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West Melbourne Road

Other Name

291-319 Shannon Avenue, NEWTOWN

Location

291-319 Shannon Avenue NEWTOWN, GREATER GEELONG CITY

Level

Included in Heritage Overlay

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West Melbourne Road Precinct
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West Melbourne Road Precinct.
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Photo 2: Aerial view of West
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Photo 3: 'Comara', 303 Shannon
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Photo 4: 'Retford House', 311
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Photo 5: 'Derreweit', 305
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Photo 6: 301 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 7: 'Banchory', 307
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Photo 8: 317 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 9: 299 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 10: 293 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 11: 297 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 12: 295 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 13: 315 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 14: 319 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 15: 313 Shannon Avenue,
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Photo 16: 'Comara', 303
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Photo 17: 319 Shannon Avenue,
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Figure 1: Portion of the
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Figure 2: Sketch plan of
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Figure 3: Sketch plan of
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Figure 4: R. Balding, Map of
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Figure 5: Jeffrey's Fernery
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Figure 6: View of part of 'The
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Figure 7: 'Fernery Hotel'
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Figure 8: Laird & Buchan, Part
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Figure 9: West Melbourne Road,

Statement of Significance

What is Significant?
The West Melbourne Road Heritage Precinct, 293-319 Shannon Avenue, Newtown, has significance as a predominantly intact streetscape of nine interwar dwellings and three distinctive Federation houses of varying scales and elaboration built between 1910 and 1938. The diversity in the houses reflects the varying socio-economic status of the original owners that included the working and professional classes, and retired graziers. The interwar era dwellings are typically conventional in design, being single storey and detached, with hipped and/or gabled roofs, front or return verandahs, broad eaves, brick chimneys, corrugated sheet metal or tiled roof cladding, face brick, roughcast brick or timber weatherboard wall cladding, timber framed windows (some dwellings featuring bay windows), and detailing applicable to the interwar era.

The dwellings at 303 and 311 Shannon Avenue are particularly substantial and noteworthy examples of the Federation era. At 'Comara', 303 Shannon Avenue this is expressed in the elongated layout with complex hipped and gabled roofs, shallow-pitched return verandah with shallow-gabled portico near the corner, faceted front bay window, bowed bay corner window under the verandah, face brick wall construction, timber framed casement windows, and the brick verandah piers with slender Doric columns. At 'Retford House', 311 Shannon Avenue, the distinctive original features include the complex hipped and gabled roofs, and the projecting angled corner attic that terminates with a faceted balcony bay with a hipped roof above. Other original features include the slate roof cladding, face brick wall construction, rectangular bay windows, timber framed casement windows with highlights, broad eaves with exposed timber rafters, terra cotta roof ridge decoration and finials, ventilators in the gable ends, and the brick verandah pedestals and slender, tapered Doric verandah columns arranged in pairs and in three at the corner. The third Federation era dwelling, 'Derreweit', 305 Shannon Avenue, is more conventional in its Federation era design. The timber dwelling has main hipped roof form with projecting gabled wings at the front and side connected by a return verandah formed as an extension of the main hipped roof. The fabric is predominantly intact, including the corrugated sheet metal roof cladding, rendered chimneys, timber framed casement windows with highlights, broadly-projecting window hoods, gable infill and timber brackets, the unusual square timber verandah posts with elongated timber brackets, and the timber verandah balustrade.

While there is some variation in the front setbacks due to the different periods of development and diversity in the sizes of the rectangular allotments, they mainly feature landscaped settings. The location and layout of the pedestrian paths in the front gardens at 299, 303, 307, 311, and 315 are early. Also contributing to the significance of the precinct are three original front fences. They are the timber post and ripple iron fence (with timber fretwork capping) at 303 Shannon Avenue; low brick fence with expressed piers and hollow steel rails (and metal gate) at 315 Shannon Avenue; and the low brick fence with brick piers and plinth and open metal bays at 319 Shannon Avenue.

How is it significant?
The West Melbourne Road Heritage Precinct, Newtown, is historically and aesthetically at a LOCAL level.

