CALIFORNIA GULLY PRIMARY SCHOOL

The 1882 California Gully Primary School (Primary School No. 123) building designed by Henry R Bastow in a Picturesque Gothic style is of significance to the State of Victoria. 

Criterion D:  Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

The California Gully Primary School is architecturally significant as a notable example of an 1880s State School. It is a fine example of the work of Henry Bastow, architect to the Education Department and State Schools Division of the Public Works Department of Victoria in the 1870s and 1880s. Its fine design in the Picturesque Gothic style features a multi-gabled roof form, helm-headed gables, pointed window openings and a slender spire. The school is visually striking due to its location atop Belltopper Hill, its multi-gabled roof line and polychrome brickwork (red, black and cream), as well as its fine timber and iron detailing. The tall wall windows and courtyard plan were specifically intended to provide improved internal illumination and demonstrate the needs of 1880s school planning.  (Criterion D)