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Corbett Street Precinct Port Fairy
Cox's Garden (part) WILLIAMSTOWN, Hobsons Bay City

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Hobsons Bay City
Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct, Hobsons Bay Heritage Study 2006
Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct, Hobsons Bay Heritage Study 2006
Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct, Hobsons Bay Heritage Study 2006
Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct
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Statement of Significance

What is Significant?

The Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct, which comprises all land in HO2 and generally includes properties with a frontage to Cox's Garden, Williamstown.

How is it Significant?

The Cox's Garden Heritage Precinct is of local historic, social and aesthetic significance to the City of Hobson's Bay.

Why is it Significant?

Historically, Cox's Garden is significant for its ability to illustrate the early private subdivision and development in Williamstown during the mid to late nineteenth century. It was one of the first private subdivisions created in the area to the north of the boundary of the original government subdivision of Williamstown and illustrates the optimistic early speculative subdivision that occurred in anticipation of the future development of the port and the township. It contains at least two rare examples of small pre-1860 timber houses, which are amongst the oldest group of houses in Williamstown and the oldest group of timber houses in the metropolitan area. It is also important for the historical associations of early residents of Cox's Garden with the early maritime pursuits, which distinguish Williamstown in the metropolitan area. (AHC criteria A4, B2 and D2)

Socially, Cox's Garden is significant for its ability to illustrate the modest, cheaply constructed and often-prefabricated housing erected in Williamstown for working class people during the earliest period of settlement. (AHC criterion G1)

Aesthetically, Cox's Garden is significant as a rare surviving example of the small private subdivisions that were created in the area to the north of Ferguson Street with their distinctive "cheek by jowl" character of modest cottages on small allotments. The historic character of this precinct, so different to the spacious streets in the Government Town to the south of Ferguson Street, may still be understood and interpreted despite the loss of all but one house on the west side and the public car park development. Few other streets, either in Williamstown or the metropolitan area, have retained this distinctive early character. (AHC criteria B2 and E1)

On this basis, the following places contribute to the significance of the precinct:

- Cox's Garden 4, 10, 11, 12 and 14

Please note that 11 and 12 Cox's Garden also have an individual citation in this Study.

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    • Historical Australian Themes

      Corbett Street Precinct Port Fairy - Historical Australian Themes

      Principal Australian Historical Theme(s)

      Making suburbs

      Physical Description 1

      Corbett Street Precinct Port Fairy - Physical Description 1

      This precinct generally includes properties with frontage to Cox's Garden in Williamstown. Cox's Gardens is a short and narrow residential street running north off Ferguson Street, which now ends somewhat unhappily at the car park constructed at the rear of the Congregational Church in Stevedore Street and the shops in Douglas Parade.

      There are houses along the whole of the east side, while on the west side there is only one cottage at No. 11; the others on the west were demolished to make way for the car park to the north of the cottage and the small area of open space to the south. The early basalt guttering and asphalt paths have been replaced with unsympathetic concrete kerbing and coloured brick paving.

      Although now highly compromised by the loss of dwellings along the west side, and the intrusive car park, Cox's Garden is now one of the few early, small scale private residential subdivisions to survive in Williamstown. The original close pattern of subdivision can still be seen in the surviving properties on the east, while the surviving early weatherboard cottages at No. 11 and No. 12 ('St Helliers') (q.v.) give some idea of the former appearance of the street as an area of tiny 'cheek by jowl' timber workers cottages.

      There are other altered Victorian era cottages at No. 4 and No. 10, which are related in terms of their siting, materials and form. Other housing on the east side of the street is unrelated in terms of its era, but generally share common characteristics of siting and form.

      The bluestone rear elevation of the former Congregational Church in Stevedore Street (q.v.) provides some aesthetic contribution to an otherwise degraded historic precinct, as well as terminating the view along Cox's Garden from Ferguson Street.

      Physical Description 2

      Corbett Street Precinct Port Fairy - Physical Description 2

      Associations

      Samuel George Cox - refer also to specific citations for 11 and 12 Cox's Gardens.

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Heritage Study and Grading

      Hobsons Bay - Hobsons Bay Heritage Study

      Author: Hobsons Bay City Council
      Year: 2006
      Grading:

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
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