FORMER CHRISTOPHER CRISP RESIDENCE

10 GISBORNE ROAD AND 10 CHURCH STREET BACCHUS MARSH, MOORABOOL SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Register

RESIDENCE SOHE 2008

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    FORMER CHRISTOPHER CRISP RESIDENCE - History

    The original part of the house was built in c.1860 by William Watson, one of the founders of the Bacchus Marsh Express and a builder by trade, for himself and his mother. It consisted of a gabled cottage with a verandah across the front (now replaced) and was constructed of ruled rendered brick and probably had a shingled roof. In 1868 Watson extended the house, building the two-room cottage that now fronts onto Gisborne Road. In 1876 Watson sold his house and advertised it as "house of brick with slate roof, consisting of seven rooms, dairy, wash-house and underground tank, and outbuildings and one acre of land". It was bought by James Samford for £325 and tenanted until 1880 when it was purchased by Christopher Crisp.

     

    The Bacchus Marsh Express was founded by George Lane, a book binder, and the first issue was published on 7th July 1866. The second edition was published by the Bacchus Marsh Express Printing Co. which consisted of Dr. Are (editor), Rev James Scott, John Sanders, James E Crooke, James Young, William Watson and George Lane (printer). The syndicate failed after three months and the ownership was then taken up by Lane and Christopher Crisp, an Englishman who had been employed as a compositor by the company. Crisp was the editor of the Express from 1866 till his death in 1915, when he was succeeded by his son, Christopher, till 1932 and his grandson, FCM. Crisp, thereafter. Under Crisp's direction, the Express widened its readership and was subscribed to by public men and civil servants in Melbourne.

     

    In the 1870s Crisp argued for the extension of Government responsibilities as a basis for social and political progress. In the 1880s Alfred Deakin and James Service acknowledged the influence of the Express on their legislative thinking and its proposals were debated during the drafting of the Federal constitution in 1895-98. In local affairs Crisp was active in promoting the Mechanic's Institute and water storages, revived the Agricultural and Pastoral society in 1883 and negotiated the completion of the Ballarat- Melbourne railway line in 1889. He made a number of private contributions to the legislative debates of the 1880s-1890s, publishing Wanted: a Cosmology (Bacchus Marsh 1895) and seed thoughts, Victoria Review 8th September 1883. During Crisp's ownership the house was further extended to the rear sometime after 1890. This involved the enclosure of the well at the rear and the addition of outbuildings.

     

    After his death the building was occupied by Mrs Mcfarlane and a flat was added to the rear of the house c.1945 for an employee of the newspaper who later became a part-owner of the Express. The property remained in the ownership of the Crisp family until its sale in 1977. The house, throughout its many additions remains fairly simple with the exception of the 1868 addition which fronts on to Gisborne Road. Constructed of brick, with stone quoining at the corners and windows surrounds, the addition has a gabled roof with bargeboards decorated with lozenges. The concave colonial verandah is supported by simple timber posts and has a most elaborate cast-iron frieze and brackets based on French renaissance revival forms and employing the use of sinuous caryatids in the brackets. Internally the house is very simple with coved plaster ceilings in the original part and several fireplaces which appear to be later additions. The verandah to the south side is new but probably replaced an original. The 1940s addition is an unexceptional brick building with interest lying only in its squared-off keyhole portal.

     

    This house is one of three buildings adjacent to each other along Gisborne Road all connected with the Bacchus Marsh Express. They are the newspaper office and on each side the home of the original editor and printer. This building is of great importance as the home of Christopher Crisp and is an integral part of the Express complex.

    Permit Exemptions

    FORMER CHRISTOPHER CRISP RESIDENCE - 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:

    Permit Exemptions

    The following permit exemptions are not considered to cause harm to the cultural heritage significance of the Former Christopher Crisp Residence.
    
