Residence
2 Ledbury Court TOORAK, STONNINGTON CITY
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Statement of Significance
Note that the relevant HERCON criteria are shown in brackets.
What is Significant?
The house at 2 Ledbury Court, Toorak is a large, double-storey Old English style residence designed by architect Charles Neville Hollinshed. It was built c1933 on land subdivided from the nineteenth century mansion estate Medindie (formerly 'The Elms').
Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):
-The original external form, materials and detailing of the building.
-The high level of external intactness.
-The unpainted state of face brick and terracotta elements.
-The legibility of the original form from the public domain.
-Original portions of the brick front fence.
-The domestic garden setting (but not the fabric of the garden itself).
-The absence of visible on-site vehicle accommodation other than the original garage.
Non-original fabric, including the c2008 alterations and additions, does not contribute to the significance of the place.
How is it significant?
The house at 2 Ledbury Court, Toorak is of local architectural significance to the City of Stonnington.
Why is it significant?
The house is architecturally significant as an impressive and largely intact Old English style residence (Criterion D). The imposing street facade is noteworthy for its strong gables and austere brick surfaces with a more elaborate half-timbered gable accentuating the entry (Criterion E). The house's modest front setback further contributes to its strong streetscape presence.
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Residence - Physical Description 1
The site at 2 Ledbury Court, Toorak is occupied by an imposing double-storey English Domestic Revival style house with cream clinker brick walls and a gabled terracotta tiled roof. The asymmetrical street elevation has strongly modelled gable ends visually anchored by a wide corbelled brick chimney at the northern end. Windows typically have steel framed multi-paned casements. Ornamental detailing is concentrated around the main entry, above which is a jettied half timbered gable end with herringbone brick infill. A garage wing abutting the front elevation has a half-timbered dormer. The exterior is otherwise sparsely detailed but achieves architectural interest through the powerful roof forms and massing.
The house remains substantially intact in terms of its streetscape presentation. A modest addition has been made to the west side of the garage, the garage door has been replaced, and joinery and steel window frames have been repainted white (these elements are shaded brown on both the original architect's drawings and an early hand coloured photograph).[1] Alterations have also been made to the main entry involving the demolition of the original steps and metal balustrade and the construction of new steps. The timber pilasters and decorative corbel brackets flanking the front door have been removed to create a wider door opening. Various alterations and additions to the rear and side elevations have not diminished the integrity of the house as originally designed.
A small, curved brick fence on the north side of the driveway has been rebuilt with a pedestrian gate. The brick fences and rusticated piers with orb finials found at the south side of the driveway entrance and at the north side of the rebuilt fence appear to be original.
Aerial photographs of the site suggest that the garden layout is much changed from the original Edna Walling design.
[1] Stonnington Local History Catalogue Reg. No. MP 57239
Residence - Local Historical Themes
The house at 2 Ledbury Court, Toorak illustrates the following themes, as identified in the Stonnington Thematic Environmental History (Context Pty Ltd, 2006):
8.1.3 - The end of an era - mansion estate subdivisions in the twentieth century
8.4.1 - Houses as a symbol of wealth, status and fashionThe house is of some historical interest as evidence of a major phase of development that took place in the 1920s and 1930s when many of Toorak's grand nineteenth century mansion estates were subdivided to create prestigious residential enclaves (TEH 8.1.3 The end of an era - mansion estate subdivisions in the twentieth century). It also illustrates the role of houses generally, and Old English style houses in particular, as symbols of wealth, status and taste for Melbourne's upper classes of the interwar period (TEH 8.4.1 - Houses as a symbol of wealth, status and fashion).
Heritage Study and Grading
Stonnington - City of Stonnington Interwar Houses Study
Author: Bryce Raworth Pty Ltd
Year: 2014
Grading: A2
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