Torrington

The house was built for John Yeoman (1857-1933), a professional photographer and owner of John Yeoman & Co. photographic studios. Yeoman was a well-known commercial photographer with a number of studios around Melbourne and suburbs. It was also the residence of the Surveyor-General of Victoria, Joseph Martin Reed (1857-1932), who occupied the house from 1900 until c1906.

The house is significant as viewed and appreciated from Huntingtower Road, and is significant to the extent of its nineteenth century external form and fabric.

Modern additions and alterations are not significant.

How is it significant?
'Torrington' at 17-19 Huntingtower Road, Armadale is of local architectural and aesthetic significance to the City of Stonnington.

Why is it significant?
'Torrington' is architecturally a fine and highly intact representative example of a substantial Victorian Italianate villa residence built for middle-class residents of Armadale, of the sort that began to characterise the suburb in the 1880s and 1890s. 'Torrington' exhibits typical features of this type including the asymmetrical plan form of a projecting canted bay to one side of a return cast-iron verandah, intact ruled render finish, hipped roof clad in slate and rendered chimneys with heavy cornices. (Criterion D)

Aesthetically, 'Torrington' is distinguished by its highly ornate cement render detailing which includes: the closely spaced eaves brackets set between rosettes; the moulded cornices with consoles and shell motifs to the three visible chimneys; and the large incised floral patterns on the rendered walls beneath the verandah. Other render details to the bay window fronting Huntingtower Road include the inset spiral colonnettes that mark the corners of the canted bay, the inset barley-twist Corinthian colonnettes framing the windows, vermiculated keystones, moulded imposts with rosette details and the floral brackets to sills. (Criterion E)

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Villa