Back to search results » Back to search page »

Barwon

Other Name

38 Cromwell Road, South Yarra

Location

38 Cromwell Road SOUTH YARRA, Stonnington City

Level

Included in Heritage Overlay

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
Barwon (formerly Cromwell House) was constructed on land made available through the draining of swampy land near Surrey Road and made more desirable through the construction of the Hawksburn Railway Station in 1879 and the ensuing land boom (3.3.3. Speculators and land boomers). It is a substantial two-storey rendered brick residence combining Italianate and Georgian influences. It is notable for verandahs to its key facades but is otherwise a straightforward, two-storey volume beneath a low-pitched hipped roof and prominent chimneys. It was built in 1881 for the architect Edmund G Ovey, who is believed to be its designer.

How is it significant?
Barwon is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria and the City of Stonnington.

Why is it significant?
Barwon is of architectural significance at a State level for its internal decorative treatment. It contains extant painted decoration of a very high quality. Of particular note is the drawing room with ceiling and walls that are considered a quite exceptional and rare treatment for houses after the mid-1880s. The front hall contains compositional painting in the scenic panels painted in the frieze, as distinct from stencilling, a very unusual feature in Australia. These painted interiors provide a remarkable example of high quality late-19th century interior decoration. These elements are not protected under the City of Stonnington Planning Scheme.

Externally, Barwon is of architectural significance for its unusual form, incorporating two notable verandahs, and providing one of the best examples of a distinctive feature of Melbourne houses from this period. (8.4.1 Houses as a symbol of wealth, status and fashion).

Barwon is of architectural significance for its associations with Edmund Ovey. Ovey designed many buildings in and around Prahran in the period from the 1870s to the early 1890s. These include timber and brick residences, shops in nearby Chapel Street and Toorak Road and, most notably, St Martins Church and parsonage in nearby Surrey Road. His contribution to the profession was recognised in 1892 when he was made a fellow of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. The house is of particular interest as the architect's own residence (8.4.3 Architects and their houses).

Barwon is of historical significance as a fine example of a substantial suburban house which demonstrates the growth of the more privileged areas of Melbourne (8.2 Middle-class suburbs and the suburban ideal), and the successful living that could be obtained by architects in the burgeoning colony.

Group