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Ornamental Tram Wire Supports

Other Name

Tram Gantries

Location

Victoria Street Bridge,, RICHMOND VIC 3121 - Property No B6641

File Number

B6641

Level

State

Statement of Significance

Statement of Significance: The ornamental overhead tram-wire structures on the Victoria Road bridge are of State significance as a rare and decorative remnant of the early phase of electric tramway development in Melbourne.
Built by the Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust in 1916 when their network was extending into the eastern suburbs between 1913 - 18, they are one of the more prominent reminders of the many independent suburban electric systems that operated before their amalgamation into the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board.
The structures along with those erected on nearby bridges by the Hawthorn Tramways Trust, exhibit a unique method of holding up the electrified tram wires. The supports also reflect the ornamental design of the 19th and early 20th century street furniture, now relatively rare.
Classified: 14/09/1994

Group

Transport - Tramways