Former Lake Bank Hotel Complex

What is Significant?

The former Lake Bank Hotel complex, 120 Forest Road South, Lara, has significance as the only known surviving mid 19th century rural hotel complex in the City of Greater Geelong and the only surviving 19th century hotel and store buildings in the Lara area. The earliest buildings on the site appear to date from c.1859, when four-roomed and two-roomed stone cottages and a stone dairy had been built as part of Cheddar Farm. One of the original cottages may represent the hipped north wing of the building complex today. The original buildings were substantially extended in 1869 under the ownership of James Henderson to include a hotel at the south-east corner. Today, the significant building fabric includes the triple hipped portion on the Forest Road South frontage, attached northern hipped roof wing and the rear attached and freestanding elongated hipped and gabled wings. The limestone wall construction, front window and door openings to the triple hipped portion, front door opening to the northern hipped portion, rendered and face brick chimneys and the corrugated profile to the sheet metal roof cladding all form part the significant building fabric. Also contributing to the significance of the hotel complex is the stone wall on the Forest Road South boundary, embedded stone outbuilding in the boundary wall, underground tank/well and the surviving mature peppercorn and Mulberry trees. Overall, the form, layout and grouping of the buildings as a 19th century hotel complex are predominantly intact, although the integrity of specific fabric has been diminished as a consequence of required repairs. The former hotel complex appears to be in fair-good condition when viewed from the street.

How is it Significant?

The former Lake Bank Hotel complex at 120 Forest Road South, Lara, is historically and architecturally significant at a LOCAL level.

Why is it Significant?

The former Lake Bank Hotel complex at 120 Forest Road South is historically significant for its associations with the earliest farming and commercial developments in Lara from the late 1850s (Criteria A & H). Built as two cottages, dairy and stockyards as part of Cheddar Farm in c.1859, the buildings were substantially extended and transformed in 1869 as the Lake Bank Hotel with an attached grocery store by the owner, James Henderson. Both the hotel and store operated until the early 20th century. The hotel operated by various publicans and the store by the wife of James Henderson, Euphemia Henderson, from 1873 until later in the 19th century.

The former Lake Bank Hotel at 120 Forest Road South is architecturally significant as it is a rare surviving example of a mid 19th century complex of Victorian vernacular styled hotel and store buildings in Lara and the Greater Geelong municipality (Criteria A, B & E). Although the buildings have recently been repaired and altered, they continue to demonstrate their original Victorian vernacular design qualities in their roof forms, construction materials, openings, chimneys and layout. Importantly, it is the grouping of the buildings as a whole that is of particular architectural value, being the only existing hotel and store buildings in the Lara area and one of few surviving mid 19th century hotel buildings in the Greater Geelong area. The buildings provide a tangible understanding of hotel, store and farm life from the 1850s and 1860s. The stone boundary wall along the Forest Road South frontage, including the embedded gabled outbuilding, together with the underground tank/well and mature peppercorn and Mulberry trees also contribute to the aesthetic values of the place.

Group

Commercial

Category

Hotel