1)ALLWOOD RESIDENCE 2) GARDEN 3) TWO CABBAGE PALMS 4) TWO THREAD PALMS 5) GROUP OF FOUR PEPPERCORNS AT REAR 6) SITE
901 HEIDELBERG-KINGLAKE ROAD HURSTBRIDGE, NILLUMBIK SHIRE
Nillumbik Shire
Statement of Significance
REVISED STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE, CONTEXT, 2010
What is significant?
The entire c1894 house, including later extensions and the front and back gardens and the surrounding site to the title boundaries. Trees of particular significance are the two Cabbage Tree Palms (Cordyline australis), two Thread Palms (Washingtonia robusta) and four Peppercorns (Schinus molle).
How is it significant?
The c1894 house is historically and aesthetically significant to the Shire of Nillumbik.
The c1900 front garden and the back garden, the two Cabbage Tree Palms, the two Thread Palms and the four Peppercorn trees are historically and aesthetically significant to the Shire of Nillumbik.
How is It Significant?
The c1894 house is historically significant because it was built for William Gray (a prominent local figure, politician and orchardist) on the site of the area's pioneering homestead owned by Henry Hurst (after whom Hurst Bridge was named) (Criterion H). The house is historically and aesthetically significant because it is one of the oldest buildings in the area and an example of a standard late 19th century/early 1900s timber home as well as a reminder of the nature of early settlement in the area and the start of Hurstbridge's development (Criteria B, D & E).
The c1900 front garden is historically significant because it is associated with both William Gray and Henry Hurst (Criterion H). It is historically and aesthetically significant because the site operated as a commercial nursery and illustrates fashions typical of the late 19th century (Criterion E). The front garden is aesthetically significant because it features formal and informal areas and includes: an ornamental garden arch placed on the axis of the front door and a less formal area to the front of the site, featuring scattered and mixed planting, including two Cabbage Tree Palms and two Thread Palms. The Cabbage Tree Palms are aesthetically significant as the largest such specimens in the Shire (Criterion B). The rear garden is more utilitarian and features informal planting of Peppercorn trees (Criterion E).