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15 Sunbury Crescent

Location 15 Sunbury Crescent SURREY HILLS, BOROONDARA CITY Level Incl in HO area contributory

Statement of Significance

HO535 Surrey Hills North Residential Precinct, Surrey Hills

What is Significant?

The Surrey Hills North Residential Precinct is a large precinct area located in Surrey Hills, and part of Canterbury, and bounded (in general terms) by the railway embankment and Sunbury Crescent to the south; Mont Albert Road to the north; Chatham Road to the west; and (approximately) the east boundaries of properties running parallel with Union Road in the east. Streets in the precinct predominantly run from east to west, with generally lesser (shorter) streets, other than Chatham Road, running north-south. Mont Albert Road is the principal road within the precinct, and defines the northern precinct boundary. There are two main periods of residential development, being late Federation concentrated in the period 1910-1915; and the interwar period of the 1920s, 1930s, through to the early 1940s. Generally, houses are constructed of timber, timber and rough-cast stucco, and brick or brick and render. Timber houses are in the majority, which is typical of Surrey Hills. Dwellings range from large brick houses on generous allotments to more modest timber bungalows. There are also clusters of earlier housing comprising late Victorian residences; and a small pocket of attached commercial buildings from c.1910 on the north side of Mont Albert Road, adjoining Wells Street. Established gardens are another feature of the area; street, or median, plantings are also characteristic, including in Croydon, Guildford, Empress, Sir Garnet, Kingston and Mont Albert roads.

The precinct comprises a high number of properties which have are graded 'contributory', with relatively few graded 'significant'.

How is it Significant?

Surrey Hills North Residential Precinct is of historical and aesthetic/architectural significance to the City of Boroondara.

Why is it Significant?

The Surrey Hills North Residential Precinct is of local historical significance, as a long-standing residential area in the northern part of Surrey Hills, which demonstrates aspects of the growth and consolidation of the suburb from the latter decades of the nineteenth century through to the later interwar period. John H Knipe, an early landowner in the precinct, was reputedly the first to use the name 'Surrey Hills' when he subdivided his landholding in 1878. Mont Albert Road, the principal road in the precinct, is one of Boroondara's oldest roads. More intensive development in the precinct commenced in the 1880s after the extension of the railway line to Lilydale, the construction of the station in 1882, and the promotion of the area as a desirable residential location. The economic Depression of the 1890s stymied development, until building activity resumed in the first decades of the twentieth century. The extension of the tram line along Whitehorse Road to Union Road in September 1916 stimulated development in the precinct, as was the later opening of the Chatham railway station in 1927. By 1920, much of the remaining vacant land in the precinct area had been built out. The precinct also accommodated new homes for returning World War One soldiers, including in bungalows designed, promoted and financed by the State Savings Bank of Victoria. After the Second World War, as with other parts of Boroondara, the advent of the motor car confirmed Surrey Hills as a dormitory suburb for Melbourne workers.

Surrey Hills North Residential Precinct is also of local aesthetic/architectural significance, comprising housing with a comparatively high level of intactness from two main periods of development, being the late Federation period of 1910-1915, and the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s to early 1940s. The Federation houses derive from a time in Australian architecture when a distinctive national style was developing, influenced by the international Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau, and elements of the Queen Anne mode. Valued characteristics of Federation houses in the precinct include simple L-shaped plans with a single projecting gable, often half-timbered; hipped roofs played off against the projecting gables; diagonal components such as angled corners or curved bays, sometimes coupled to an angled gablet or corner tower; and hinged casement windows often grouped in threes and fours. The 1920s houses in the precinct are generally bungalow variants, in a style influenced by contemporary American bungalows, including those of California as well as 'Craftsman' bungalows. Valued characteristics of these precinct dwellings include conspicuous transverse roof forms with gable ends (typical of Melbourne bungalows, and of the Craftsman style), or two superimposed gables; forward-sloping roofs which emphasise the horizontal massing, and often integrate with verandahs; and verandahs enclosed by medium-height walls usually in the same materials as the house walls, with paired square-plan timber posts or occasionally brick piers clad in stucco. Distinguishing characteristics of the 1930s -early 1940s houses include porch areas (rather than verandahs); hipped roofs with lower pitches; and more simply detailed chimneys. There are also more references to 'past' styles, such as Tudor, often conveyed in clinker or tapestry brick. The Victorian houses, which are mostly in the Victorian Italianate style, display bracketed and hipped roofing; some with block front detailing to resemble stone; broad double-hung timber-framed sash windows; and chimneys which are corniced and either stuccoed or in exposed red face brick. Established gardens also contribute to the aesthetic values of the precinct, as do street or median plantings.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House