Iona Estate Residential Precinct
Berkeley Court and Studley Park Road KEW, BOROONDARA CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The Iona Estate Precinct, Kew, comprising 1-9 & 2-10 Berkeley Court and 75-77 Studley Park Road, Kew, is significant. The Precinct is part of a late interwar subdivision located on the south side of Studley Park Road, called the Iona Estate, which was subdivided from the grounds of Iona, one of the large houses on the south side of Studley Park Road. The precinct comprises houses and gardens of a consistent type, designed in a variety of architectural styles fashionable in the interwar period. The residences were built in the interwar period over a very short time span, from c.1936-42. With only one exception, at 77 Studley Park Road, the houses are double-storey, and all houses are constructed of brick with generous setbacks, landscaped front gardens, many with original garages, some with original low masonry front fences.
The use of a small central court within the subdivision, to maximise the number of allotments, is also of note, with the court layout being a distinctive characteristic in this part of Kew, rather than the more common earlier linear street form. The lightly treed character and mown-lawn nature strips, typical of interwar streetscapes, and the bluestone gutters are also significant.
Original front fences at 77 Studley Park Road and 3, 7 Berkeley Court are contributory. The original garages at 77 Studley Park Road, 2, 3, 5 and 7 Berkeley Court are contributory. Non-original alterations and additions to the houses are not significant.
How is it significant?
The Iona Estate Precinct is of local historic and architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
The Iona Estate Precinct is significant for its ability to demonstrate the continuing pattern of subdivision of large Victorian-era estates built along the south side of Studley Park Road, Kew during the interwar years. The 1936 'Iona Estate' subdivision comprised 15 allotments subdivided from the former estate of a large Victorian-era house 'Iona'. (Criterion A)
The subdivision is significant as an intact example of the late interwar subdivision pattern that used the small central court within the subdivision to maximise the number of allotments. The court layout is a distinctive characteristic in this part of Kew, considered a more economic use of space, rather than the more common and earlier linear street pattern. The same form is seen at the nearby Clutha Estate (HO525). Like at Clutha Estate, the court layout (Berkeley Court) of the Iona Estate was fully integrated into the initial subdivision plan. (Criterion A)
Architecturally the Iona Estate Precinct is significant as a compact compendium of architectural styles fashionable in the late interwar period, which also retains a high level of intactness. Within the surrounding Kew neighbourhood, much of which was developed earlier, the precinct is readily appreciable as a late interwar subdivision because of its court layout, the open and lightly treed character of the streetscape with mown lawn nature strips and concrete paths, and because of the consistent building types and setbacks. A range of interwar period architectural styles is represented: Old English revival at 75 Studley Park Road and 1-2 Berkeley Court; Georgian revival at 4, 6 and 8 Berkeley Court; Moderne at 3, 5 and 7 Berkeley Court; American 'Cape Cod' at 10 Berkeley Court; and an interwar Mediterranean-influenced design at 9 Berkeley Court. The single-storey brick house at 77 Studley Park Road represents a transition from the interwar Art Deco and Moderne architectural styles. (Criterion D)
The architectural significance of the Precinct is enhanced by the integrity of many of the contributory places. Many of the houses retain original associated built features, including some original garages that were integral components of the original house designs (at 77 Studley Park Road and 2, 3, 5, and 7 Berkeley Court), early and original front fences (at 77 Studley Park Road and 3 and 7 Berkeley Court), and original driveways (at 2, 3, 5 and 9 Berkeley Court). Several of the gardens are original or of long standing (at 77 Studley Park Road and 1, 3 and 7 Berkeley Court. (Criterion D)
Grading and Recommendations
Recommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Boroondara Planning Scheme as a precinct.
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Iona Estate Residential Precinct - Physical Description 1
The Iona Estate Residential Precinct is located on the south side of Studley Park Road, Kew. It consists of a large proportion of the 1936 subdivision of 'Iona Estate', which was formed from the former mansion 'Iona', originally 73 Studley Park Road (demolished in 1936). The Precinct comprises the properties fronting Berkeley Court and the two corner properties with boundaries to Berkeley Court and Studley Park Road.
The Estate comprises allotments on either side of a central court, named Berkeley Court. With wide nature strips of mown grass and concrete pathways, lightly treed, and situated on high ground, the streetscape of Berkeley Court has an open elevated character. The street has been resurfaced but retains bluestone gutters and concrete kerbing and paths.
The houses are predominantly large, double-storey brick dwellings, of high architectural quality and designed in a range of architectural styles. Some of the houses were architect designed, or alleged to have been built or supervised by architects. 75 Studley Park Road was designed by architects Marsh & Michaelson in 1938. 6 Berkeley Court is noted to have been built by and the home of architect Michael Francis (Frank) Moriarty. A 1953 sale notice for 8 Berkeley Court noted it was built under architect supervision. 10 Berkeley Court was noted to have been built by a 'leading American architect'. The only single storey house is at 77 Studley Park Road. Cohesion is provided by the largely similar housing types and consistently high architectural quality, and by the consistent setbacks. Some of the houses retain original or early front fences and gardens designed in keeping with the architectural style of the house. The houses represent a mix of architectural styles fashionable in the interwar period, namely the interwar Art Deco, Old English and Georgian revival styles, and interwar Mediterranean and Moderne architectural styles.
