Neptune Street Precinct
21-31 FRASER STREET and 22-46 NEPTUNE STREET Richmond, YARRA CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Neptune Street Precinct, comprising 21-31 Fraser Street and 22-46 Neptune Street, is significant. The houses are all single-fronted Victorian cottages, built as two distinct groups. The bi-chrome brick Neptune Terrace, at 36-46 Neptune Street, was constructed in 1882-85. This was followed by a group of identical single-fronted timber cottages (with one exception) constructed at 21-31 Fraser Street in 1888-90 and behind them at 22-34 Neptune Street in 1890-95 by a builder and timber merchant.
Contributory buildings have typically:
- Hipped and transverse roofs,
- One storey wall heights,
- Ashlar board, weatherboard and bi-chrome brick walls,
- Corrugated iron roofing,
- Chimneys of red face brickwork with a cornice of moulded cream bricks or cement render,
- Post-supported verandah elements facing the street, and
- Less than 40% of the street wall face comprised with openings such as windows and doors.
No. 25 Fraser Street is Not Contributory to the precinct.
How it is significant?
The Neptune Street Precinct is of local historic, architectural and aesthetic significance to the City of Yarra.
Why it is significant?
Historically, the precinct is a tangible representation of working-class housing surrounding a nineteenth century factory complex, which demonstrates the close 'love-hate' relationship between industry and housing in Richmond. The small houses were speculatively built by two developers, illustrating a typical pattern in Richmond's 19th and early 20th-century development. (Criterion A)
Architecturally, the terrace and timber cottages in the precinct demonstrate two principal types of modest Victorian residential development, the terrace with its bi-chrome brick walls with a transverse gable roof (with party walls dividing it, reflecting its post-1886 date), while the timber cottages have simple hip roofs, ashlar-look boards to the front walls, and double-hung windows with sidelights. (Criterion D)
Aesthetically, the timber cottages are distinctive for their ogee-profile verandahs, which stand out from those of the many modest timber cottages in Richmond. The Neptune Street streetscape is also distinctive, created by the contrast between the factory buildings and the surrounding modestly-scaled housing as well as the interplay between the bi-chromatic brickwork used both at the earliest part of Alcock's power station and Neptune Terrace. (Criterion E)
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Neptune Street Precinct - Physical Description 1
first group, Neptune Terrace, at 36-46 Neptune Street, is a single-storey terrace of brick houses. The second group are two rows of once identical Victorian single-fronted timber cottages on adjoining sites at 22-34 Neptune Street and 21-29 Fraser Street, as well as a double-fronted timber house at 31 Fraser Street constructed as part of the group.
The small-scale of the Neptune Street houses is in contrast to the multi-storey brick factory on the east side of the street: the former A.J. Alcock's Electric Light & Motive Power Co., constructed in 1891 and c1920 (recommended for HO by Amendment C157). The 1891 section of the building is built of red brick with cream brick and render dressings, corresponding to that of Neptune Terrace.
The brick terrace houses are single-fronted with transverse roofs divided by party walls. The walls are bi-chrome - tuckpointed red brick with cream brick accents - as are the chimneys which have cornices of moulded cream bricks. While relatively plain, the cream brick detail is unusual: in a cross-shaped pattern below the eaves, and banding to the front walls intersected by a diamond-shaped tile. A number of the houses retain their original cast-iron frieze (nos. 36, 38 and possibly 42). The facades have a single double-hung window with a decorative moulded sill. Doors are solid with four panels. No. 46 retains partial verandah floor tiles.
The timber cottages in both streets and the house at 31 Fraser Street were built with distinctive ogee-profile verandahs, which set them apart from comparable examples in the study area that typically have a skillion or bullnose profile. The verandah to 30 Neptune Street is the most intact, retaining both its ogee-profile roof and the original timber colonnettes (though they are missing their cast-iron Corinthian capitals). Above the verandahs are simple paired timber eaves brackets. Most front walls are of ashlar-type timber boards, with weatherboards to side walls. Two cottages on Fraser Street, nos. 25 and 27, have weatherboards to their facades, which may be an alteration. Each facade has a single double-hung window with narrow sidelights. Original doors are also typical of the Victorian period: four panelled with a highlight. The hip roofs are all clad in corrugated metal, and chimneys are of red face brick with a moulded cast-cement cornice.
In Neptune Terrace, only no. 36 has escaped over-painting (though all chimneys survive and in an unpainted condition, part from partial rendering at no. 46). The verandah roofs originally had a shallow concave profile, but have since been replaced with skillion-profile corrugated steel. The front door at no. 36 has been replaced by a glazed door, and the window of no. 40 has been reconstructed (without the moulded sill).
The timber cottages have undergone a range of minor changes, though are still very recognisable as a cohesive group. The most common alteration has been replacement of verandah posts and brackets. It is possible that only 30 Neptune Street retains its original supports (round timber colonnettes), though the verandah detail to 22 Neptune Street may also be original. The cottage at 34 Neptune Street was 'updated' around 1920 with a plain hip roof to the verandah and new verandah posts and frieze, which is of value itself. In addition, 21 and 31 Fraser Street have also lost their ogee-profile roofs. Most other cottages have faux Federation verandah posts, apart from 24 Neptune Street, which only has metal pipes as posts and 27 Fraser Street whose verandah has been partially enclosed. The cottages at 22 and 26 Neptune Street each have an upper-storey extension, but set back at least two rooms from the front. The cottages at 22-26 Neptune Street have lost their chimneys. Finally, the cottage at 25 Fraser Street has been so altered - chimney demolished, timber eaves brackets gone, verandah roof replaced with simple hip form, all other verandah detail gone, walls rendered and the window and front door replaced - that it is graded Not Contributory to the precinct.
Heritage Study and Grading
Yarra - Heritage Gap Study: Review of Central Richmond 2014
Author: Context P/L
Year: 2014
Grading: Local
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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