Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL
10-12 Seaby Street STAWELL, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
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![SL 296 - Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL SL 296 - Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/075/798.jpg)
![SL 296 - Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL SL 296 - Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/075/798.jpg)
![SL 296a - Stawell Historical Society Collection. SL 296a - Stawell Historical Society Collection.](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/075/799.jpg)
Statement of Significance
The house at 10-12 Seaby Street, Stawell, makes a significant contribution to the predominantly single storey, Victorian styled streetscape of Seaby Street between the railway line and Johnson Street. This house was built in 1890 for Mary Hobbs (widow of William Hobbs) in an elaborate Late Victorian style with unusual external and internal features. The house is largely intact and in good condition.
The house at 10-12 Seaby Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of an elaborate Late Victorian style. These qualities include the hipped roof form that traverses the site, together with hipped roofs that project towards the front, rear and side and the return skillion verandah. Other intact qualities include the asymmetrical composition, single storey height, slate roof cladding, galvanised corrugated iron verandah roof cladding, unpainted and tuckpointed brick wall construction, three ornate rendered brick chimneys with incised rectangular panelling and dentillated cornices, narrow eaves with worked timber brackets, broken window pediments punctuated by rendered urns above entablatures accentuated with centrally located roundels, and ornate window pilasters, timber framed double hung windows, cast iron verandah columns with cast iron brackets and valances, tiled verandah floor, masonry quoinwork about the building corners, and the brick banding and lintels punctuated by keystones (rear wing). Internally, the significant features include the surviving decoration of the doorways, extensive and finely executed wood-graining, unusual imitation panel timber dado, light fittings and some surviving papers. The timber stables building also contributes to the significance of the place. The mature trees also contribute to the significance of the place.
The house at 10-12 Seaby Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with residential developments in Stawell in the late 19th century. In particular, this house has associations with Mrs. Mary Hobbs, widow of the wealthy philanthropist and miner owner, William Hobbs. Mary Hobbs instigated construction of the house in 1890 which had been designed by the Stawell, Horsham and Ararat architect, M. Ryan, and built by W.A. Whitford.
Overall, the house at 10-12 Seaby Street is of LOCAL significance.
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Former Hobbs House, 10-12 Seaby Street, STAWELL - Physical Description 1
The site at 10-12 Seaby Street is visually connected to other significant, single storey, predominantly Victorian styled houses in the streetscape of Seaby Street between the railway line and Johnson Street. It is also visually connected to the significant urban foci of St. Matthew's Uniting Church spire to the north-east.
This house is generally in accord with the form, scale, style and setbacks of the significant houses visually connected to it. The front and side yards are dominated by the house and are characterised by early trees and garden plantings, and the site is bound by an introduced, early 20th century concrete fence along Seaby Street, and an introduced unpainted interwar brick fence along Luke Street.
The asymmetrical, single storey, unpainted brick and tuckpointed, elaborate Victorian styled house is characterised by a hipped roof form that traverses the site, together with hipped roofs that project towards the front, rear and side. These roof forms are clad in slate. There is also a return skillion verandah that projects towards the front and side, which is clad in galvanised corrugated iron. Three ornate rendered brick chimneys with incised rectangular panelling and dentillated cornices adorn the roofline. Narrow overhangs with worked timber brackets are features of the eaves.
A distinctive decorative feature of the design is the ornamentation to the windows under the projecting hipped roofs at the front and side. These windows are adorned with broken pediments punctuated by rendered urns above entablatures accentuated with centrally located roundels, and ornate window pilasters. These and the other windows of the house are timber framed and double hung.
Another feature of the design is the return verandah. It is supported by early cast iron columns with cast iron brackets and valances.
Other early decorative features of the design include the masonry quoinwork about the building corners, and the brick banding and lintels punctuated by keystones (rear wing).
The house also has several additions at the rear, including the rear verandah, laundry and toilet, as well as the bay windows to the drawing room and bedroom.
The Register of the National Estate database provides a description of the interior:
"The interior of the house is of particular interest for its surviving decoration, which was probably undertaken in 1891. It includes decorative doorways, extensive and finely executed wood-graining, an unusual imitation panel, timber dado, original light fittings and some surviving papers."
There is also a timber stables building at the rear which is characterised by simple gable roof forms, galvanised corrugated iron roof cladding, and horizontal weatherboard wall cladding.
Heritage Study and Grading
Northern Grampians - Shire of Northern Grampians - Stage 2 Heritage Study
Author: Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe, Phil Taylor
Year: 2004
Grading: Local
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FORMER LITERARY & SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTEVictorian Heritage Register H0531
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HILL PIPE ORGAN - ST PETER'S LUTHERAN CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H2177
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CENTRAL PARKVictorian Heritage Register H2284
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