Newtown West Heritage Area
Aphrasia Street and Formosa Street and Nantes Street and Stephen Street and Ruthven Street NEWTOWN, GREATER GEELONG CITY
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Statement of Significance
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Newtown West Heritage Area - Physical Description 1
DESCRIPTION:
Precinct Boundaries
The precinct comprises the area north of Aphrasia Street and south of Nantes Street between Shannon Avenue and Ruthven Street. It takes in the properties on the north side of Aphrasia Street, properties on both sides of Stephen Street and properties on the south side of Nantes Street. The precinct also includes Formosa Street.Urban Design
The Newtown West Heritage Precinct is largely identified by rectangular residential allotments on sloping ground. The largest allotments are located on the north side of Stephen Street, including 1-5A Stephen Street, and especially 7-9, 13 and 15 Stephen Street. These latter allotments have associations with the original residential developments in the area from the mid 19th century, with 'Newtown Brae' at 15 Stephen Street being the only surviving example first built in c.1851. A later (Federation era) dwelling at 7-9 Stephen Street, being the original property of G.A. Stephen from 1853, has recently been demolished, the land now being vacant. These two original properties once spanned from Stephen Street to Nantes Street, the properties further east at 1-5A Stephen Street spanning from Stephen Street to Formosa Street. In addition to the larger scale of these properties are eucalypt and other trees, and broad open grassed areas that comprise the substantial private open spaces in the northern rear yards. The trees appear to date from the 20th century (none survive of the larger 'Newtown Brae' estate in Stephen Street). Given the northern orientation and steeply-sloping topography, the dwellings to these properties largely have the principal facades facing the private open space, the secondary (rear) elevations facing Stephen Street where garaging has traditionally be located near the street boundary.Another substantial property (albeit reduced in size from its original landholdings) is 'Brooklyn' at 132-134 Aphrasia Street. It has a wide frontage to Aphrasia Street with the principal facade of the original Late Victorian dwelling facing the side (east). The return verandah and balcony are supported by paired turned timber posts which have curved solid timber balcony fretwork (with quatrefoil motif cut-outs between the posts) and similar fretwork to the verandah, but with panels of vertically-oriented timberwork (at the main entrance) and timber latticework (for the remainder of the verandah). There are face brick chimneys with multi-corbelled tops. The brick walls are accentuated by rendered brick bands and voussoirs. There are timber framed double hung windows. At the rear (west) and side (north) of the original dwelling are additions and introduced outbuildings.
The majority of properties in the area of a similar, more modest size, including those on the north side of Aphrasia Street and southern sides of Nantes and Stephen Streets. An exception is the property at 12 Nantes Street, being a double block with a tennis court located on the east side. Also in Nantes Street, the dwellings have elevated positions as a consequence of the rise in the topography towards the rear (to the south).
Apart from the properties on the north side of Stephen Street, there is a largely regular front and side setbacks to the dwellings in Aphrasia, Nantes and the southern side of Stephen Streets.
