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The Towers

Other Names

Market Square Hotel , New Market Hotel

Location

54 Victoria Parade,, KILMORE VIC 3764 - Property No B5332

File Number

B5332

Level

State

Statement of Significance

On land sold by Wiliam Rutledge from his 1841 Special Survey, Thomas Lunsden and later James Mannix (1853) successively held this site. Probably Mannix constructed this building as the Market Square Hotel, conveniently located west of the Market Reserve in Albert Street. This was prior to 1853, when he leased it to James Roche under the style of the New Market Hotel. Three years later Mannix sold to Daniel Gosset. A later owner was the prominent journalist, parliamentary member, Irish Home Rule activist and real estate investor, Thomas Hunt, who died there in 1934.
This is a double-fronted stuccoed brick building with a high-hip shingled roof (now iron-clad) and a verandah, with cast iron decoration and timber posts, which replaced an earlier one, with timber posts and an arched valance, some time later last century. Ruled cement stucco also replaced or overlaid the previous lime-base stucco. Large six pane window sashed are placed in the facade as are distinctive half side lights to the six panel front door. Flanking the verandah are two round castellated towers, with lancet windows.
This former hotel is of state significance as the earliest known surviving building on Rutledge's Special Survey (one of seven in the state) and as the earliest known building in Kilmore, Victoria's first inland town: as a remarkably mannered and near complete design for its early construction date, and the only known building to possess similarly disposed castellated twin-towers in Victoria; and as the residence of Thomas Hunt, prominent journalist and parliamentarian.
Classified: 05/05/1983

Group

Residential buildings (private)