Dwellings- 'Rathcoursey' & 'Lauraville'
321-323 Shannon Avenue NEWTOWN, GREATER GEELONG CITY
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
'Rathcoursey' and 'Lauraville', 321-323 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, have significance as a rare example of a Late Victorian styled duplex in Newtown, and one the most unusual and refined examples of the small number of late 19th and early century single storey duplexes surviving in Geelong. The dwellings are a local heritage landmark at the south-west corner of Shannon Avenue and Aphrasia Street. Built in 1895 to a design by Thomas Seeley, architect, for Mrs Jane Walker, wife of the omnibus proprietor, William Walker, the significant fabric includes: the symmetrically composed central traversing roof with flanking projecting hipped wings, rear hipped wings, front bullnosed verandahs, centrally located brick party wall with a rendered capping, slate roof cladding to the main roofs, corrugated sheet metal roofing to the front verandahs, five face brick chimneys with corbelled tops and incised rendered panels, modest eaves with timber brackets with narrow moulded cornices below, front faceted bays with unusual curved and rendered sides, pair of front timber framed double hung windows at 323 Shannon Avenue (with segmentally-arched highlights and brick voussoirs, vertical timber battening and narrow panelling supported by substantial, moulded cornices to the front gable ends, decorative timber bargeboards and timber finial to the gable end at 321 Shannon Avenue, stylised quatrefoil timber verandah valances (in timber frames), front entrance door openings with timber and leadlighted doors and sidelights, faceted bay window on the north facade of 321 Shannon Avenue (with original timber framed, double hung, segmentally-arched windows, and a cast iron finial crowning the apex of the polygonal roof of the window bay), minor gabled wing on the south side of 323 Shannon Avenue, and the other segmentally-arched, timber framed double hung windows. The front cast iron palisade fence on a rendered masonry plinth and with rendered gate piers to 321 Shannon Avenue also contributes to the significance of the place.
How is it significant?
'Rathcoursey' and 'Lauraville', 321-323 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, are historically and aesthetically significant at a LOCAL level.
Why is it significant?
'Rathcoursey' and 'Lauraville', 321-323 Shannon Avenue have historical significance for their associations with residential development in Newtown in the late 19th century (Criterion A). Built in 1895, they embody residential progress in the Newtown West area as housing for Geelong's middle and professional classes. The dwellings also have historical significance for their associations with the original owner, Mrs Jane Walker, wife of the well-known omnibus proprietor, William Walker, whose nearby stables at 327 Shannon Avenue were also owned by Mrs Walker (Criterion H). Having established his omnibus service in Geelong in 1886 with the introduction of 'The Pivot' omnibus, William Walker relocated his business to the corner of Shannon Avenue and Leslie Street in 1895-96, the stone used in the construction of the stables, store and shop complex originating from Captain Foster Fyans' home, 'Balyang', near the banks of the Barwon River at Marnockvale (Newtown). At Newtown, Walker brought into service 'The Sunbeam' omnibus which had been imported from Cardiff, Wales, in August 1895. His omnibus service was the progenitor of Geelong's public transport service. 'Rathcoursey' and 'Lauraville' also have historical significance for their associations with the architect, Thomas Seeley (Criterion H). These dwellings represent one of his earliest known and refined designs prior to taking into partnership George King.
'Rathcoursey' and 'Lauraville', 321-323 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, have aesthetic significance as a predominantly intact, rare, unusual and refined example of a Late Victorian single storey duplex in Geelong (Criteria D & E). The dwellings are one of few surviving duplexes in Newtown. The high design qualities of the dwellings is reflected in the composition of the single storey hipped and gabled roof forms, and especially in the detailing of the front hipped and gabled wings with faceted bays having unusual curved and rendered sides, eaves detailing, timber stylised quatrefoil verandah valance detailing and the detailing in the gable ends.
