THE BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES AND DENDY STREET BEACH

The Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes are historically significant for their association with the development of beach culture in Victoria from the 1840s to the present day. This is demonstrated through their evolution from functional, rudimentary structures which allowed bathers to change and discreetly enter the water, to their present use and appearance as brightly decorated places which form focal points for casual and social interaction. [Criterion A]

The Brighton Bathing Boxes demonstrate the principal characteristics of Bathing Boxes through their small scale, gabled roofs, and rudimentary design using simple building materials such as weatherboard cladding and corrugated iron roof sheeting. [Criterion D]

The Brighton Bathing Boxes and Dendy Street Beach are of aesthetic significance to the Victorian community in exhibiting the iconic colours and forms of Bathing Boxes of the Victorian coastline. The visual impact of the vibrant, brightly painted exterior walls of the Brighton Bathing Boxes are enhanced by their setting along the curve of the Dendy Street Beach in front of its vegetated sand dunes. Images of the Brighton Bathing Boxes, in many cases with Melbourne's skyline featured in the background, are iconic to the State. [Criterion E]

The Dendy Street Beach Bathing Boxes are socially significant for their strong association with local, national and international visitors. They are renowned not only for their function, but for their landmark qualities as a backdrop to many celebrations and casual visits to the beach. They have been reported and recorded in multiple mediums including photography, painting, digital and film media, and used in promotional products. They are instantly recognisable as the predominant assemblage of Bathing Boxes retained in Victoria. [Criterion G]

Group

Recreation and Entertainment

Category

Baths/Swimming Centre