungalow, interwar Californian Bungalow and late interwar and postwar Old English styles. The earliest surviving dwellings are associated with some of the original land subdivisions of the early-mid 1850s. These subdivisions brought about residential building development in the area and included the Milton Estate of c.1855 (original Crown Allotment 13) and the Kilkenny Estate of 1854 (original Crown Allotment 5) in addition to other unnamed subdivisions at this time. Further subdivisions occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (during the Late Victorian and Federation eras) and during the interwar period, bringing about the construction of a substantial number of dwellings between the 1880s and 1950s that survive today. The significance of the area therefore largely lies in the diversity of conventional architectural styles rather than homogenous streetscapes, brought about by the multiple subdivisions and consequent evolution of building development in the area. Within the precinct are a small number of commercial buildings, dating from c.1858 with the building of Oddy's General Store at 71 Elizabeth Street, although the majority of these buildings represent suburban shops of the interwar (and to a lesser degree, Edwardian) era. From the 19th and early 20th centuries, the nearby Donaghy's Ropeworks and the Victorian Railways were employers of a notable number of local residents. Of the former, Donaghy's Ropeworks had a physical impact on the northern portion of the area, with at least 25 Late Victorian dwellings relocated from the Ballarat goldfields district to the northern side of Waratah Street by M. Donaghy and Sons in 1911. The area is therefore important for its history of house relocations in Waratah and other streets. During the interwar period, the ropeworks substation and canteen in Waratah Street were built and which now serve as surviving physical legacies of the ropeworks complex. The interwar period also brought about a desire for more healthy living which resulted in the establishment of two important public reserves in the area: Baker's Oval in 1929 and Sparrow Park in 1936. Also contributing to the significance of the area are the surviving bluestone kerbs and asphalt footpaths, and the bluestone spoon drains in the few rear lanes.
The Milton Heritage precinct is architecturally and aesthetically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC D.2). It demonstrates a diverse range of largely conventional Victorian, Late Victorian, Federation, Edwardian, interwar Bungalow and early postwar architectural styles, reflecting the multiple subdivisions and subsequent building development between the 1850s and the 1950s. More broadly, the area has significance for its similar architectural characteristics in the surviving residential building stock (modest scale, detached composition, single storey height, timber weatherboard wall construction, corrugated sheet metal roof cladding, timber framed windows, hipped and/or gabled roof forms and front, side or return verandahs). The detailing to most of the dwellings is also conventional but directly associated to their stylistic eras. Of aesthetic significance to the area are the two public reserves: Baker's Oval (fronting Shannon Avenue) and Sparrow Park (with frontages to Elizabeth, Hope and Weller Streets).
The Milton Heritage precinct is historically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC A.4). It has associations with the progress of residential (and to a lesser degree commercial and cultural) building development in the area from the 1850s. In the 1850s, these subdivisions included the Milton Estate (c.1855) and the Kilkenny Estate (1854). Other subsequent land sales from the 1880s until the interwar period included revivals of the Milton (c.1880) and Kilkenny (1884) Estates, Rugby Estate (1886), Fairview Estate (1888), Ormond Estate (1890), Eton Estate (1891), Westbourne Estate (1893), Watts' Estate (1912), Ann Street Estate (1922) and Donaghy's Subdivision (1925). A notable number of local residents were employed by the nearby Donaghy's Ropeworks in Pakington Street, together with the Victorian railways. The modest scale and conventional design of many of the dwellings reflects the predominant working class of the original and early local residents. Historically, small parts of the area also evolved as a result of house relocations, the most notable being in Waratah Street when M. Donaghy and Sons relocated several Late Victorian styled dwellings from the Ballarat goldfields in 1911. These houses were located on surplus land associated with the ropeworks. The emphasis on healthy living and Garden City planning in the early 20th century was reflected in the City of Geelong West's establishment of Baker's Oval in 1929 and Sparrow Park in 1936 as important areas for public recreation, given the contextually high density of building stock in the area.
Overall, the Milton Heritage Precinct is of LOCAL significance.
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MITRE TAVERNVictorian Heritage Register H0464
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MELBOURNE SAVAGE CLUBVictorian Heritage Register H0025
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FORMER LONDON CHARTERED BANKVictorian Heritage Register H0022
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