Building Fabric
Dwellings
The Newtown West Heritage Precinct is identified by a notable number of Federation and interwar Bungalow dwellings, and few Victorian houses, of varying heights, scales and design characteristics. Most of the dwellings are good examples of their design type, reflecting the middle class origins of most of their initial owners. Overall, there is a mix of substantial and average-sized Federation and interwar era dwellings.Victorian Dwellings
There are only two Victorian era dwellings in the precinct. The earliest house in the area is 'Newtown Brae', 15 Stephen Street, being of brick and bluestone construction. It is characterised by single storey hipped roof brick front wing with introduced post-supported concave front verandah and early side post-supported verandah (east side) with cast iron valances and brackets. Towards the rear (north) is a substantial bluestone and brick hipped roofed two storey wing encircled by an elaborate cast iron verandah and balcony. The central portion of the dwelling represents the original 'Woolmers' house, the front and rear additions being the work of 1885 to the design of Alexander Hamilton. There are early rendered brick chimneys, narrow eaves, timber framed double hung windows, timber framed entrance doors with sidelights and highlights, shallow-arched window heads defined by brick voussoirs, bluestone window sills and panelled timber doors.The other substantial Victorian property (albeit reduced in size from its original landholdings) is 'Brooklyn' at 132-134 Aphrasia Street. It has a wide frontage to Aphrasia Street with the principal facade of the original Late Victorian dwelling facing the side (east). The dwelling has unusual hipped roof forms with projecting gablets, comprising gambrel-like roofs. There are rising-sun and palm frond motifs in the gable ends. Projecting on the east facade is a faceted two storey bay topped with a hipped roof. These roofs are clad in slate. The eaves are dentillated. The return verandah and balcony are supported by paired turned timber posts have curved solid timber balcony fretwork (with quatrefoil motif cut-outs between the posts) and similar fretwork to the verandah, but with panels of vertically-oriented introduced timberwork (at the main entrance) and original timber latticework (for the remainder of the verandah). There are face brick chimneys with multi-corbelled tops. The brick walls are accentuated by red brick bands and voussoirs. There are timber framed double hung windows. At the rear (west) and side (north) of the original dwelling are additions and introduced outbuildings.
Federation era dwellings
There are nine Federation dwellings in the precinct situated in Nantes and Steven Streets. Most of these houses are single storey, of timber construction and having hipped and gabled roof compositions with return or front post-supported verandahs such as the dwellings at 4 Nantes Street and 8 Nantes Street (this dwelling having a high brick base). More substantial and locally unusual examples - by virtue of their design and orientation - are 'Minnewanka', 1 Stephen Street and the neighbouring dwellings at 3 and 5A Stephen Street. 'Minnewanka' is a particularly unusual design of brick construction, featuring a faceted two storey bay at the north end, the main entrance being at the side. A more modest unusual example of the Federation style is the Bungalow at 8 Stephen Street with its principal gabled roof form that traverses the site and minor gabled wings at the front, together with a return verandah under the main roof. The composition and character of this dwelling is more in keeping with the gabled Bungalows of the interwar period.The Federation era dwellings are:
* 4 Nantes Street.
* 8 Nantes Street.
* 28 Nantes Street.
* 1 Stephen Street.
* 3 Stephen Street.
* 5A Stephen Street.
* 8 Stephen Street.
* 14 Stephen Street.
* 16 Stephen Street.Interwar Era Dwellings
The majority of dwellings in the Newtown West Precinct are those built during the interwar era. Aphrasia Street is particularly identified by an homogenous row of primarily single storey, gabled timber and brick interwar Bungalow styled dwellings. They feature timber framed double hung windows, arranged in banks of three, projecting bays or singularly, have broad eaves, gable infill (battening, panelling and/or timber shingling) and brick chimneys with plain cappings.Within this grouping are variations in compositions. Five of the dwellings have main gabled roof forms that traverse the site, with projecting minor gables and flat-roofed front verandahs supported by brick piers and squat columns. Examples include the dwellings at 114 and 116 Aphrasia Street, a notable and substantial example being the dwelling at 130 Aphrasia Street, which features a rendered, broad-arched flat-roofed front porch as part of a projecting front gabled wing with front attic wing and shingled bellcast balconette in the gable end. Another unusual example of this type is the brick dwelling at 118 Aphrasia Street which has a main gabled roof that traverses the site, with projecting minor gables at the front, including an arched entrance porch with gabled brick bays, return verandah and bay windows. The roofs are clad in terra cotta tiles.
Another common Bungalow type in Aphrasia Street are the four dwellings with principal gabled roof forms that project towards the street frontage and feature minor projecting gabled wings (as verandahs) or projecting flat-roofed front porches. These porches are supported by brick piers and posts or columns. An example is the dwelling at 126 Aphrasia Street.
Another example of this type but with attic (including bellcast balconette above the front porch) is the dwelling at 124 Aphrasia Street. This same Bungalow type is also found at 2 Stephen Street.
