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Burreel

Location 331 Kooyong Road,, ELSTERNWICK VIC 3185 - Property No B4950 File Number B4950 Level Local

[1/1] B4950 Burreel

Statement of Significance

This is a large and substantially intact example of the grand villas of nineteenth century Melbourne.
The bulk of the house most probably was built in 1866-1868 for Francis John Sidney Stephen, a prominent and highly regarded Melbourne solicitor and a member of an illustrious legal family. Stephen conducted a lucrative private practice and in 1845 was appointed first solicitor to the City of Melbourne; a position he held until his death in 1895. He took an active part in the development of Caulfield and was Shire President in 1874 and 1877. He was a resident at Burreel from 1868 to 1882.
The house has evolved in stages, the rear wings possibly remaining from a house built during the 1850s. The existing ornate cast iron verandah was probably built between 1882 and 1888 during the residence of Richard Buckhurst Buxted, a notable boom period auctioneer and real estate agent. George Allan, the founder of Allan's music store, was another important occupier from 1888 to 1991.
Bureel's essentially residential quality has been retained and the interior has been well preserved.
The significance of this building does not rest in any single unusual outstanding architectural feature, or in its association with a particularly prominent member of society in the past, but rather in the consistent integrity of both the interior and exterior, which results in the survival of an outstanding example of this type of residential building and its associations with two notable citizens.
Classified:11/08/1990