Dwelling

History/Notes
The site at 2 Nantes Street originally formed part of a 3 acre landholding owned by George Alexander Stephen, merchant, in 1889. On his death in 1908, the land was subdivided into three allotments, with a large allotment fronting Nantes Street being sold to Daniel Organ McIntyre. In 1909, he subdivided the land into several allotments and lot 7 (the site at 2 Nantes Street) was sold to Henry Stevenson. In 1936, the vacant land was purchased by G.H. Moreton. He had the existing two storey house built at this time by C.R. Mitchell.

George Henry Moreton was born at Lake Bolac in c.1867, the son of Samuel and Mary Ann (nee Knight). G.H. Moreton followed his father into farming in the Wimmera. In 1896 he married Miss Olivia Kendall. Two years later in 1898 he acquired the Frogmore Estate at Fyansford, where they lived until their retirement to 'Frodsham', Herne Hill, and then to Anglesea where Moreton built a house. This house was found to be too cold and so from 1936 until his death in 1951, G.H. Moreton lived at 2 Nantes Street. Mrs Olive Moreton continued to reside there in the ensuing years. She took on a Mrs Ambuchler as her housekeeper. Mrs Ambuschler was a German emigrant following World War 2, and brought up her orphaned grandson at
2 Nantes Street. After Mrs Moreton's death, the property was left to Morongo Girls' College, being a boarding house for teachers with Mrs Ambuschler as house keeper. The property was later sold by Morongo.

The asymmetrical, two storey, strapped cement sheet interwar Bungalow styled dwelling generally reflects its original and contextually unusual design for the locality. There is a principal hipped roof form with widely projecting eaves, a minor hipped wing that projects on the east side (at the rear) and a flat-roofed verandah and balcony. The roof is clad in corrugated sheet metal and there are early chimneys. The balcony has introduced windows and lightweight infill. At the front is an introduced high capped timber picket fence with expressed posts, and a stone entrance gateway. At the rear is an early garage and laundry outbuilding, and an introduced swimming pool.

References:
Victorian Births, Deaths & Marriages Indexes, Dept. of Justice.
Newtown Rate Books 1936, 1937, 1940, Geelong Library & Heritage Centre.
Newtown Building Permit, 1936, City of Greater Geelong.
The Horsham Times, 25 March 1898.
The Argus, 1 May 1908.
Geelong Advertiser, 4 June 1925, 1 November 1951.
Certificates of Title, vol. 2121 fol. 075, vol. 3304 fol. 672.
Jan Phelan, family descendant, Welshpool, personal comments to author, February 2016.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House