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13 Compton Street

Location 13 Compton Street CANTERBURY, BOROONDARA CITY Level Incl in HO area indiv sig

Statement of Significance

HO536 Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct

What is Significant?

The Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct predominantly comprises dwellings from the early twentieth century (c.1905) through to the early 1940s, with the properties located in Albert, Bristol, Compton, Hocknell and Queen streets; and Highfield, Prospect Hill, Riversdale and Wattle Valley roads, crossing the suburbs of Surrey Hills, Canterbury and Camberwell. The majority of the properties are of 'contributory' heritage value, with several identified as being 'significant'. A large number of dwellings, including late Federation villas as well as Californian bungalows, are constructed of timber; there are also significant numbers of brick dwellings, mainly in the form of interwar bungalows. Houses are generally sited on reasonably large allotments, with the setbacks to street boundaries containing gardens, lawns and landscaped areas. Most dwellings are free-standing and single-storey, although a number have been extended with first floor additions as well as rear and side extensions. Throughout the precinct the terrain is gently undulating, with streets of asphalt, with the exception of the original concrete road surface to Compton Street. Streets are also planted with deciduous trees including Pin oaks and London planes, as well as some Queensland Box and eucalypts. Footpaths are of concrete while the south side of Bristol Street has a grassed verge. Fences are variously of low to high form, of reproduction styles although there are some original brick and render 'dwarf' fences.

How is it Significant?

Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct is of historical and aesthetic/architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.

Why is it Significant?

Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct is of local historical significance, as a long-standing residential area which demonstrates aspects of the growth and consolidation of Surrey Hills in particular in the decades after 1900, into the early years of the Second World War. The precinct name derives from that given to a subdivision in the eastern area of the precinct in 1887, while the western area of the precinct was formed from later subdivisions, including post-1919 development associated with the Dunn family's former market gardens in the (current) Compton Street area. The consolidation of the precinct largely occurred in two phases, being the pre- and post-World War One periods. Although land in the Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct began to be subdivided into residential allotments during the boom of the 1880s, with many residential portions sold in the 1890s, relatively little building activity occurred due to the economic downturn of the late nineteenth century. It was not until the pre World War One and interwar periods that the precinct witnessed more concentrated activity. The pre-war development was also spurred on by the extension of the electric tramway along nearby Riversdale Road, which was completed by 1916. The precinct, as with other residential areas and estates in Surrey Hills, is also significant for promoting an English character and English associations, as a means of attracting middle-class residents and purchasers of properties. This chiefly occurred through the use of street names such as Victoria (later renamed Bristol), Albert and Queen streets, and through the use of names associated with English counties and localities.

Canterbury Hill Estate Precinct is of local aesthetic/architectural significance. The precinct, which predominantly comprises dwellings dating from the early twentieth century through to the 1930s, has a comparatively high level of intactness in terms of its Federation and interwar development. A large number of these dwellings, including late Federation villas as well as some Californian bungalows, are constructed of timber, which is a building material more commonly found in Surrey Hills than in other areas of Boroondara. The significance of this aspect of development is enhanced by the fact that Council, in the late 1920s, passed by-laws restricting the construction of dwellings in timber. Significant Federation development in the precinct includes a range of well-designed and executed dwellings which demonstrate key Federation ideas in house design and detailing. These include diagonal planning; gabled and pitched roof forms; projecting wings/bays with half-timbered gables; timber-posted verandahs including return verandahs with timber friezes and fretwork; tall brick chimney stacks and 1: 3 casement windows. There are also substantial numbers of brick houses, the majority of which are brick and rendered bungalows, as well as some Old English style clinker brick and render villas, and dwellings displaying Mediterranean influences. This rich and varied interwar development displays many of the elements and influences which typify Australian bungalow design including Californian and Craftsman variants. These include half-timbered and shingled gable-fronts; ground floor areas on a basic oblong footprint, albeit with curved and canted bays and/or a porch-verandah to one facade side balanced by a projecting wing/bay; facebrick surfaces with cement render and concrete; lead-light glass; and brick verandah pedestals, or timber or cast concrete columns. The projecting bays and verandahs are independently gabled or in some instances roofed through the continuation downwards of the main roof pitch. The aesthetic significance is also enhanced by the reasonably generous allotments, including setbacks with gardens, lawns and landscaped settings; street plantings including deciduous trees and native species; concrete footpaths and the grassed verge of Bristol Street; and also the concrete road surface of Compton Street, which in turn is typical of a bungalow estate in Boroondara.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House