Barwon Water Lovely Banks Basin

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Lovely Banks Reservoirs and other structures at 600-602 Anakie Road, including the three circular water basins, open brick channel, settling pond, lime house/inlet tower, brick outbuilding, timber amp brick caretakers cottage and two avenues of cypress trees, are aesthetically significant at a REGIONAL level. They demonstrate original design qualities of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The intact qualities of the design of the reservoir include the form of the basins and settling pond, Victorian eclectic style of the tower and outbuilding including the polychrome brick, galvanised corrugated iron roof cladding, narrow eaves with bands of dentils and stringcoursing, early chimney, drip moulds, base walls and stringcoursing, double courses of yellow brick voissours and iron finial.

The Lovely Banks Reservoirs and other structures at 600-602 Anakie Road, including the three circular water basins, open brick channel, settling pond, lime house/inlet tower, brick outbuilding, timber amp brick caretaker's cottage and two avenues of cypress trees, are historically significant at a REGIONAL level. They are associated with the early water supply of the Geelong region from the latter nineteenth century.

The Lovely Banks Reservoirs and other structures at 600-602 Anakie Road, including the three circular water basins, open brick channel, settling pond, lime house/inlet tower, brick outbuilding, timber amp brick caretakers cottage and two avenues of cypress trees, are scientifically significant at a REGIONAL level. They illustrate nineteenth century technology employed in a major water supply process which is still extant.

The Lovely Banks Reservoirs and other structures at 600-602 Anakie Road, including the three circular water basins, open brick channel, settling pond, lime house/inlet tower, brick outbuilding, timber amp brick caretakers cottage and two avenues of cypress trees, are socially significant at a REGIONAL level. They are recognised and valued by the community of the Geelong region for their important association in the history and culture of Geelong, and for demonstrating a distinctive custom that is in danger of being lost and is of exceptional interest.

Overall, the Lovely Banks Reservoirs and other structures at 600-602 Anakie Road, including the three circular water basins, open brick channel, settling pond, lime house/inlet tower, brick outbuilding, timber amp brick caretaker's cottage and two avenues of cypress trees, are of REGIONAL significance.

Recommendation That a Conservation Management Plan be carried out on the site, which should further investigate the retention of the brick structures, open brick channel, timber and brick caretaker's cottage, and two avenues of cypress trees. The Management Plan could also investigate the retention of the form if not all the original construction of the water basins and settling pond, if new development and technology was required for the long term operation of the reservoirs. Statement of Cultural Significance

References

1. Austral Heritage Consultants, An Archaeological Survey of the Bell Post Hill Service Basin, pp.34, sourcing A.W. Cooke, One Hundred Years of Reticulated Water Supply, paper read to the Geelong Historical Society, 1 August, 1973.

2. Brownhill amp Wynd, The History of Geelong and Corio Bay With Postscript 19551900, pp.232-236.

3. Information kindly provided by Paul Northey, Environmental Management Coordinator, Barwon Water, December, 1999.

4. Geelong Advertiser, 24 December, 1873.

5. Wynd, So Fine A Country A History of the Shire of Corio, p.65, 165, 169. References

Group

Utilities - Water

Category

Other - Utilities - Water