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FORMER SOUTH YARRA RAILWAY STATION
163-165 TOORAK ROAD SOUTH YARRA, STONNINGTON CITY
FORMER SOUTH YARRA RAILWAY STATION
163-165 TOORAK ROAD SOUTH YARRA, STONNINGTON CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Former South Yarra Railway Station was constructed c.1862, on the Princes Bridge to Windsor line, which was operated by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway company. The original station consisted of an entry vestibule facing Toorak Road and a long building stretching northward at platform level containing a mixture of office, ticket and waiting room accommodation. Passengers entered via the Toorak Road facade and descended stairs to the ticket and waiting areas. The original structure was built in brown Hawthorn bricks highlighted with red brick string courses and rubbed voussoirs, set on bluestone footings. The station complex underwent substantial works in 1883, 1915-16, and again in 1918 when the original building was superseded by a new building above the railway lines facing Toorak Road. The exterior of the building is relatively intact, as altered in 1918, but the interior has been drastically altered from the original.
How is it significant?
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of historical significance as evidence of the early growth of the suburban railway system in Melbourne. Melbourne's railway network was established by private companies, and this station is one of only two private company-built stations surviving from the early 1850s and 1860s. As such it is an important reminder of the origins of the suburban train system. The station is also a tangible reminder of the boost to suburban development that the railways' expansion provided, as evidenced by the substantial commercial development around South Yarra Station and along Toorak Road (aided, also, by the spreading tram network). The alterations to the station, while effecting the intactness of the original structure, demonstrate the growth of the train system, as new structures were built and old ones altered to accommodate new lines and increasing patronage.
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of architectural significance as a very rare example of a station built by one of Melbourne's private railway companies. It is one of only two private company-built station buildings surviving from the 1850s and early 1860s. Its construction represents a deviation from the low-cost timber structure which was typical of the stations built by the early private companies and from the standard layouts associated with stations built by the Victorian Railways Department. The siting for the building on two levels is unusual, resulting from the difference in elevation between the road and the railway line.
The Former South Yarra Railway Station was constructed c.1862, on the Princes Bridge to Windsor line, which was operated by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway company. The original station consisted of an entry vestibule facing Toorak Road and a long building stretching northward at platform level containing a mixture of office, ticket and waiting room accommodation. Passengers entered via the Toorak Road facade and descended stairs to the ticket and waiting areas. The original structure was built in brown Hawthorn bricks highlighted with red brick string courses and rubbed voussoirs, set on bluestone footings. The station complex underwent substantial works in 1883, 1915-16, and again in 1918 when the original building was superseded by a new building above the railway lines facing Toorak Road. The exterior of the building is relatively intact, as altered in 1918, but the interior has been drastically altered from the original.
How is it significant?
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of historical significance as evidence of the early growth of the suburban railway system in Melbourne. Melbourne's railway network was established by private companies, and this station is one of only two private company-built stations surviving from the early 1850s and 1860s. As such it is an important reminder of the origins of the suburban train system. The station is also a tangible reminder of the boost to suburban development that the railways' expansion provided, as evidenced by the substantial commercial development around South Yarra Station and along Toorak Road (aided, also, by the spreading tram network). The alterations to the station, while effecting the intactness of the original structure, demonstrate the growth of the train system, as new structures were built and old ones altered to accommodate new lines and increasing patronage.
The Former South Yarra Railway Station is of architectural significance as a very rare example of a station built by one of Melbourne's private railway companies. It is one of only two private company-built station buildings surviving from the 1850s and early 1860s. Its construction represents a deviation from the low-cost timber structure which was typical of the stations built by the early private companies and from the standard layouts associated with stations built by the Victorian Railways Department. The siting for the building on two levels is unusual, resulting from the difference in elevation between the road and the railway line.
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FORMER SOUTH YARRA RAILWAY STATION - History
Contextual History:History of Place:
In the 1850s and 1860s several private railway companies were formed to open up new routes not covered by Victorian governement lines. The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company opened the very first line to Sandridge in 1854 and subsequently a line to St Kilda in 1857. It was not until 1859 that the first government line from Batman's Hill to Williamstown was opened. Another company, the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company constructed a line to Brighton, and in 1858 the Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company was established to build a line from Essendon to Essendon Junction in 1860.
The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company, formed in 1857, wanted to build lines from Melbourne to Hawthorn and Melbourne to Windsor. In November 1860, enabled by an Act of Parliament, the line to Windsor was opened. The station at South Yarra was not added until 1862.
All of the private companies experienced financial difficulties in the 1860s and by 1878 all the former private companies had been amalgamated and sold to the the government.FORMER SOUTH YARRA RAILWAY STATION - 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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