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Bank of Victoria (former)
197 Albert Street, SEBASTOPOL VIC 3356 - Property No 2000228

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Ballarat City
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
197 Albert Street Sebastopol
House 197 Albert St Sebastopol - Ballarat Heritage Review, 1998
Bank of Victoria (State Library of Victoria collection)
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Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The Bank of Victoria (former) at 197 Albert Street, Sebastopol, which served as the Bank of Victoria from 1865 to 1895, to the extent of its 19th-century fabric. The modern fence on the Albert Street boundary is not significant.

How is it significant?
The Bank of Victoria (former) at 197 Albert Street, Sebastopol is of local historic and architectural significance to the City of Ballarat.

Why is it significant?
The Bank of Victoria (former) at 197 Albert Street, Sebastopol is of historical significance as the first bank established in Sebastopol, Bank of Victoria, which operated out of these premises for its first 30 years. Indicative of the bank's tentative first foothold in Sebastopol, it only leased its domestic-style premises for the first seven years before purchasing the property in 1872. It is the only known bank building to survive in Sebastopol. (Criteria B & A)

Architecturally, the building is distinguished by its high quality details, in particular the workmanship of the basalt quoins and keystones to openings on the facade, the corniced basalt chimneys, and the elegant scrolled timber modillions beneath the roof eaves. (Criterion E)
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    • Physical Description 1

      Bank of Victoria (former) - Physical Description 1

      The former Bank of Victoria building sits very close to the street, but is partially hidden behind a high wall.

      It has an M-hip roof and rock-faced basalt walls. The basalt is coursed (with ruled joints), with drafted margins to the quoins at the corners of the facade and around the segmentally arched front windows and door. The windows and doors also have prominent keystones. The two chimneys are also rock-faced basalt with a carved cornice. The eaves rest upon very elegant scrolled timber modillions.

      Alterations include the replacement of the original slate roof with corrugated metal, the removal of the rear chimney on the south side, the removal of the original decorative timber picket fence, and the demolition of a small rear wing with a pyramidal hipped roof and brick chimney (all of the above are visible in the 1866 image from the State Library of Victoria Picture Collection). Since the time the photo was taken, a hipped-roof verandah was installed (most likely when it became a residence in 1895). This was replaced in the past decade by a new verandah with turned timber posts and a bullnosed roof. The lacy cast-iron verandah frieze plus brackets, however, were retained on the replacement verandah. A contemporary front door has recently been installed. A sympathetic new rear wing and covered deck were also added at the same time. Also, there are traces of limewash beneath later paint layers on the basalt, which has been removed by chemical or abrasive means. The removal process has made the stones of the walls noticeably lighter than those of the chimneys.

      The building is in urgent need of repointing, with stones slipping out of place on the facade due to lack of mortar.

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Ballarat - Sebastopol Heritage Study (Stage 2)

      Author: Context Pty Ltd
      Year: 2015
      Grading: Local

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