Residence
11 Retreat Road, NEWTOWN VIC 3220 - Property No 204288
Aphrasia Street Heritage Area
![Greater Geelong City](http://api.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/img/owner_icons/6.gif)
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Statement of Significance
B Listed - Regional Significance
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This Italianate brick villa constructed in 1887 during Victoria's building boom, has regional historical significance for its associations with the building trade in Newtown and particularly with John Best, a local plasterer, its first owner who had a workshop there. Bests descendants owned the property still in the 1920s. It has regional architectural significance as a particularly finely detailed pattern book Italianate villa. The quality of all of its diversity of details is clearly due to its being built by a plasterer. Particularly good are the parapet decoration, the cornice, fretwork barges, architrave mouldings and the verandah.
References
390. Newtown rate books 1887-88, North Ward, No 441 1938 No 780.
391. Ibid and 1888-89 No 441.
392. Ibid 1925 No 749.
393. Ibid 191920 No 660.
394. Ibid 1925 No 749 1935 No 780.
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Residence - Physical Description 1
A very good, small, pattern-book Italianate villa, in brown brickwork with unpainted render facings. It is double-fronted, the right-hand bay set forward as a gable and with a canted bay window, all in render, with a heavily decorated and pierced parapet. This forms Jacobean strapwork interlocked and studded circles over a deep, elaborate cornice with acanthus decoration, then a nail-head band over the fascia. Tuscan pilasters form the mullions and the deep sill is supported with elaborate Jacobean brackets. The upper gable has fretwork in a fish motif, a turned finial between fretwork barges, decorated with trefoils. There are vermiculated quoins and boxed architraves to doors and windows, also in render. The window is tripartite and the door has side and fanlights. The verandah is in the angle, with a serpentine roof and a fine cast-iron lace valence and brackets, on Corinthian cast-iron posts. It has a fretwork, timber scrolled end and geometric encaustic tile paving. There are piers supporting urns, beside the entry steps. At the side, is a rectangular bay window. The chimney decoration matches the canted bay and there are wrought iron finials. The replica cast-iron palisade fence is recent.
Heritage Study and Grading
Greater Geelong - Geelong Region Historic Buildings and Objects Study
Author: Allan Willingham
Year: 1986
Grading: BGreater Geelong - City of Newtown Urban Conservation Study
Author: Richard Peterson
Year: 1997
Grading: B
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MATTHEW FLINDERS SCHOOL NO.8022Victorian Heritage Register H1645
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FORMER SHEARERS ARMS HOTELVictorian Heritage Register H0661
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BAPTIST CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H0427
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