Marybrooke guest house, 10 Sherbrooke Road, Sherbrooke.

Marybrooke guest house is of local historical and aesthetic significance.

Of historical significance as the grandest in a chain of six guest

houses all using the prefix 'Mary' designed and built by Eric Dowdle

between 1927 and 1940. It is indicative of the extensive development of

the Dandenongs as a holiday destination in the first half of the

twentieth century and illustrates the level of comfort and facilities

available to guests by 1940. RNE criterion A.4

Of aesthetic significance as a 4-storey timber framed building with

external rough render on corrugated asbestos cements panels. Staff

quarters at the back are a reminder of the number of staff needed to

successfully run such a large establishment. RNE criterion E.1

Marybrook is a substantial four-storey mock-Tudor style building with gently curving plan form and half-timbered walls. The ground floor has random rubble stone facing and walls to upper levels are timber-framed with infill of textured render on a corrugated asbestos sheet substrate. The roof has dormer windows and half-timbered gable ends (original roof tiles replaced with corrugated iron). A projecting double-storey bay near entry with random rubble stone facing and recent return verandah.

The construction is unusual in that the external rough render is applied direct to the corrugated asbestos panels with the corrugations running horizontally. The two storey stone wing near the main entrance looks to be a later addition but Alan Dowdle states that it as all built at the same time.

The original staff quarters at rear is in very poor condition.