In Stephen Street are 15 interwar dwellings the designs being more diverse than those in Aphrasia Street. At 12 Stephen Street is 'Nerrina', a brick dwelling with a principal gabled roof and projecting attic, front verandah and faceted bay window. Towards the western end of the street are some standard and contextually modest Bungalow types, including the dwellings at 20, 22 and 24 Stephen Street. A more refined and unusual example of the brick dwelling is at 18 Stephen Street, with its principal hipped roof form having a projecting gable in the main hipped roof face and a hipped front verandah supported by brick piers and squat tapered columns. Another unusual example is at 17 Stephen Street, with the principal hipped wing overlooking the private open space to the north.
At 5 Stephen street is a substantial Bungalow with a main gabled roof form that traverses the site, an attic with jerkin-head roofed wings projecting from the front and rear main gabled roof faces, and a verandah formed as an extension of the main roof on the north side. Similar examples of this type are the brick dwellings at 32 Stephen Street and 122 Aphrasia Street (this dwelling having been altered and extended). A later and modest Bungalow example of brick construction is the dwelling at 10 Stephen Street which features hipped roof forms (clad in tiles) with a projecting flat-roofed rectangular window bay at the front.
In Stephen St are also three substantial interwar Georgian Revival styled dwellings. Located at 11, 26 and 30 Stephen Street, they reflect the affluence of residential development in the 1920s and 1930s. The dwellings at 11 and 30 Stephen Street are of rendered brick construction with gabled roof forms, with tiled roof cladding and rendered chimneys. The dwelling earlier known as 'Hightrees' at 26 Stephen Street is constructed of 'cincrete' construction and features a hipped roof form clad in tiles. All three dwellings have regular bays of windows although the symmetry of the dwelling at 30 Stephen Street is offset by the projecting rectangular bay on the east side.
In Nantes Street are 10 interwar Bungalows. Five of these timber dwellings at 12, 14, 18, 20 and 24 Nantes Street have attics within the main gabled roofs. There are more modest examples of the gabled Bungalow type, including those at 16 and 32 Nantes Street. The former is a brick example, being finely detailed. It has a traversing main gabled roof with projecting minor gabled wing at the front characterised by a bowed flat-roofed bay window. Later Bungalow examples include the dwelling at 2 Nantes Street, being two storey with a principal hipped roof form with widely projecting eaves, a minor hipped wing that projects on the east side (at the rear) and a flat-roofed verandah and balcony.
The interwar era dwellings in the Newtown West area are:
* 112 Aphrasia Street.
* 114 Aphrasia Street.
* 116 Aphrasia Street.
* 118 Aphrasia Street.
* 120 Aphrasia Street.
* 122 Aphrasia Street.
* 124 Aphrasia Street.
* 126 Aphrasia Street.
* 128 Aphrasia Street.
* 130 Aphrasia Street.
* 136 Aphrasia Street.
* 2 Nantes Street.
* 6 Nantes Street.
* 12 Nantes Street.
* 14 Nantes Street.
* 16 Nantes Street.
* 18 Nantes Street.
* 20 Nantes Street.
* 24 Nantes Street.
* 26 Nantes Street.
* 32 Nantes Street.
* 2 Stephen Street.
* 4 Stephen Street.
* 5 Stephen Street.
* 10 Stephen Street.
* 11 Stephen Street.
* 12 Stephen Street.
* 17 Stephen Street.
* 18 Stephen Street.
* 19 Stephen Street.
* 20 Stephen Street.
* 22 Stephen Street.
* 24 Stephen Street.
* 26 Stephen Street.
* 28 Stephen Street.
* 30 Stephen Street.
* 32 Stephen Street.Later Dwellings
Within the precinct are a small number of dwellings built after the interwar period in the later 20th century. They are:* 2/114 Aphrasia Street.
* 22 Nantes Street.
* 30 Nantes Street.
* 6 Stephen Street.
