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SYMBESTER HOUSE
19 SYMBESTER CRESCENT, EAGLEHAWK - PROPERTY NUMBER 227112, GREATER BENDIGO CITY

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Greater Bendigo City
Symbester House
Symbester House
Symbester House
Symbester House
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Statement of Significance

What is significant?
Symbester House, built c. 1859, is a predominantly intact small single-hip symmetrically composed dwelling. It retains its original detailing and presentation to Symbester Crescent, including the framed front door with prominent sans-serif lettering at the top of the central breakfront, and the windows with quoining. The property is located between two creeks directly north of the main road between Eaglehawk and Epsom, and close to the intersection with the Neilborough-Eaglehawk Road. The ginger beer factory (built c. 1860), previously in close proximity to the house, has been demolished. The house and factory were built for William Bruce (1834-1916), a publican and manufacturer of aerated drinks. 

How is it significant?
Symbester House is of local historical and aesthetic/architectural significance. 

Why is it significant?
Symbester House, c. 1859, on Symbester Crescent, Eaglehawk Flat (Jackass Flat), is of local historical and aesthetic/architectural significance. Historically (Criterion A), the dwelling is associated (Criterion H) with refreshments entrepreneur and publican, William Bruce (1834-1912), who after arriving on the goldfields in 1852 established a number of stores to service the goldfields population. From the early-1860s he also manufactured and sold aerated drinks, including from the ginger beer factory located adjacent to Symbester House (demolished). 

Architecturally (Criterion E), Symbester House is a largely intact small single-hip symmetrically composed dwelling. The original building component, despite the overpainting, retains its original detailing and presentation to Symbester Crescent, including the framed front door with prominent sans-serif lettering to the central breakfront, and the windows with quoining. Modifications, including the extension to the rear, have not unacceptably compromised the original design intent or impacted upon the appearance of the house when viewed from Symbester Crescent. The original one-bay depth remains readable, reflecting the modest dimensions of this small 1850s house. The shallow setback to the street also helps demonstrate its early origins in the local context, which is in the process of transformation with recent housing development. 

Assessment Against Criteria
Amended Heritage Victoria Criteria

Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of the City of Greater Bendigo's cultural history.

Symbester House, built c. 1859, on Symbester Crescent, Eaglehawk Flat (Jackass Flat), is of historical significance. The small symmetrically composed brick house is associated with refreshments entrepreneur and publican, William Bruce (1834-1912), who after arriving on the goldfields in 1852 established a number of stores to service the goldfields population. From the early 1860s he also manufactured aerated drinks in the factory located adjacent to Symbester House. Prior to the demolition of the factory, the two buildings also helped demonstrate an historical association whereby a residence and place of work, including a manufacturing place, were co-located.
Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the City of Greater Bendigo's cultural history.

N/A
Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the City of Greater Bendigo's cultural history.
N/A
Criterion D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places or objects.
N/A
Criterion E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics in the context of the municipality. 

Symbester House, built c. 1859, is of aesthetic/architectural significance. It is a largely intact small single-hip symmetrically composed dwelling. The original building component, despite the overpainting, retains its original detailing and presentation to Symbester Crescent, including the framed front door with prominent sans-serif lettering at the top of the central breakfront, and the windows with quoining. Modifications, including the extension to the rear, have not unacceptably compromised the original design intent or impacted upon the appearance of the house when viewed from Symbester Crescent. The original one-bay depth remains readable, reflecting the modest dimensions of this small 1850s house. The shallow setback to the street also helps demonstrate its early origins in the local context, where the prominence of the building in the once more generally open setting has been significantly reduced by the surrounding recent housing development. 
Criterion F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. 
N/A
Criterion G: Strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of the place to Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions.
N/A

Criterion H: Special association with life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in the City of Greater Bendigo's history. 
Symbester House is of interest in the local context for its association with refreshments entrepreneur and publican, William Bruce (1834-1912), who after arriving on the goldfields in 1852 established a number of stores to service the goldfields population. From the early-1860s he also manufactured and sold aerated drinks, including from the ginger beer factory located adjacent to Symbester House (demolished). 
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    • Physical Description 1

      SYMBESTER HOUSE - Physical Description 1

      Symbester House, built c. 1859, is a single-storey brick house located on Symbester Crescent, directly north of the main road between Eaglehawk and Epsom, and close to the intersection with the Neilborough-Eaglehawk Road. The land is flat and located between two creeks: Eaglehawk Creek to the north and Jobs Creek to the south. Land to the south, east and west of the subject property has been subdivided and developed for housing, construction of which was underway at the time of the survey. The ginger beer factory (built c. 1860), previously in close proximity to the house, has been demolished.

      Symbester House is a symmetrically composed brick house with a brick chimney to its east and a single ridge hipped roof, clad with corrugated galvanised steel. The original building is of one-room depth. The chimney stack and cornice are in brick, now overpainted, with the cornice formed from two projecting brick courses. A breakfront in rendered stucco surrounds the centrally placed front door to the principal facade (south facing), with the name Symbester House in raised sans-serif capital lettering above the fanlight. The cambered door lintel has a projecting and vermiculated keystone. The four-panelled door has a fanlight and two sidelights in a timber-framed door-case. The brick and rendered wall surfaces have all been overpainted. There are four windows to the main original building component, two symmetrically placed to the facade, one to each of the side walls. Each is a timber-framed double-hung sash with two panes to each sash. The window soffits are cambered and each window is flanked by paired brick courses, rendered and alternating in width to resemble quoins. The house is built close to the street, with a shallow front setback. The low timber picket fence and a lamppost to the east are of recent origin. The property has been extended to the rear, including a brick main wing, trailing from the centre of the main house. There are skillion-roofed lean-tos to the east and west of the rear wing. Although Symbester House has been overpainted, the walls to the east, south and west elevations of the original property appear to be intact.

      The citation for the property prepared in 1998 referred to the ginger beer factory as being located next to the house, and described it as ' . a large [building] of random coursed stone with brick dressings . with a corrugated iron clad roof and louvred windows. The stone appears to have been obtained from the mines.'9 No above-ground evidence survives of the building.

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Greater Bendigo - Heritage Policy Citations Review

      Author: Lovell Chen P/L
      Year: 2011
      Grading:

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