Heritage Overlay Map
It is recommended that the heritage overlay is applied to the properties at 321-323 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, as shown on the following map:
-
-
Dwellings- 'Rathcoursey' & 'Lauraville' - Physical Description 1
'Rathcoursey' (now known as 'The Gate House') and 'Lauraville', 321-323 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, are situated on a contextually wide rectangular site at the south-west corner of Shannon Avenue and Aphrasia Street. There are modest front and side setbacks. The front yards have perimeter garden beds and tessellated tiled paths. At 321 Shannon Avenue is an original cast iron palisade fence on a rendered masonry plinth, approximately 1600 mm high, with substantial rendered gate piers (having rendered pedimented caps) with cast iron palisade pedestrian gate, being approximately 1800 mm high. At 323 Shannon Avenue is an introduced high brick front wall. At the rear, the property at 321 Shannon Avenue has an expansive paved yard with introduced single storey, gambrel-roofed carport. The rear and side yards are screened by introduced, capped ripple iron fencing with expressed timber posts. This fencing is punctuated by an introduced brick gateway closer to the dwelling. At 323 Shannon Avenue, there is a narrow side driveway on the south side and a modest rear yard with a central open grassed area surrounded by mature trees.
The symmetrical, single storey, face brick, Late Victorian styled semi-detached dwellings are characterised by a central traversing roof form, together with projecting hipped wings at the northern and southern ends that project towards the Shannon Avenue frontage. The fronts of these hipped wings terminate with gabled bays. Also at the front are bullnosed verandahs. Like the main traversing roof, the verandahs are punctuated by a projecting brick party wall with a rendered capping. At the rear are four hipped roof wings, the middle wing at 323 Shannon Avenue having been extended. The main roof forms are clad in slate, with the front verandahs and rear additions being clad in corrugated sheet metal. At the rear of 321 Shannon Avenue is brick skillion outbuilding with sheet metal roof cladding (this outbuilding has been altered). Five early face brick chimneys with corbelled tops and incised rendered panels adorn the rooflines. There are modest eaves with original timber brackets that rest on rendered, narrow moulded cornices.
Key original features of the design of the semi-detached dwellings are the front projecting wings. Below the minor gabled roofs are faceted bays. The pair of timber framed double hung windows at 323 Shannon Avenue (with segmentally-arched highlights that are further defined by the brick voussoirs above) are original. At 321 Shannon Avenue, the original paired windows have been replaced with a bank of three timber framed windows of lower height. There is also evidence of introduced brickwork above this window, including the solider-coursed lintel. The faceted bays to both dwellings have original and unusual curved rendered sides. In the gable ends are original vertical timber battening and narrow panelling supported by substantial, moulded cornices. At 321 Shannon Avenue, the gable end has original decorative timber bargeboards and a timber finial. The decorative bargeboards and finial are missing on the gable end at 323 Shannon Avenue.
Other early features of both dwellings include the stylised quatrefoil timber verandah valances (in timber frames), front entrance door openings with timber and leadlighted doors and sidelights, faceted bay window on the north facade of 321 Shannon Avenue (with original timber framed, double hung, segmentally-arched windows, and a cast iron finial crowning the apex of the polygonal roof of the window bay), minor gabled wing on the south side of 323 Shannon Avenue, single timber framed double hung window under the front verandah at 323 Shannon Avenue, and the cast iron palisade front verandah balustrades and bluestone verandah steps to both dwellings. At 321 Shannon Avenue is an introduced bank of timber framed double hung windows under the front verandah, while the rendered piers and balustrade to the verandah steps have also been introduced. At 323 Shannon Avenue is an introduced hollow steel rail flanking the front verandah steps. Also introduced at 321 Shannon Avenue on the north facade is a low brick skillion bay west of the faceted window bay
Heritage Study and Grading
Greater Geelong - Newtown West Heritage Review 2016
Author: D. Rowe & W. Jacobs
Year: 2016
Grading:
-
-
-
-
-
THE HEIGHTSVictorian Heritage Register H0429
-
FORMER SHEARERS ARMS HOTELVictorian Heritage Register H0661
-
SACRED HEART CONVENT AND COLLEGEVictorian Heritage Register H0555
-
-