* 23 Stephen Street.Vacant Land
As of February 2016, the sites at 7 and 9 Stephen Street were vacant (undeveloped).Garages and Carports
Most garages and carports within the Newtown West Heritage Precinct are located to the rear or side of the dwellings (the outbuildings at the side mainly being recessive from the front). They are largely hipped and/or gabled in form and constructed in brick, timber and corrugated sheet metal, with either corrugated sheet metal or tiled roof cladding.In Aphrasia, all garages and carports are located towards the rear of the dwellings. In Nantes Street, there are five introduced garages and carports projecting forward of the dwellings, with two carports at 12 and 18 Nantes Street being located near the front boundaries. Given the sloping topography of the sites and the elevated locations of the dwelling, the outbuildings do not dominate. On the north side of Stephen Street, garages were traditionally situated on the street boundary. The original hipped roofed garage at 'Minnewanka', 1 Stephen Street, still survives. Most of the properties on the north side of Stephen Street have garaging near the front (Stephen Street) boundary. Conversely, most of the properties on the south side of Stephen Street have recessive garages and carports, except for the introduced outbuildings at 2, 24 and 28 Stephen Street (the recently-constructed garage at 2 Stephen Street being the only forward-projecting double car garage on the south side of the street).
Private Landscaping
The most substantial private landscape settings in the Newtown West Precinct are those associated with or located on part of the original 'Newtown Brae' property at 11-19 Stephen Street or the adjoining properties between 1 and 5A Stephen Street. These garden settings are located at the rear (north) of the properties and are substantial, with open grassed areas punctuated by various trees (mainly eucalypts), dating from the 20th century. At 'Newtown Brae', the large garden has been regenerated with numerous new plantings and landscape features. There is also more modest landscaping to the Stephen Street frontage. At 'Brooklyn' at 132-134 Aphrasia Street are early mature Cypress trees along the front boundary.Generally, the front settings to properties in Aphrasia and Nantes Streets, and on the south side of Stephen Street, comprise open grassed areas, some with mature trees. There are side concrete driveways and front pedestrian paths.
Front Fencing
Throughout the precinct there is a mix of introduced fences, including variations in height. On the north side of Stephen Street, most of the fences are high and solid, following a tradition of higher fencing on the Stephen Street boundaries for these properties. Most of the front fencing in Aphrasia Street is approximately 1200-1300 mm in height, being typical for interwar era dwellings. In Nantes Street are some low boundary walls that have also been introduced.No front fencing of the Victorian and Federation eras appears to exist. However, some front fences survive from the interwar period and contribute to the character and presentation of the properties. They include the fences at:
* 112 Aphrasia Street (brick fence with expressed piers, approximately 1300 mm in height).
* 114 Aphrasia Street (brick fence with expressed piers and curved bays, and concrete cappings to the piers and bays. The piers appear to be 1300 mm in height).
* 126 Aphrasia Street (tubular steel and woven wire fence and pedestrian gate, approximately 1300 mm high. The bluestone fence base may have been introduced).Urban Design and Infrastructure
In Aphrasia Street there are introduced concrete kerbs and channels with concrete footpaths (there being no nature strips). Early bluestone channels with concrete kerbs comprise the infrastructure in Nantes Street with the bluestone channels appearing to have been re-laid in recent years. In Stephen Street, there are introduced pigmented concrete kerbs with bluestone channels. In both Nantes and Stephen Streets are asphalt footpaths. There is only a narrow grassed nature strip on the north side of Stephen Street. There are no nature strips on the south side of Stephen Street and both sides of Nantes Street. Several properties in Nantes Street have concrete vehicular cross-overs. In Formosa Street is a Norfolk Island Pine tree in the narrow nature strips (adjacent to the northern boundary of the property at 5A Stephen Street) and other trees.Integrity
The Newtown West Heritage Precinct includes 56 sites. Of this total, 41 properties contribute to the historical, architectural and/or aesthetic heritage values of the precinct. There are also eight places that have been altered but where the early designs and historical contribution to the precinct is discernible. The precinct is therefore of moderate-high integrity.
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