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Location61 Canterbury Road CANTERBURY, BOROONDARA CITY LevelIncluded in Heritage Overlay |
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What is Significant?
The Canterbury Ambulance Station at 61 Canterbury Road, Canterbury,
is significant. It was built for the Victorian Civil Ambulance Service
(VCAS) in 1931 by builder S.L. Watsford. It is a small, cubical clinker brick building with a tiled hipped
roof set behind low front and side parapets. The centre bay is
expressed as a shallow breakfront emphasised by a higher parapet. The
facade is ornamented with red brick dressings to openings and
bas-relief ornament over the vehicular entrance and windows. Roundels
above the windows read 'Nulla Vestigia Retrorsum' (No going back),
which was the motto of St John Ambulance and VCAS. The rear extension is not significant.
How is it significant?
The Canterbury Ambulance Station is of local historical and
representative significance and rarity value to the City of
Boroondara.
Why is it significant?
The Canterbury Ambulance Station is of historical significance for
demonstrating the early history of the Victorian Civil Ambulance
Service (VCAS) and its interwar expansion plans. VCAS was created in
1914 as a continuation of the not-for-profit ambulance services
provided by St John's Ambulance in Melbourne from 1893, and was
intended to differentiate the ambulance service from St John's other
services. In 1925, VCAS was finally making a small profit and decided
to build eight new ambulance stations in the 'outer suburbs'. They did
not raise the necessary funds until the 1930s, and the first station
constructed was the Canterbury Ambulance Station in 1931. It served
the cities of Camberwell, Hawthorn, Kew, Box Hill and
Blackburn-Mitcham. VCAS only managed to build one more of the planned
eight stations, for Footscray in 1933 (demolished). (Criterion A) The Canterbury Ambulance station is rare as the only known interwar
ambulance station in the Melbourne metropolitan area. (Criterion B) The Canterbury Ambulance Station is of architectural significance as
a representative interwar community building in the Stripped Classical
style. (Criterion D)
Health Services
Ambulance Station