ARDMILLAN ROAD
15-47 & 26-48 ARDMILLAN ROAD, MOONEE PONDS, MOONEE VALLEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
The Ardmillan Road precinct is a residential area that comprises housesbuilt from c.1885 to c.1925. The following features contribute to the significance of the precinct:
- the houses at 15, 17, 25-31, 39-47 & 26-48 Ardmillan Road are contributory.
- Nos. 21, 28, 30, 34, 40*, 44, 46 & 48 are Significant.
- the overall consistency of housing form (hipped or hip and gable roofs, single storey with a smaller number of attic stories and one double storey), materials and detailing (weatherboard, imitation Ashlar or face brick, corrugated metal slate or tile roofs, verandahs with cast iron or timber frieze decoration, render or brick chimneys) and detached siting on garden allotments and low front fences.
- the deep front setbacks of the houses at 36-48 Ardmillan Road containing mature trees including the Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) and Smooth-barked Apple (Angophora costata) at nos. 42-44 and the Scotch Elm (Ulmus glabra) at no.46
- the mature Canary Island Palm (Phoenix canariensis) at no.19
- streetscape materials such as bluestone kerb and channel
Non-original alterations and additions to the Significant and Contributory houses and the houses at 19, 23& 33 Ardmillan Road are Non-contributory.
*The house at 40 Ardmillan Road has a separate citation and statement of significance.
How is it significant?
The Ardmillan Road precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Moonee Valley
Why is it significant?
Historically, it demonstrates the housing boom in Moonee Ponds during the late Federation/Edwardian and early interwar period, while the Victorian houses are associated with the first phase of suburban development in the late nineteenth century. The predominant Federation/Edwardian and interwar housing stock interspersed with Victorian era dwellings is representative of the residential areas that developed during those periods. (Criteria A & D)
Aesthetically, it is an enclave of late nineteenth and early twentieth century housing including Italianate villas, Queen Anne villas and Bungalows with characteristic, form, materials and detailing and good visual cohesion due to the consistency of built form and overall quality of much of the housing including several fine examples of each style. The setting of the houses is complemented by traditional public realm materials such as bluestone kerb and channel and bluestone laneways and mature trees within several front gardens, notably the group of houses with deep setbacks at nos. 36 to 48. (Criterion E)
Of note within the precinct are the following houses:
- no.21, which is a fine and intact bungalow with fine details that demonstrate the Arts & Crafts influence such as the bracketed purlins to the main roof and verandah end, the horizontal louvered gable vent resting on modillions, the large curved verandah brackets and the 'hit and miss' balustrade. (Criterion D)
- no.28, which is an asymmetrical Italianate villa constructed of polychromatic brick with a canted front bay and very finely detailed chimneys. It is highly intact. (Criterion D)
- no. 30, which is a late example of the Italianate style constructed in the Federation period. It is very intact and retains original verandah details, and red brick chimneys. (Criterion D)
- no.34, an Italianate villa, which (although altered) is notable for the Classical style detailing including an entablature to the windows. (Criterion E)
- no.44, which is a fine and intact attic style bungalow with less common details such as the 'Jerkinhead' profile roofs with broad eaves and bracketed purlins, the projecting brackets beneath the gable end shingling, the prominent pergola style rafters above the bay windows, which feature unusual geometric patterns, the rendered flat-topped chimneys, and the paired Tuscan columns supporting the verandah. (Criteria D & E)
- no.46, an intact attic bungalow with a broad gable-fronted roof and unusual details such as the corner windows, a pointed head window adjacent to the entry. (Criterion D)
- no.48 is an unusual example of a two storey bungalow. Asymmetrical in plan it has a hipped tile roof with deep boxed eaves. Notable features include the rounded wall corners in contrasting brick, the double height bay windows with shingled skirt/hoods, and the corner porch/balcony supported by Tuscan columns, accessed by recessed double timber doors with diamond shape windows. (Criterion D)
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ARDMILLAN ROAD - Physical Description 1
The Ardmillan Road precinct is a residential area that comprises housing from the late Victorian to early Interwar periods.
The north side contains predominantly Victorian Italianate style villas with a smaller number of Federation and early interwar houses (including the Individually Significant house at no.40) with mostly late Federation/Edwardian houses and early Interwar bungalows on the south side. While there is a range of styles, the houses are all of masonry construction, detached, with hipped and/or gabled roofs and set on garden allotments. The group at nos. 36 to 48, all large houses set in spacious gardens, are especially notable.
