HO113 - Payne's Cottage
638-688 Greigs Road East ROCKBANK, Melton Shire
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Statement of Significance
Payne House at 638-688 Greigs Road East, Rockbank, has historical significance as a prominent and scarce legacy, relatively intact, of the community of small farmers who settled the Mt Cotterell-Rockbank district in the 1860s and 70s. It was also associated with a prominent personality of that place and era. Although almost ruinous, part of building has been partly restored and reoccupied, and the historical significance of the place is embodied in the surviving Victorian vernacular styled fabric, and its bluestone construction which is typical of small farm cottage construction in the western volcanic plains in that era.
Payne house at 638-688 Greigs Road East is historically significant at the LOCAL level (AHC D2, B2). The bluestone cottage is one of only a two of its type remaining in the Mt Cotterell-Rockbank area from this era, and one very few such places in the Shire. It had a long association with Mark Payne, a long serving Braybrook Shire Councillor, local farmer, contractor, carter, and butcher, known widely as the 'king of Mt Cottrell', and after whom 'Paynes Road' is named. The building is also testimony to the historical importance of fire in the municipality, having been partly destroyed in the devastating 1965 fires.
Payne House at 638-688 Greigs East Road has architectural interest. The building has surviving Victorian vernacular fabric that includes the long, simple gable roof form clad in galvanised corrugated steel, bluestone wall construction, distinctive hand made brick lintels, window and door openings and the lack of eaves. Accurate restoration and reconstruction of the building may elevate the building to local architectural significance status.
Overall, Payne House at 638-688 Greigs Road is of LOCAL significance.
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HO113 - Payne's Cottage - Physical Description 1
Physical Description -
The former Payne House at 638-688 Greigs East Road, Rockbank, is prominently situated in an open rural setting on the corner of a major road within the Shire. It has a small yard bound by an introduced timber picket fence. Nearby is a shallow earth dam with a deteriorated fieldstone wall. Surrounding the almost ruinous building are scatters of hand made bricks.
The single storey, bluestone, Victorian vernacular styled cottage is characterised by a long, simple gable roof form clad in galvanised corrugated steel. Half of the roof to the early northern end is missing, and the rear projecting wall of this section is ruinous.
Early features of the design include the distinctive hand made brick lintels above the early window and door openings, and the lack of eaves.
A huge stump which appears to have been a casuarina tree[1] - an important indigenous planting of the Keilor Werribee Plains, of which only pockets now survive, and which is of historical interest - remains in front of the building.
One room has been partly restored and is in use.
[1] Pers. Con., Frances Overmars, 13/12/2001
HO113 - Payne's Cottage - Historical Australian Themes
Melton Historical Themes: 'Community'; 'Farming'.
HO113 - Payne's Cottage - Integrity
Integrity - Substantially altered
HO113 - Payne's Cottage - Physical Conditions
Physical Condition - Poor - ruinous
Heritage Study and Grading
Melton - Shire of Melton Heritage Study phase 2
Author: David Maloney, David Rowe, Pamela Jellie, Sera Jane Peters
Year: 2007
Grading:
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