Back to search results » Back to search page »   Print 

St Hilary

Location

2 Hilary Grove GLEN IRIS, STONNINGTON CITY

Level

Included in Heritage Overlay

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

'St Hilary', formerly 'Charleville', at 2 Hilary Grove, Glen Iris, is significant. A seven-room
house was built in 1857-58 for Irish immigrant John Fitzgerald and designed by architect
Patrick Scanlan. The house was subsequently enlarged in the late 1860s with two new
bedrooms added, and another two to four rooms (including a conservatory) were built by
1911. Also around 1911, the return verandah was replaced or remodelled with extensive timber
fretwork.

The house has masonry walls finished with ruled render, and the low hipped roof is clad in
slates. The front (west) elevation is dominated by two semi-hexagonal bays at the north end,
and a return verandah to the south.

The house is significant to the extent of its 1857-c1911 fabric, that is the entire envelope of the
house including walls, roofscape, and verandah. The southern garage wing and the front picket
fence are not significant.

How is it significant?

'St Hilary', formerly 'Charleville', is of local historical, architectural and aesthetic significance
and rarity value to the City of Stonnington.

Why is it significant?

It is historically significant and of rarity value as the oldest surviving house in Glen Iris. It is
also one of the small number of pre-1860 buildings associated with the early crown land sales,
and demonstrates how the early purchasers chose the very desirable high ground. As one of
the early estates in the Glen Iris area, John Fitzgerald's 'Charleville' helped to shape the early
settlement and occupation of the area; for example, until 1872, Burke Road was known as
Charleville Road. (Criteria A & B)

'St Hilary' is also significant for its association with Irish immigrant and early Melbourne
architect Patrick Stack Scanlan (1824-1864) of Fitzroy. He was active in the 1850s, preparing
plans for a number of shops and hotels, for a predominantly Irish Catholic clientele, including
prestigious commissions such as St Patrick's College, East Melbourne (1854, demolished).
Little survives of Scalan's buildings, making 'St Hilary' important in understanding his work.
(Criterion H)

'St Hilary' is architecturally and aesthetically significant as an early house that demonstrates a
transition from the Georgian style to the Italianate. Details such as the elegantly curved and
chamfered modillions to the eaves are typical of Georgian houses. The asymmetry, low hipped
roof, and the semi-hexagonal bays grouped around the north end of the house demonstrate the
picturesque qualities of the new Italianate style. The c1911 timber verandah is also of note for
the elaborate Art Nouveau fretwork to the entrance portico. (Criteria D & E)

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

House