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Former Surrey College
17-19A Barton Street SURREY HILLS, BOROONDARA CITY
Former Surrey College
17-19A Barton Street SURREY HILLS, BOROONDARA CITY
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Statement of Significance
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Former Surrey College - Physical Description 1
The property at 17-19A Barton Street is an expansive two-storey overpainted brick Victorian building (formerly a school and private hospital) with a tower to the west side (Figure 7). The building has a complex footprint, with an equally complex roofscape, comprising hipped and gabled roof forms clad in slate over two-storey north-south and east-west oriented wings. As noted in the history, this complexity in plan and roof form reflects its construction in two stages: the wing facing Barton Street in 1891 and the north-south oriented wing facing Union Road in 1897. Save for the prominent tower, the west-facing wing, as seen in the historic image, is only partially visible from Barton Street.
The two built dates of the front (Barton Street) and rear (facing Union Road) wings of the building are expressed both in the roof form as well as windows and other decorative details. The Barton Street facade comprise a projecting bay, and a recessed bay to the north side, creating a typical asymmetrical composition. The entrance porch is set well back on the south side elevation. This side has typical Italianate features such as the hipped roof, segmentally arched windows - some with label mouldings, parapets with cornices to the entry porch and the ground floor bay window, and classical details such as corbels beneath moulded window sills and paterae and fluting on the cornice above the bay window. In contrast, the large wing facing Union Road exhibits a new group of design features which are mainly Gothic Revival in character. These include shallow pointed arches to the windows, pierced bargeboards with timber brackets to the multiple gables (two facing Union Road, one to the north elevation and one to the south elevation), and an octagonal tower and a pointed roof above the western entry which adds a Romanesque Revival influence. There are some consistent features between the two parts, including a label moulding above the tiny attic windows in the gables, moulded window sills, and a classical swag motif on the face of the tower.
Much of the slate roof cladding appears to have been replaced in-kind and the aluminium flashing to the ridges is of recent origin. A number of skylights have been installed on the roof, but these are not visible from the ground. The tower roof is also clad in replacement slates, reproducing the original diaper pattern. There are seven visible overpainted-brick chimneys with corniced tops and terracotta chimney pots (most of the posts were installed as part of the 1990s works). The eaves gutters are recent although some of the down pipes are long standing. Exterior brick walls are overpainted, effectively concealing the patching done to the brick walls in the 1990s (filling in escape doors and exhaust vent holes).
As noted in the history, there was a series of internal and external works undertaken in the 1990s when the building was rescued and converted to three separate dwellings. Building plans lodged with Council, as well as photos taken by the owners document changes to the building. Of these alterations, the two new garages are the most visible from Barton Street, followed by the reconfigured kitchen wing on the north elevation. There is also some visibility of the faux Federation entry porch on the north side. The extension at the south-west corner is designed to sit proud of the building and is legible as a modern intervention with its flat roof and metal cladding - it is of the type likely to be approved in an existing Heritage Overlay. Overall, the alterations made in the 1990s were sympathetic to the building and did not disrupt or confuse its original design.
The building is set in a landscaped garden with extensive areas of recent brick paving. The east boundary is enclosed by a non-original high brick and timber palisade fence. There are two vehicle crossovers on Barton Street.Heritage Study and Grading
Boroondara - Surrey Hills and Canterbury Hill Estate Heritage Study
Author: Lovell Chen
Year: 2011
Grading:
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KinnoulBoroondara City
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House (formerly Surrey College, Norton)Boroondara City
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