Why is it significant?
The West Melbourne Road Heritage Precinct is historically significant as a physical legacy in residential development fronting the traditional key transport route between 1910 and 1938, and for its associations with some notable figures (Criteria A & H). Although the area was especially defined by commercial development from the early 1850s, including Jeffrey's Fernery Hotel and well-known fernery garden at the corner of West Melbourne Road and Aphrasia Street, it was transformed into a residential area during the Federation period with the construction of 'Comara', 303 Shannon Avenue, in 1910-11 for George England, manager; 'Derreweit', 305 Shannon Avenue, in 1914 by and for Ernest Beach, builder' and 'Retford House, 311 Shannon Avenue, in 1914-15 for the retired grazier, Joseph E. Cutts. These dwellings, together with the subdivision of the Fenery Hotel site in 1922 and the gradual demolition of mid Victorian shops in the northern part of the street, were the catalyst for the construction of several single storey interwar Bungalows in the 1920s and 1930s. These dwellings were more modest in scale compared to brick Federation dwellings, reflecting the working class socio-economic status of the original owners which included a teacher, ironmonger, sports administrator and agent. The dwelling at 319 Shannon Avenue was built by Harold Robert Leach, masterbuilder, as his family home in 1938. It replaced the Fernery Hotel. During his long-term residency at 319 Shannon Avenue, Leach contributed much to local professional and community life, including a term President of the Geelong branch of the Master Builders' Association, and lengthy terms as a Councillor with the Newtown and Chilwell Council in 1946-1958 and 1975-1991 (including a term as Mayor in 1950). Leach was awarded an O.B.E. in 1979 for services to his community. Through the notable designs of 'Comara' at 303 Shannon Avenue and 'Retford House' at 311 Shannon Avenue, the precinct also has associations with the local architectural firms of Tombs and Durran, and Laird and Buchan, respectively. Both firms were prolific in Geelong and region during the Federation period and these dwellings are distinguished examples of their work.

The West Melbourne Road Heritage Precinct is aesthetically significant for its predominant interwar Bungalow character and distinctive Federation styled dwellings situated on steeply-sloping topography (Criterion D). The interwar Bungalows largely demonstrate conventional design qualities for the 1920s and 1930s, and are predominantly intact examples of their type. The variations in the designs reflect the evolution of development and diversity in socio-economic status of the owners. More substantial in scale and setting are the Federation era dwellings. 'Comara' at 303 Shannon Avenue and 'Retford House' at 311 Shannon Avenue are unusual brick examples of Federation design, and have a notable presence in the Shannon Avenue streetscape. 'Derreweit' at 305 Shannon Avenue is a contextually typical Federation style example, but it demonstrations several intact design qualities for its type and has unusual square timber verandah posts with elongated timber brackets.

SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPONENTS
Regional Significance
This place has previously been assessed (and included in a heritage overlay) as having regional significance given its high level integrity, design quality and rarity. In reviewing the significance of these properties in relation to current assessment criteria it is considered to meet the local significance threshold.

* 311 Shannon Avenue - 'Retford House'.

Local Significance
This place is considered to be of sufficient integrity and therefore meet the local significance threshold. This is due to its local high design quality, rarity value and overriding historical value to the area:

* 303 Shannon Avenue - 'Comara'.

Contributory Significance
These places make an important contribution to an understanding of the historical evolution and aesthetic character of the West Melbourne Road, being representative examples of residential development in the important period between the 1910 and 1938:

* 293 Shannon Avenue.
* 295 Shannon Avenue.
* 297 Shannon Avenue.
* 299 Shannon Avenue.
* 301 Shannon Avenue.
* 305 Shannon Avenue - 'Derreweit'.
* 307 Shannon Avenue - 'Banchory'.
* 315 Shannon Avenue.
* 317 Shannon Avenue.
* 319 Shannon Avenue.

Non Significant
This place does not relate to the significant era of building development of the West Melbourne Road Heritage Precinct between 1910 and 1938:

* 313 Shannon Avenue.

Group