Central Queenscliff Precinct
Symonds Street and Richards Street and Hobson Street and Stokes Street and King Street and Flinders Street and Mercer Street and Stevens Street and Crows Nest Place and Learmonth Street Place and Hesse Street QUEENSCLIFF, QUEENSCLIFFE BOROUGH
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Statement of Significance
Statement of Significance as recorded under the Queenscliff Heritage Study 2009
What is significant?
This precinct is significant for the gridded street layout, the diversity of residential building stock, the iconic Norfolk Island pines and associated vegetation, the responsiveness of built form to setting and the harmonious quality of the place.
Specific significant and contributory buildings within the precinct are identified in the attached schedule.
How is it significant?
This precinct is of historical and aesthetic significant to the Borough of Queenscliffe.
Why is it significant?
The Central Queenscliff Precinct is historically important as evidencing the residential development of the town from the 1850s to the present day. Whilst the area typically contains small scale residential buildings with little or no architectural pretension, these are interspersed with a number of notable exceptions, including some commercial properties. The significance of these buildings is added to as a consequence of the largely intact pattern of subdivision which dates back to 1856. It is further supported by distinctive vegetation, including the iconic Norfolk Island pines and by the sense of consistency of scale and built form, which is particularly responsive to context and setting.
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Central Queenscliff Precinct - Physical Description 1
Extract from the 2009 study
The Central Queenscliff Precinct is contained by the east side of Stevens Street; Symonds Street; the rear of the properties along the east side of Learmonth Street as far south as King Street; Hesse Street south of King Street; and the foreshore to the east of the Fort.
The precinct is predominantly residential with a range of buildings dating from the mid-nineteenth century (including some notable pilot's houses) through to very recently constructed residences on the site of the redeveloped Crows Nest Barracks. There are a small number of non-commercial buildings including the (recently refurbished) Borough of Queenscliffe municipal offices at 50 Learmonth Street. On the edges of the precinct and particularly to the north-west and south-east (including the foreshore area) there are significant areas of open spaces which offer views out towards Swan Bay and Lonsdale Bay respectively.
Topographically, the area includes significant undulations; land rises up from the shore in the south over the dunes and then further to a high point between the corner of Mercer and Stokes Streets and Hobson and Mercer Streets, before falling away again towards Symonds Street and the Swan Bay foreshore.
With the exception of Richards Street and Crows Nest Place the streets are generally relatively wide with generous grass verges flanking the sealed surface and follow a clear grid pattern. Houses are generally set well back from the street edge.
The precinct is predominantly single-storey, but also includes some notable two storey and attic houses. The majority are timber framed and clad, however there are examples which are clad in asbestos cement sheet or constructed of masonry, whether rendered or not. Roofs are generally corrugated steel sheet or Colorbond, with some in slate or concrete tiles (the latter often replacing earlier cladding treatments). Verandahs are variously original or more recent, partial or full reconstructions.
The heritage qualities of the precinct arise from the manner in which the built form reflects the evolving phases of residential occupation of Queenscliff, as places of permanent residence became increasingly mixed with those used for holiday and recreation purposes. While relatively few are of individual significance the collection, and sense of consistency of scale and built form, is distinctive and particularly responsive to context and setting.
Heritage Study and Grading
Queenscliffe - Queenscliffe Heritage Study
Author: Lovell Chen
Year: 2009
Grading:
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LATHAMSTOWEVictorian Heritage Register H1052
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PILOTS COTTAGESVictorian Heritage Register H1618
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ROSENFELDVictorian Heritage Register H1134
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