Murray & Co Wool Works, Former

History:

In 1896, Hamilton Fitts, wool merchant, owned and operated a wool works on this site. By 1898, William Murray & Co. were occupying the site. The Rate Books record an addition valued at ₤200 in 1917; there was also a major increase in value of the works in 1918. In 1921, the value decreased from ₤350 to ₤250. William Murray & Co. continued to occupy the building until at least the 1950s.

Description:

The former William Murray & Co. Wool works is a large double storey red brick building on a prominent site at the corner of Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade. The main (east) elevation, to Hoddle Street, comprises to longitudinally gabled pavilions with a transverse gabled connecting section between. The north pavilion is divided into three bays, defined by shallow brick piers. The central bay has double entrance doors beneath an unpainted rendered panel bearing the words WOOL WORKS; above this is a window. The gable-end has a segmental arched apex; the rendered central panel bears the words WILLIAM MURRAY & CO. The four piers terminate in rendered caps. The south pavilion is similarly treated, with the same signage, but no door. The entire facade is punctuated by banks of steel-framed hopper sash windows with prominent rendered concrete lintels. The roofs are clad in corrugated iron. To the west of the site is a squat, round, red brick chimney, the top of which has been altered.

Significance:

The former William Murray & Co. Wool works, on the corner of Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade, is of local architectural significance. The complex is a large and substantially intact early 20th century industrial building whose location was related to the Reilly Street drain. The building remains an important heritage element in both the and Hoddle Street Alexandra Parade streetscapes.

Group

Manufacturing and Processing

Category

Textile Mill