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INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484
83-85 BELL STREET COBURG, MORELAND CITY

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Victorian Heritage Register
INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 SOHE 2008
INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 SOHE 2008
INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 SOHE 2008
INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 SOHE 2008
1 infant building & shelter shed coburg primary school no 484 bell street coburg front view feb 98
infant building & shelter shed coburg primary school no 484 bell street coburg entrance sep 84
infant building & shelter shed coburg primary school no 484 bell street coburg side view feb 98
infant building & shelter shed coburg primary school no 484 bell street coburg pavilion feb 98
infant building & shelter shed coburg primary school no 484 bell street coburg interior of shelter feb 98
coburg primary school infant building and shelter shed plan
On this page:

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
The new Board of Education, set up under the Common Schools Act of 1862, funded a new building in 1867 for Coburg beside the 1858 National School and the two became the Bell Street Common School No.484. When the Education Department took over the school, a new single- storey brick building was constructed in 1874 in front of the two older school houses. Further additions in 1884 consisted of a two-storey brick building with a bell-tower sited in front of the existing buildings. Most of the earlier building was demolished in 1924 to make way for remodelling which gave the two storey building its current appearance. A new infants building was constructed in 1910 as an extension of the Coburg Primary School No.484. The architect for the infant school was George William Watson. The infant building on the south side of Bell street is an example of a parapet entrance Edwardian School constructed of red brick with central assembly hall and surrounding classrooms. It has leadlight windows at the front entry as well as the hall and decorative relief panels with native flora and flora on the parapet above the main entry. There is an unusual timber octagonal shelter shed on the infant building site.

How is it significant?
The Infant Building and Shelter Shed at Coburg Primary School No.484 are of architectural, social and historical importance to the State of Victoria.

The Infant Building at Coburg Primary School No.484 is of architectural importance as it is an example of an early twentieth century infants school with unusual decorative elements such as the bas-relief panels on the external name plate and the leadlight windows in the entry and hall. The hall has an unusual variation of ceiling type with its timber double cove section and decorative tie rods and square ceiling vents. The Shelter Shed at Coburg Primary School is of architectural importance as a rare intact example of an octagonal shade structure which demonstrates an aspect of school life. It has an unusual internal umbrella structure and is complete with coathooks suggesting it was also used as a cloakroom.

The Infant Building at Coburg Primary School No.484 is of social and historical importance as it illustrates a change in educational methods in Victoria during the early years of the twentieth century when efforts were made to provide buildings to serve the particular needs of very young children. The decorative scheme for the building, and the leadlight windows in particular, represent an attempt to train the children to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of their surroundings.
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    • History

      INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 - History

      Contextual History:
      Coburg
      Coburg was established as the village of Pentridge in 1840 when it was a farming community of about thirty families (Richard Broome, 1987, p. 37). The farms of the area provided vegetables, meat and dairy produce for Melbourne and later, for the goldfields. Quarrying became an important industry for the district: by 1875 there were forty-one quarries (Broome p.31). The Penal Stockade, later to become Pentridge Prison, was established there in 1850, taking advantage of theexistence of local bluestone to occupy prisoners in stone-breaking and roadmaking (Broome p.98). By 1861 there were 1033 people living in the village of Pentridge, 847 of them prisoners at the Stockade, and 901 in the surrounding district (Broome p.63). Pentridge Prison has remained a significant employer for the district until its recent closure. The name of the shire was changed in 1870 from Pentridge to Coburg to avoid the stigma of association with Pentridge Prison (Broome p.140).

      The Architects
      Henry Bastow was responsible for the original building of 1874 and 1884. Bastow, Henry Robert (1839- 1920) was born on 3 May 1839. He migrated to Australia from Bridport, Dorset. He practised as an architect and surveyor in Tasmania in 1863 and is known to have designed the Union Chapel in Hobart (illus wood engraving by Samuel Calvert in Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria). He took up an appointment with the Victorian Public Service on 30 April 1866, working as a draughtsman for the Victorian Water Supply and later as an architect and civil engineer for the Railway Department. In 1873 he was appointed to the Education Department as head of the architecture branch (Bibliography file, State Library of Victoria).

      The introduction of free compulsory and secular education in Victoria in 1872 led to a wave of building of schools all over the state. As the architect in charge of the provision of school buildings, Henry Bastow left a huge legacy to the State in the form of hundreds of schools of every type and size. Bastow was attached to the Education Department from 1873 to 1883 when he and his staff were transferred to the Public Works Department as part of the State Schools Division (L.Burchell p.162). By 1885 he was Senior Architect. He then had responsibility for “the design and execution of all architectural works” (L.Burchell p.162).

      Bastow supervised the design of the new Crown Law Offices in 1892. He was retrenched on 30 April 1894, when reductions in the public service were made during the economic depression (W.Jacobs, K.Twigg, p. 35). He worked as an orchardist at Harcourt until his death on 30 September 1920 (Bibliography File, State Library of Victoria).

      The Chief Architect of the Public Works Department from 1922 to 1929, E. Evan Smith, was the architect for the 1924 remodelling. He re-used some windows, retained the roofline of the earlier building and its tower, retaining the footprint or core of the 1884 building, but placing it in a context of a symmetrical form of the 1920s. The doorway to the headmaster’s office is reminiscent of the stripped classical style of the Coburg Court House also by Smith.

