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Location50 May Road TOORAK, STONNINGTON CITY LevelIncl in HO area Significant |
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Part of Bush Inn Estate Precinct
What is significant?
The Bush Inn Estate precinct, Toorak, is a residential area created
during the land boom era of the 1880s.The precinct retains a large
number of dwellings from this period including grand double-storey
terraces and handsome villas as well as modest single-storey cottages.
The 1890s depression led to a dramatic downturn in building activity
leaving some parts of the precinct undeveloped. It was not until the
economy recovered in the 1910s that most of these vacant lots were
filled in with new dwellings,tpyically comprising gable roofed villas
and semi-detached cottages in red-brick. The precinct was largely
completed to its current state by c1926. Elements which contribute to
the significance of the precinct include: -Late-Victorian, Edwardian and interwar building stock including
double and single storey terrace rows, freestanding villas,
semi-detached cottages and the commercial buildings on Williams Road. -Individually noteworthy early dwellings of high architectural
quality -The single and double-storey scale of existing built form. -The pattern of settlement resulting in middle class terraces and
villas along the Williams Road frontage and higher density
streetscapes of less ornate single-storey cottages and villas in the
eastern half of the precinct. -Road layout and allotment patterns resulting from late-nineteenth
century subdivisions. -Built form from two distinct periods illustrating development during
the boom of the 1880s and the resurgence of development after the
economic recession in the Edwardian period. -Intactness of the area to its c.1926 state arising from the very low
proportion of modern infill. -Intactness of individual buildings to their original states.
Dwellings typically survive with their presentation to the street
largely unaltered retaining verandahs and decorative detailing. The
area is notable for the absence of prominent additions and alterations. -The consistent, modest scale of the built form in May Road, Mell
Street and the eastern half of Evelina Road. -The detached form of the early dwellings, other than the terraces
and semi-detached cottages, with generally uniform (within each
streetscape) front setbacks and modest side setbacks. -Face brick (including unpainted polychrome brickwork), render and
timber materiality. -Roofscapes with parapets, chimneys, and pitched roof forms in
corrugated galvanised iron, slate or terracotta tiles. -Bluestone kerbs and channels (to the extent that they survive).
How is it significant?
The Bush Inn Estate precinct is of local historical and aesthetic
significance.
Why is it significant?
The Bush Inn Estate precinct is of local historical significance as
an example of the urban development which transformed the inner
suburbs of the municipality during the land boom of the 1880s. The
precinct also illustrates the effects of the 1890s depression whereby
many speculative residential estates created in the 1880s near railway
lines were left incomplete until the second major phase of rapid
residential growth occurred in the Edwardian period (Historic
Theme: 3.3.5 Recovery and infill 1900-1940).
In addition, the precinct provides a vivid illustration of the modest
standards of accommodation and amenity available to the late Victorian
working class compared to the much more ostentatious built form which
underscores the aspirations of the wealthy middle class of the 1880s
(Historic Theme: 8.2.1 Mansion Estates and the Higher Ground -
Middle Class Estates in Prahran). The Bush Inn Precinct is of aesthetic significance as a substantially
intact collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century
buildings. It includes handsome single-storey Victorian villas and
double-storey terraces as well as more modest forms of housing on
small blocks. The dramatic contrast in scale and grandeur between the
large double-storey terraces and villas found close to Williams Road
and the smaller cottages in the eastern part of the precinct is an
important aspect of the area's character. The aesthetic significance of the precinct is further enhanced by the
presence of many individually noteworthy buildings, including the
Victorian terrace row at 200-210 Williams Road, the towered Italianate
villa at 3 Evelina Road and the distinctive Edwardian Free style villa
at 220 Williams Road. The precinct also contains a small number of interwar dwellings which
are generally sympathetic to the surrounding Victorian and Edwardian
building stock in terms of their architectural form, materiality and
scale. As such, these interwar dwellings make a valuable contribution
to the early character of the precinct.
Residential buildings (private)
Villa