Built in c.1936-38, the earliest house in the precinct is possibly 77 Studley Park Road, a single storey cream brick house with wide cream and contrasting brick band consistent with the window height, timber framed sash and plate glass windows. Architecturally it represents a transition between interwar Art Deco (seen in the two prominent, cream brick tall chimneys with vertical expression) and the horizontality of interwar Moderne architectural styles. It retains its original front fence of red brick with cream brick detailing, mild steel gate, and original garage that is an integral part of the house and its design.
1 and 2 Berkeley Court and 75 Studley Park Road are designed in the Old English revival style. 75 Studley Park Road is a particularly fine example of this style, recognised in its individual listing in the Heritage Overlay (HO346). But the other examples of this style in the Precinct also demonstrate comparable architectural quality and integrity. True to type, all three houses feature asymmetrical massing, gables, imitation half-timbering, textured clinker bricks, corbelled brickwork, herringbone brickwork (at 75 Studley Park Rd and 2 Berkeley Crt), imitation limewash walls and multi-colouredglazed terracotta tiles (at 1 Berkeley Crt), arched openings, leadlight glazing, tall chimneys, and oriels (projecting bay windows supported on brackets or corbels). 2 Berkeley Court retains its original garage, which is an integral part of the original house design, and crazy-paved strip driveway.
3 and 5 Berkeley Court are a striking pair of double-storey interwar Moderne houses. Both houses are built of brick, rendered and painted white, with restrained detailing consistent with the desired pared-back and streamlined forms and lines of the Moderne aesthetic. Although built to different designs, both houses include many features characteristic of the Moderne style, including horizontality expressed in the low pitch, hip roofs, squat chimneys, wide plate glass windows which wrap around two facades, and horizontal bands of expressed brickwork. Horizontality is further expressed at 3 in the horizontal bars to the timber and glazed door of the upper-storey corner sun deck. The upper-storey corner sun deck at 5 is designed with a streamlined curve, also typical of the Moderne style.
While more conservatively designed than its neighbours at 3 and 5, the cream brick house at 7 Berkeley Court is also designed in the Moderne style, and features the characteristic horizontality of the style, expressed in the low pitch terracotta tile hip roof, the horizontal glazing bars to the timber sash windows and French doors to the corner sundeck.
All three houses retain their original garages, 3 with the addition of a side portico over the driveway, all of which were integral parts of the house designs. 3 and 7 retain original or early low brick front fences and gardens. The garden at no. 3 is particularly striking because of its Moderne design, consisting of low perimeter shrub planting around expanse of lawn, low front fence of rendered brick piers with horizontal pipe railings, crazy paving path and driveway. The driveways at 3 (crazy-paved) and 5 (concrete and lawn strip driveway) are also original.
4 and 8 Berkeley Court are built in the interwar Colonial or Georgian revival styles. The most characteristic feature of the style is the small-paned timber framed windows approximating Georgian proportions at both houses, and the shutters at 4. The shallow pitch hip roofs with terracotta tiles are also characteristic of the style. 8 Berkeley Court is cream face brick. 4 Berkeley Court was being rendered when surveyed.
Early descriptions of 6 Berkeley Court described its architectural style as 'Colonial' revival, which is similar to Georgian revival. This front garden and entrance of this house have been significantly altered by the addition of a high, solid masonry wall, a large garage with skillion roof, and construction of a new entrance. These new elements, designed in a post-modern idiom, have diminished the contribution of the house to the streetscape. In spite of these changes, however, the roof form, chimneys and the upper-storey cream brickwork of the original house remain visible from the street, meaning the house continues to make a modest contribution to the interwar streetscape.
9 Berkeley Court is built in the interwar Mediterranean architectural style. It is constructed of brick (overpainted) with a transverse gable tile roof, and small-paned timber sash windows. The Mediterranean influence is signalled by the use of wrought iron, on the gated, arched entry porch.
10 Berkeley Court is a double-storey architect-designed brick dwelling built in the American 'Cape Cod' architectural style. The second storey is contained in the slate-tile gable roof space, with three gabled dormers. The ground floor windows are generously sized, six-paned, timber sash windows. The upper-storey windows are also six-paned timber sash but smaller proportioned. The house is situated behind a high brick wall, which may be the same brick fence that was approved in 1952 (BP 2401). A covered gateway, designed in keeping with the house, may also have been built at this time. The crazy paving is in keeping with elements in interwar gardens and may be early or original. The black metal security gate is new.
Heritage Study and Grading
Boroondara - Municipal-Wide Heritage Gap Study Volume 4: Kew
Author: Context
Year: 2018
Grading: Local
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THE HAWTHORNSVictorian Heritage Register H0457
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D'ESTAVILLEVictorian Heritage Register H0201
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STUDLEY HOUSE (WREN HOUSE)Victorian Heritage Register H0789
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