Cremorne Precinct
BALMAIN STREET, BENT STREET, CUBITT STREET, and DOVER STREET, CREMORNE, YARRA CITY
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Statement of Significance
The Cremorne precinct, comprising 27-31, 38-58 & 43-47 Balmain St, 20-34 Bent St, 123-31, 155-195,142-194 Cubitt St, and 143-155 & 171 Dover St, is significant. The following buildings and features contribute to the significance of the precinct:
- The houses, constructed in the period from c.1885 to c.1925 at 40-58 & 43-47 Balmain St; 20-34 Bent St, 123-31, 155-165 & 169-195 and 142-52, 158, 160 & 170-194 Cubitt St, and; 143-155 & 171 Dover St.
- The shop and residence at 38 Balmain St, and the former shops and residences at 27-31 Balmain St and 167 Cubitt St.
- The overall consistency of building forms (pitched gabled or hipped roofs, one storey wall heights), materials and detailing (walls of weatherboard or face brick or stucco, prominent brick or render chimneys, post-supported verandahs facing the street), and siting (small or no front and side setbacks).
- The nineteenth century subdivision pattern comprising regular allotments served by rear bluestone laneways.
- Traditional streetscape materials such as asphalt pathways and bluestone kerb and channel.
Non-original alterations and additions to the Contributory buildings listed above, and other houses and buildings are not significant.
How it is significant?
The Cremorne precinct is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Yarra.
Why it is significant?
The precinct is historically significant as a well-preserved example of a residential area that demonstrates the two key phases in the development of Cremorne during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the majority of housing dates from after 1886, it does include one terrace row at 46-58 Balmain Street partly constructed prior to 1885, which is notable as one of the earliest surviving examples in Cremorne. The existing and former commercial buildings demonstrate how local shops within walking distance served small neighbourhood areas in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is also historically significant as a speculative subdivision associated with Thomas Bent, one of the notorious figures in the 'land boom' era in Melbourne. Bent's connection with the precinct is recalled by the naming of Thomas and Bent streets. (Criteria A & H)
The precinct is significant as an enclave that is characteristic of residential precincts in Richmond that were largely developed prior to World War II being comprised of predominantly Victorian era housing, supplemented by Edwardian and interwar infill with commercial buildings on corner sites. Overall, the intactness of the building stock to the period prior to World War II is very high and creates visually cohesive and consistent streetscapes that are complemented by traditional public realm materials such as asphalt footpaths, bluestone kerb and channel and bluestone laneways. (Criterion D)
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Cremorne Precinct - Physical Description 1
The Cremorne precinct is a residential area that comprises the intact sections of the Cremorne Estate as described in the History. It is centred of the section of Cubitt Street south of Balmain Street, and also includes houses along part of the east side of Dover Street, and in Bent Street. The Balmain Street section includes the buildings on both sides between Cubitt and Gwynne streets. While the houses on the north side did not form part of the Cremorne Estate they are of the same period (Victorian) and so have a strong historic as well as visual connection.
As with most other heritage precincts in Richmond the development themes revolve around strong a Victorian-era residential core matched here by Edwardian-era development and with inter-war as visually related infill, allowing the area to be largely built-up by the start of World War I.
The late Victorian houses almost exclusively comprise single fronted cottages, constructed of timber or bi-chromatic brick and either detached or attached as part of a pair or row (e.g. 28-32 Bent St). There is one double-fronted example at 177 Cubitt Street. The late Victorian style is evident in features such as bi-chrome or rendered chimneys, stucco detailing to wing walls such as consoles and vermiculated corbels, tripartite windows to the main elevation, and the use of Ashlar boards to some timber examples. Most have a hipped roof form; the exceptions are the less common transverse gable (e.g. 43 Balmain St, 131 & 142-44 Cubitt St), and the adjoining row of four identical detached gable-fronted cottages at nos. 146-52 Cubitt Street.
Of note is the row of seven bi-chromatic brick terrace houses at 46-58 Balmain Street, which were constructed in two stages c.1885 to c.1887 and are the oldest houses in the precinct (and one of the oldest terrace rows in Cremorne more generally). The early date of these houses is demonstrated by the undivided hip roof and continuous front verandah (i.e., no dividing wing walls).
The precinct also contains some commercial buildings dating from the Victorian era. These include in Balmain Street the single storey shop and residence at no.38 and the double storey former shops and residences directly opposite at nos. 27-31. Although both buildings have been altered they have characteristic form and siting, being built on both street boundaries with a splayed corner and roofs concealed by a parapet with a simple cornice framed by corbels and consoles. There is also an altered timber former corner shop and residence at 167 Cubitt Street.
The Federation houses in the precinct include both single fronted cottages (e.g. 123-25 Cubitt St) and double fronted houses (e.g. 158, 160, 170 Cubitt St), which demonstrate the transition from the Victorian style.
The Edwardian houses include simple gable fronted timber cottages with minimal decoration (e.g., 143-53 Dover St) as well as houses that demonstrate Queen Anne influences such as asymmetrical planning, hip roofs with prominent projecting gables facing the street, half timbering to the gable ends, verandahs with ornamental timber frieze or valance, tall brick and render chimneys with terracotta pots, and casement sash windows (sometimes with coloured toplights) (e.g. 24 Bent St, 186 Cubitt St, 155 Dover St). The Queen Anne influence can also be seen in the intact pair of gable-fronted cottages at 163-65 Cubitt Street and the similar cottage at 26 Bent Street.
The inter-war houses include the gable-fronted bungalow at 34 Bent Street, and the unusual gable-fronted attached pair sharing a single roof divided by a central brick party wall at 188-90 Cubitt Street, which is very intact and retains original detailing including half-timbering and shingling to the gable ends and paired verandah posts with simple brackets set on dwarf brick piers. The adjoining equally intact single gable-fronted houses to the south (nos. 192 & 194) have similar detailing, which suggests that the same builder constructed all three. Another, earlier, example of the gable-fronted attached pair with dividing central wall type is at 20-22 Bent Street.
The majority of houses are relatively intact (or sympathetically restored) when viewed from the street. Common alterations include over-painting of face brickwork, alteration to or replacement of front verandahs, replacement of front windows, and removal of chimneys. There are some visible second storey additions.
Fences are uniformly low allowing views of the houses, which are set close to the frontage. None are original, but many are reproductions that are sympathetic to the housing style. Other features that contribute to the historic character of the precinct are the bluestone kerb and channel and the bluestone laneways.
Heritage Study and Grading
Yarra - Heritage Gaps Study: Review of remaining 17 heritage precincts from the 2009 Gaps report
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 2013
Grading:Yarra - City of Yarra Heritage Review
Author: Allom Lovell & Associates
Year: 1998
Grading:Yarra - Richmond Conservation Study
Author: John & Thurley O'Connor, Ros Coleman & Heather Wright
Year: 1985
Grading:Yarra - City of Yarra Review of Heritage Overlay Areas
Author: Graeme Butler & Associates
Year: 2007
Grading:
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ST STEPHENS ANGLICAN CHURCHVictorian Heritage Register H0586
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FORMER BRYANT & MAY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXVictorian Heritage Register H0626
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"1890"Yarra City
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"AMF Officers" ShedMoorabool Shire
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"AQUA PROFONDA" SIGN, FITZROY POOLVictorian Heritage Register H1687
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