Bridge Street Mall / Bakery Hill
BRIDGE MALL, HUMFFRAY STREET SOUTH, AND MAIN ROAD, BAKERY HILL AND BRIDGE MALL, BALLARAT CENTRAL, BALLARAT CITY
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![BRIDGE MALL-BAKERY HILL HERITAGE PRECINCT BRIDGE MALL-BAKERY HILL HERITAGE PRECINCT](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/150/118.jpg)
![BRIDGE MALL-BAKERY HILL HERITAGE PRECINCT BRIDGE MALL-BAKERY HILL HERITAGE PRECINCT](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/150/118.jpg)
Statement of Significance
A.4 & H.1 Importance for association with events, developments, cultural phases and individuals which have had a significant role in the human occupation and evolution of the region.
(f) the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.
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Bridge Street Mall / Bakery Hill - Physical Description 1
Bridge Mall / Bakery Hill is a central Ballarat precinct comprising a predominantly built up commercial area with a few cultural/community and residential buildings.
The precinct focuses around Bridge Mall extending through to Curtis Street (which defines the northern border) and Little Bridge Street (which defines the southern border). The eastern section of the precinct includes the western ends of Porter Street, Main Road, Humffray Street South and Hopetoun Street (see map above). Grenville Street provides the western boundary.
Bridge Mall/Bakery Hill is one of the oldest commercial areas in Ballarat. The area was the main thoroughfare between the diggings in Ballarat Flat and the official township in Ballarat in the west. Bakery Hill played an important place in Australian history as being the meeting place for miners during the Eureka rebellion.
Buildings were known to exist along Main Road early as 1852. The first sale of land in Man Road occurred in February 1857. The government survey taken in 1857 shows mining activity occurring in this area.
Prior to 1862, Main Road extended to Grenville Street. The construction of the basic bridge over the Yarrowee Creek and the road became known as Bridge Street. The width of the bridge determined the narrow width of the road and traders built their premises in line with the road frontage. Regular flooding in the 1850's - 1860's required the level of Bridge Street to be raised by six feet during that time.
The improved access Bridge Street afforded and improvements to Victoria Street encouraged traders to relocate from the further end of Main Road, consolidating Bridge Street as the main commercial focus. The horse drawn tram service and its later electrification opened Bridge Street to the Ballarat west population. Public transport also enabled shopkeepers to relocate their families further out of the central Ballarat area.
By the 1960's Bridge Street had changed substantially and the verandahs were removed at this time and shopfronts altered. The pedestrian mall was created in 1981. Typically, the commercial and cultural/commercial buildings are 2 storey (some are 1 and 3 storey), constructed from brick or horizontal weatherboard, with hipped and/or gabled roof forms clad in galvanised corrugated iron; or tile and slate for cultural/community buildings. The buildings also feature dominant parapeted front facades, substantial clerestory rooflights, unpainted or rendered chimneys, early or original recessed shop fronts, timber or metal framed windows and individual detailing and decorations.
The key features of the precinct are the boulevard views west along Sturt Street and narrowed views east along Bridge Mall. Views to the rear of the buildings are seen from Little Bridge Street, Curtis, Victoria and Peel Streets. The precinct also retains some of the intact bluestone lanes, channels, gutters and kerbs. The kerbstones also important for the markings left in them by former verandah posts.
The precinct is architecturally important as it contains many original and early examples of Victorian, Federation and Interwar era commercial, cultural/community and residential buildings.
These include key landmark buildings such as the former Ballarat East Post Office, the former Munster Arms Hotel, the stepped series of brick buildings at 19 - 27 Victoria Street, the Bridge Mall Tavern, the formerState Savings Bank of Victoria at 95-99 Bridge Mall and the 3 storey pair of buildings at 24 - 26 Bridge Mall.
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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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