Edsall Street Precinct

The Edsall Street precinct is a residential area developed during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. The earliest dwellings in the precinct are predominately timber cottages and villas built during the wave of suburban development in Malvern during the 1880s land boom. Later dwellings in the precinct generally date from the 1910s and take the form of modest villas and semi-detached pairs. The development of the precinct in these two distinct eras is readily apparent and an important aspect of its significance.

Elements which contribute to the significance of the precinct include (but are not limited to):

-high degree of intactness of the area to its c1918 state arising from the very low proportion of modern infill development;
-intactness of individual buildings to their original states. Dwellings typically survive with their presentation to the street largely unaltered retaining verandahs and decorative timber or cast iron detailing;
-face brick, timber or render materiality and gabled or hipped roofscapes with chimneys and slate or terracotta tiles or plain corrugated galvanised steel cladding;
-the consistent, modest single-storey scale of built form (the Victorian villa at 9 Isabella Street being a notable and valued exception);
-generally uniform pattern of small front and side setbacks;
-low front fences in most sections of the streetscape;
-road alignments and allotment patterns resulting from nineteenth and early twentieth century subdivisions; and,
-low incidence of modern interventions such as parking provisions in front setbacks.

How is it Significant?

The Edsall Street precinct is of historical and aesthetic significance at a local level.

Why is it Significant?

The Edsall Street Precinct is of historical significance as an illustration of the major phase of suburban development which took place along the commercial spine of Glenferrie Road during the 1880s land boom (Historic Theme: 3.3.3 Speculation and land boomers - subdivision from 1880 onwards). Speculative development on Edsall Street in this period brought about the construction of rows of modest timber cottages and villas on relatively small allotments. This type of settlement pattern is relatively rare in Malvern where there was little industry and limited employment opportunities for the working class. 'Dunrobin', the grand double-storey villa at 9 Isabella Street demonstrates the less segregated nature of Victorian suburban development whereby small dwellings could often be found in close proximity to the houses of the more affluent middle and upper classes. The later Edwardian dwellings in the precinct are historically significant as an illustration of the wave of development that occurred in the Malvern area from the 1910s, spurred on by the extension of the electric tram network (Historic Theme: 3.3.5 Recovery and infill 1900-1940). This pattern of settlement demonstrates the symbiotic relationship in Malvern between suburban development, improved public transport and increased commercial activity along the main Glenferrie Road shopping strip.

The Edsall Street Precinct is of aesthetic significance as a highly intact late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century residential streetscape generally comprising rows of single-storey, single-fronted Victorian timber cottages, double-fronted villas and Edwardian red-brick semi-detached pairs. These dwellings display a level of intactness and consistency in terms of their architectural character, form, scale and setbacks which sets the precinct apart from many other areas of the municipality with similar building stock. The impressive Victorian Italianate style polychrome brick villa at 9 Isabella Street also makes an important contribution to the aesthetic significance of the precinct.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residential Precinct