The Italianate villas have face brick or stuccoed walls with hipped roofs clad in slate or corrugated steel and have characteristic details such as bracketed eaves, cast iron verandahs with tiled floors, paneled front doors with sidelights and highlights, timber sash windows with bluestone sills, and brick or render chimneys with cornices and stringcourses. Apart from no.40 (please refer to the individual citation for a detailed description) other notable examples Include:
- no.28, which is an asymmetrical example constructed of polychromatic brick with a canted front bay and very finely detailed chimneys. It is highly intact.
- no.34, which (although altered) is notable for the Classical style detailing including an entablature to the windows.No. 30 is also of note as a late example of the style constructed in the Federation period. It is very intact and retains original verandah details, and red brick chimneys.
The Federation/Edwardian houses include Queen Anne villas and bungalows. All are constructed of red brick and have terracotta tiled roofs, often with terracotta ridge cresting or finials (ball or rams horn) and red brick chimneys (often with rendered detail) with terracotta pots. The Queen Anne villas at nos. 15 and 32 have characteristic form and detailing including asymmetrical planning, tall brick and render chimneys with terracotta pots, complex hip and gable tiled roofs with prominent street facing gables and timber verandahs. The roof form to no.15 is especially complex and features a short conical tower over the corner bay window, as well as a projecting hipped porch. The gable ends and the upper walls of the tower are rendered and feature Art Nouveau detailing. At No.32, the gable ends are half timbered and the roof extends to form the verandah, which has a timber frieze. The Federation bungalows at nos. 17 and 42 are characterized by their asymmetrical planning with dominant hipped roofs extending to form return verandahs between projecting bays to the front and side. No.17 has half-timbered gable ends above a bay casement window and an arched timber valance, while no.42 has triple casement windows with multi-paned coloured toplights, a 'rick rack' style timber frieze and jointed brackets to the highly ornate verandah posts,and exceptionally tall corbelled brick chimneys. Both are highly intact.
The other bungalows within the precinct, which date from c.1918 to c.1925 demonstrate the gradual transition toward the California Bungalow of the 1920s. They are constructed of red brick or have rendered walls and have hipped and/or gabled tiled roofs, often with prominent street facing gables (often bracketed and decorated with half-timbering and/or shingles, sometimes with decorative vents), or are gable fronted, usually with gabled or flat roof porches with visible rafters supported by brick and/or rendered square or tapered piers, with brick/render balustrades. Windows are typically timber sash, often arranged in doubles or triples, and with geometric leadlights or sometimes multi-paned. Chimneys are of red brick and usually without decoration. Of note are the following:
- no.21, which is a fine and intact example with fine details that demonstrate the Arts & Crafts influence such as the bracketed purlins to the main roof and verandah end, the horizontal louvered gable vent resting on modillions, the large curved verandah brackets and the 'hit and miss' balustrade.
- no.44, which is a fine and intact attic style example with less common details such as the 'Jerkinhead' profile roofs with broad eaves and bracketed purlins, the projecting brackets beneath the gable end shingling, the prominent pergola style rafters above the bay windows, which feature unusual geometric patterns, the rendered flat-topped chimneys, and the paired Tuscan columns supporting the verandah.
- no.46, another attic example with a broad gable-fronted roof and unusual details such as the corner windows, a pointed head window adjacent to the entry.The house at no.48 is an unusual example of a two storey bungalow. Asymmetrical in plan it has a hipped tile roof with deep boxed eaves. Notable features include the rounded wall corners in contrasting brick, the double height bay windows with shingled skirt/hoods, and the corner porch/balcony supported by Tuscan columns, accessed by recessed double timber doors with diamond shape windows. Internally, the house at one time had timber paneling and exposed timber beams in some of the principal rooms (EBP).
While there have been some alterations (e.g. replacement of windows and alterations to porches/verandahs) the majority of houses in the precinct are relatively intact when viewed from the street. Some houses have visible additions, but the original house remains legible. Within the precinct there are two Non-contributory buildings, both on the south side at nos. 19 (while the house is Non-contributory, it contains a significant Canary Island Palm) and 33. The latter is the house constructed on the site of the original 'Ardmillan' mansion.
Front fences throughout the precinct vary in height and style and while none are original, some are in reproduction styles that are sympathetic to the era of housing.
Other features that contribute to the historic character of the precinct are the bluestone kerb and channel and the mature trees within many front gardens. Of note are the mature Canary Island Palm (Phoenix canariensis) at no.19, the Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) and Smooth-barked Apple (Angophora costata) at nos. 42-44, and the Scotch Elm (Ulmus glabra) at no.46.
Heritage Study and Grading
Moonee Valley - City of Moonee Valley Stage 1 Heritage Gap Study
Author: Context PL
Year: 2013
Grading:Moonee Valley - Moonee Valley 2017 Heritage Study
Author: Context
Year: 2019
Grading:
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