Back to search results

Mynda
5 Molesworth Street KEW, Boroondara City
Barry Street Precinct, Kew

All information on this page is maintained by Boroondara City. Click below for their website and contact details.
Boroondara City
City of Kew Urban Conservation Study 1988
City of Kew Urban Conservation Study 1988
City of Kew Urban Conservation Study 1988
City of Kew Urban Conservation Study 1988
On this page:

Statement of Significance

Significance of Individual Property

The Statement of Significance prepared by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and adopted by the Australian Heritage commission is repeated here:

'A suburban villa of 1885 designed by Lloyd Tayler for his daughter and son-in-law on a plan centred upon an octagonal top-lit hall. A square bay window to the drawing room projects from the front corner of the house at 45 desress, showing for the first time the diagonal emphasis which was to be developed in other works of the architect and to become in due course a characteristic of the Federation Style. the house is also remarkable for the extent of its surviving interior finishes, including the fine embossed leather dados of the hall and bedroom, the dado, filler and frieze papers of the drawing room and a number of other decorative details.'

HO143 Barry Street Precinct, Kew

Barry Street Precinct, Kew, is an area of heritage significance for the following reasons:

- The place has an unusual concentration of highly graded buildings, many of which were designed by prominent Melbourne architects.

- The area is one of Melbourne's best concentrations of large late Victorian and Federation house designs, in varied materials and often ably utilising the topography of the area. The precinct also has a number of distinctive designs of the interwar period.

-Many of the streets are marked by original basalt kerbing and grading, and the area features mature gardens and street trees.

Show more
Show less

    • Physical Description 1

      Mynda - Physical Description 1

      'Mynda' was erected for architect Lloyd Tayler's daughter and son-in-law, Mr and Mrs Anderson [3 ]. Tayler commenced in practice as an architect in 1854 and was most prolific in Melbourne during its boom years [4 ]. He was noted for a number of banks and other large commercial buildings as well as residential properties in and around Brighton [5 ]. The description given of the building in the Australian Heritage Commission citation is repeated here: 'Outstanding for its undisturbed balance between the house, both interior and exterior and the garden. The interior, though architecturally distinctive, is modest and frugally decorated, the emphasis being on monochromatic stencilled decoration on painted walls and ceilings, with dados of embossed 'Leatherette' paper. The more elaborate drawing room uses a combination of conventional mid-Victorian wallpapers. The octagonal vestibule is particularly noteworthy both decoratively and architecturally'. The diagonal emphasis introduced by the vestibule was repeated in the diagonal placement of the corner window to the Drawing Room; an idea later repeated and modified in many Edwardian houses. (The Australian House p.83)

      References --

      1 HBC, 'Mynda: 5 Molesworth Street...', 5 October 1982, held in File No.82!1606

      2 ibid.

      3 Forge, S., Victorian Splendour, pp.83-85

      4 HBC, 'Mynda': File No.82/1606

      5 ibid.

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Boroondara - City of Kew Urban Conservation Study

      Author: Pru Sanderson Design Pty Ltd
      Year: 1988
      Grading: A

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
Timeline browser

< to 1849
< - 1849
1850 to 1879
1850 - 1879
1880 to 1909
1880 - 1909
1910 to 1939
1910 - 1939
1940 to 1969
1940 - 1969
1970 to 1999
1970 - 1999
2000 to >
2000 - >