OLD COLONISTS HOMES

The Old Colonists Homes complex of 142 self-contained homes and ancillary buildings, established by actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur George Coppin in 1870 to provide accommodation for elderly colonists. The village is comprised of an assortment of homes, built in a variety of styles between the 1870s and the present, arranged in a picturesque garden setting. The place continues to be managed for its original purpose by the Old Colonists Association, and the complex remains a remarkable example of 19th century charitable provision of housing for the elderly.

The Old Colonists Homes is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register: 

Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

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

 

The Old Colonists Homes is historically significant as an early and intact example of the provision of housing for the aged poor in Victoria, their association with George Coppin and other notable Victorians, and their links with Victoria’s early colonists. The Old Colonists Homes are an important example of the development of philanthropic welfare facilities at a time when governments provided few or no such services. They betray the influence of similar philanthropic ventures in the USA and Britain. The unique layout of the complex appears to derive from early 19th century English experiments in housing the aged poor such as the Quaker cottages at Blaise Hamlet, near Bristol. The Rushall Park cottages feature variety in design and the provision of individual garden settings. As well as fitting within the long tradition of almshouses, the cottages also parallel the utopian model of such company towns as Saltaire and Bourneville in England and planned communities such as Riverside in the USA.

 

The Old Colonists Homes is architecturally significant for its exceptional number of intact buildings that provide examples of a great variety of building styles and materials, developed over a period of more than 120 years. The homes show a spectrum of picturesque taste in Victoria, highlighted by the personal domestic scale and the delightful gardens. The Old Colonists Homes are also significant for their association with a number of important Victorian architects. The first stone cottages were designed by George Johnson, and the Jubilee Cottages, Sumner Hall and the caretaker’s residence, designed by Joseph Crook. Other significant architects to have left their mark on the homes include George Wharton and James Wood.