Mercer's Hill Heritage Area

The Mercer's Hill Heritage Precinct is significant as a distinctive residential area defined by Late Victorian, Edwardian, Federation and particularly interwar Bungalow styled dwellings. A large number of the dwellings have elevated and sloping landscape settings. Most of the dwellings have a single storey appearance with detached compositions, hipped and/or gabled roof forms, front and side verandahs, timber framed double hung windows, corrugated sheet metal roof cladding, timber weatherboard and rendered brick wall construction and broad eaves. The pair of brick garages at 104-106 and 108-110 Noble Street situated on the frontage boundaries, also contribute to the character of this part of the streetscape, while the remaining garages in the area are set back behind the front building lines. Further contributing to the heritage values of the area are the early front fences, including those at 100-110 Noble Street. Historically, the area is significant for its important eras of residential development after the subdivision of the area in the mid 1880s, when the Mercer's Hill Estate created a number of residential allotments fronting Noble Street and Mercers Parade. Further development occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Yet, it was during the interwar period when the area was largely transformed by residential development. Historically, the area is also significant for its associations with gold mining after specks of gold were found in a gully crossing Noble Street (near Pakington Street) in 1862. Shafts were sunk on Mercer's Hill by the Geelong Gold and Coal Mining Prospecting and Mining Company, while other mining companies sunk shafts in the area in the 1860s and 1870s. None of these gold prospecting operations appear to have been successful, although archaeological evidence may survive as a legacy of the mining era.

The Mercer's Hill Heritage Precinct is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criterion D.2). It demonstrates original and early design qualities associated with the residential development of the area from the late 19th century until c.1948. These qualities are expressed in the predominant interwar Bungalow styled and to a lesser degree the Late Victorian, Federation/Edwardian dwellings, that are single storey in appearance and have predominantly detached compositions. The buildings include the following design characteristics: gabled and/or hipped roof forms, together with a minor gable and/or verandah that project towards the street frontage or at the side, timber framed double hung windows, arranged singularly, in pairs, galvanized corrugated steel roof cladding and a limited number of Marseilles terra cotta tiles, verandahs that are mainly supported by timber posts and brick piers, or solely with brick piers, and rectilinear brick chimneys, with some featuring rendered or soldier-coursed tops, gable infill comprising timber shingles, some with gable ventilator. The dwellings are constructed in horizontal timber weatherboards (limited number in brick and rendered finish) with a 25 to 35 degree pitched roof forms and wide eaves with exposed timber rafters. Further contributing to the heritage values of the area are the early front fences, including those at 100-110 Noble Street. The pair of brick garages at 104/106 and 108/110 Noble Street situated on the front boundary also contribute to the significance of the area. These garages have been specifically constructed to be located at the front boundary and form part of the original design of the dwellings. The remainder of garages in the area are setback behind the front building line .

Overall, these dwellings constitute 79% of the building stock in the area. The elevated and sloping land and mature garden settings, together with the original or early front fences and retaining walls along Noble Street also contribute to the significance of the area.

The Mercer's Hill Heritage Area is historically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criteria A.4, H.1). It is associated with important eras of residential development after the subdivision of the area in the mid-late 1880's but in particular from early 1900's period. The area is significant for it's association with gold mining activity and has the potential for archaeological assessment and investigation of material with the gold mining activity. Allotments in the first subdivision were sold from the mid 1880's.

The Mercer's Hill Heritage Area is scientifically significant at a LOCAL level (AHC criterion C.2). It has the potential to yield archaeological research potential given the previous gold mining activity and in particular the shafts that were sunk in this area.

Overall, the Mercer's Hill Heritage Area is of LOCAL significance.

Group

Residential buildings (private)

Category

Residential Precinct