      Edwin Evan Smith was born in Montrose, Scotland on 4 October 1870 and was articled to an architect in Scotland (P.I.Reynolds, 1972. p.117). He migrated to Australia in August 1889. He was employed as a draftsman in the Department of Public Works, Queensland from 1898 to 1912. He was subsequently employed in the Commonwealth Department of Works in Queensland until his appointment as Chief Architect, Public Works Department Victoria in 1922 (Victorian Blue Books, 1922-1928). During his leadership, new courthouses were built by the Public Works Department at Northcote, St Kilda and Coburg as well as new police buildings at Malvern. His design for the Emily McPherson College of Domestic Economy, on the corner of Russell and Victoria Streets was awardfed the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal for 1930 (Whos Who in Australia 1935). Smith was appointed Government Architect of New South Wales in December 1929 and retired in October 1935. He was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He died in August 1965.


      History of Place:

      The first school in Pentridge village was the National School which opened in a tent in March 1853. In June 1853 it moved to a wooden building, but with 100 children attending, this was soon overcrowded and the building dilapidated. The foundation stone of a new brick building was laid by John Pascoe Fawkner on 21 December 1857. When completed in 1858, the roof and walls needed bracing with iron rods, but the building, designed by T.J. Crouch, survived 66 years.

      The new Board of Education, set up under the Common Schools Act of 1862, funded a new building in 1867 beside the 1858 National School and the two became the Bell Street Common School No. 484. When the Education Department took over the school, a new single-storey brick building was constructed in 1874 in front of the two older school houses. Further additions in 1884 consisted of a two-storey brick building with a bell-tower sited in front of the existing buildings.

      The Chief Architect of the Public Works Department from 1922 to 1929, E. Evan Smith, was the architect for the 1924 remodelling. He re-used some windows, retained the roofline of the earlier building and its tower, retaining the footprint or core of the 1884 building, but placing it in a context of a symmetrical form of the 1920s.

      A new infants building was constructed in 1910.

      Assessment Against Criteria

      INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 - Assessment Against Criteria

      Criterion A
      The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.

      The Infant Building at Coburg Primary School No. 484 is of social and historical importance as it illustrates a change in educational methods in Victoria during the early years of the twentieth century when efforts were made to provide buildings to serve the particular needs of very young children. The decorative scheme for the building, and the leadlight windows in particular, represent an attempt to train the children to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of their surroundings.

      Criterion B
      The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.

      The Coburg infants school is significant as an early twentieth century infants school with unusual decorative elements such as the bas relief panels on the name plate and the leadlight windows.

      The shelter shed at Coburg Primary School is a rare example of an octagonal shade structure which demonstrates an aspect of school life.

      Criterion C
      The place or object's potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria's cultural heritage.

      Criterion D
      The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.

      Criterion E
      The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features.

      The Infant Building at Coburg Primary School No. 484 is of architectural importance as it is an example of an early twentieth century infants school with unusual decorative elements such as the bas-relief panels on the external name plate and the leadlight windows in the entry and hall. The hall has an unusual variation of ceiling type with its timber double cove section and decorative tie rods and square ceiling vents. The Shelter Shed at Coburg Primary School is of architectural importance as a rare intact example of an octagonal shade structure. It has an unusual internal umbrella structure and is complete with coathooks suggesting it was also used as a cloakroom.

      Criterion F
      The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements.

      Criterion G
      The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.

      Criterion H
      Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance

      Permit Exemptions

      INFANT BUILDING AND SHELTER SHED, PRIMARY SCHOOL NO.484 - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      General Conditions:
      1. All alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
      2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
      3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
      4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
      5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.

      Exterior
      * Minor repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
      * Removal of any extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good.
      * Installation or repair of damp-proofing by either injection method or grouted pocket method.
      * Regular garden maintenance.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of garden watering systems.
      * Repair, removal or replacement of existing pergolas and other garden structures.

      Interior
      * Painting of previously painted walls and ceilings provided that preparation or painting does not remove evidence of the original paint or other decorative scheme.
      * Removal of paint from originally unpainted or oiled joinery, doors, architraves, skirtings and decorative strapping.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor coverings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of curtain track, rods, blinds and other window dressings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of hooks, nails and other devices for the hanging of mirrors, paintings and other wall mounted artworks.
      * Refurbishment of bathrooms, toilets including removal, installation or replacement of sanitary fixtures and associated piping, mirrors, wall and floor coverings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of kitchen benches and fixtures including sinks, stoves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers etc and associated plumbing and wiring.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of ducted, hydronic or concealed radiant type heating provided that the installation does not damage existing skirtings and architraves and provided that the location of the heating unit is concealed from view.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of electrical wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed and any original light switches, pull cords, push buttons or power outlets are retained in-situ. Note: if wiring original to the place was carried in timber conduits then the conduits should remain in-situ.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of bulk insulation in the roof space.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.

  • Notes See all notes

    Octagonal shelter shed has been demolished?

    Peter Mills • 30/04/15

    Can't find it in google earth

Public contributions

Notes See all notes

Octagonal shelter shed has been demolished?

Peter Mills • 30/04/15

Can't find it in google earth

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