House & Dairy

What is Significant?

The dwelling at 30 Hicks Street, Lara, has significance as a predominantly intact example of a Victorian styled dwelling in Lara and as one of the more intact surviving Victorian dwellings in the Lara area. The fabric that contributes to the Victorian design includes the hipped roof forms, front bullnosed verandah, symmetrical composition (especially defined by the red brick chimneys and the central front doorway and flanking timber framed double hung tripartite windows), front four panelled timber door with sidelights and paired eaves brackets with diamond panelling between. The dwelling appears to have been built in 1886 upon the marriage of the first occupants, David and Mary Walker (nee Tayler). It was first owned by Walker's father, Robert Bell Walker, longstanding and successful lime merchant who established the Waverley Lime Company at Lara in 1878. David Walker took part in the business from its inception and with the death of his father in 1899, he carried out the lime operations. Lime from the Waverley Lime Company was distributed across Australia and most particularly to Melbourne, where it was used in the construction of public buildings and structures, as well as private properties.

How is it Significant?

The dwelling at 30 Hicks Street, Lara, is architecturally and historically significant at a LOCAL level.

Why is it Significant?

The dwelling at 30 Hicks Street is architecturally significant as a predominantly intact example of a Victorian style (Criterion D), being the only surviving example in this part of Lara and one of the more intact of the eight known modestly-scaled Victorian styled dwellings in Lara today.

The dwelling at 30 Hicks Street is historically significant for its associations with the development of housing in Lara during the boom of the Lime industry in the 1880s (Criterion A). In particular, the dwelling is historically significant for its associations with David Walker and his father, Robert Bell Walker, who established the highly successful Waverley Lime Company at Lara in 1878 (Criterion H). David Walker continued on the business after the death of his father in 1899, and on his passing in 1945, the Lara Lime Company was managed by David Walker's son, Albert Alexander, until the later 20th century.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residence