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Former Crothers House, 9 Seaby Street, STAWELL

Other Name

Crothers House

Location

9 Seaby Street STAWELL, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE

Level

Recommended for Heritage Overlay

Statement of Significance

The house at 9 Seaby Street, Stawell, makes a significant contribution to the predominantly single storey, Victorian styled streetscape of Seaby Street between the railway line and Johnson Street. This house was built in 1869 for William Crothers, merchant and mine owner originally New Brunswick, to a design by the architect, Robert Alexander Love. Although there have been some changes to the house, the general form and features of the design are largely intact.

The house at 9 Seaby Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original and early design qualities of a Victorian style. These qualities include the shallow pitched hipped roof form, single storey height, unpainted brick wall construction, painted and lapped galvanised corrugated iron roof cladding and the four rendered brick chimneys with projecting cornices. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the front and side bullnosed verandahs, narrow eaves, four panelled timber door (with sidelights), timber framed double hung windows, solid brick verandah walls that extend into ornate pointed parapets, projecting bay window at the rear, and the front side turned timber verandah columns. The ornamental cast iron gate piers and palisade fence contribute to the significance of the place. The mature palms and Italian cypress tree also contribute to the significance of the place.

The house at 9 Seaby Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with residential developments in Stawell during the height of the gold rush in the late 1860s. In particular, this house has associations with William Crothers, a North American who had emigrated to Victoria in 1854 with his brothers David and Hugh, and with his father established a thriving bakery and in 1865 a Cash Store. Also a successful mine owner, William Crothers instigated construction of this house in 1869 after engaging the architect, Robert Alexander Love of Bendigo and temporarily of Pleasant Creek.

Overall, the house at 9 Seaby Street is of LOCAL significance.

Group