    

    General  

    •  Minor repairs and maintenance which replaces like with like. Repairs and maintenance must maximise protection and retention of significant fabric and include the conservation of existing details or elements. Any repairs and maintenance must not exacerbate the decay of fabric due to chemical incompatibility of new materials, obscure fabric or limit access to such fabric for future maintenance. 
    • Maintenance, repair and replacement of existing external services such as plumbing, electrical cabling, surveillance systems, pipes or fire services which does not involve changes in location or scale. 
    • Repair to, or removal of items such as antennae; aerials; and air conditioners and associated pipe work, ducting and wiring.  
    • Works or activities, including emergency stabilisation, necessary to secure safety in an emergency where a structure or part of a structure has been irreparably damaged or destabilised and poses a safety risk to its users or the public. The Executive Director must be notified within seven days of the commencement of these works or activities. 
    • Painting of previously painted external and internal surfaces in the same colour, finish and product type provided that preparation or painting does not remove all evidence of earlier paint finishes or schemes. This exemption does not apply to areas where there are specialist paint techniques such as graining, marbling, stencilling, hand-painting, murals or signwriting, or to wallpapered surfaces, or to unpainted, oiled or varnished surfaces. 
    • Cleaning including the removal of surface deposits by the use of low-pressure water (to maximum of 300 psi at the surface being cleaned) and neutral detergents and mild brushing and scrubbing with plastic (not wire) brushes. 

     

    Venues 

    • The installation and/or erection of temporary elements associated with outdoor dining. This includes temporary structures such as shelters, umbrellas, marquees and outdoor seating.  

     

    Interiors 

    • Maintenance, removal and/or replacement of appliances and other equipment necessary for food and beverage preparation and to meet food and safety regulations.
    • Maintenance, removal and/or replacement of appliances and other equipment necessary for the operation of the commercial kitchen and to meet food and safety regulations.
    • Works to maintain or upgrade existing bathrooms, including installing new appliances, re-tiling and the like. 
    • Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor coverings, window furnishings, and devices for mounting wall hung artworks, menu boards and the like.  
    • Maintenance, repair and replacement of light fixtures, tracks and the like in existing locations.  
    • Installation, removal or replacement of existing electrical wiring. If wiring is currently exposed, it should remain exposed. If it is fully concealed it should remain fully concealed.  
    • Removal or replacement of smoke and fire detectors, alarms and the like, of the same size and in existing locations. 
    • Repair, removal or replacement of existing ducted, hydronic or concealed radiant type heating provided that the central plant is concealed, and that the work is done in a manner which does not alter building fabric. 
    • Installation of plant within the roof space, providing that it does not impact on the external appearance of the building or involve structural changes. 
    • Installation, removal or replacement of bulk insulation in the roof space. 

     

    Outdoor areas  

    Hard landscaping and services 

    • Subsurface works to existing watering and drainage systems provided these are outside the canopy edge of trees and do not involve trenching in new locations. Existing lawns, gardens and hard landscaping, including paving, paths and driveways are to be returned to the original configuration and appearance on completion of works. 
    • Like for like repair and maintenance of existing hard landscaping including paving, paths and driveways where the materials, scale, form and design is unchanged. 
    • Removal or replacement of external signage provided the size, location and material remains the same.  
    • Installation of physical barriers or traps to enable vegetation protection and management of vermin such as rats, mice and possums. 

     

    Gardening, trees and plants 

    • The processes of gardening including mowing, pruning, mulching, fertilising, removal of dead or diseased plants (excluding trees), replanting of existing garden beds, disease and weed control and maintenance to care for existing plants.  
    • Removal of tree seedlings and suckers without the use of herbicides. 
    • Management and maintenance of trees including formative and remedial pruning, removal of deadwood and pest and disease control.
    • Emergency tree works to maintain public safety provided the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria is notified within seven days of the removal or works occurring. 

    
    

    Permit Exemption Policy

    FORMER CHRISTOPHER CRISP RESIDENCE - Permit Exemption Policy

    Introduction 

    The purpose of this information is to assist owners and other interested parties when considering or making decisions regarding works to a registered place. It is recommended that any proposed works be discussed with an officer of Heritage Victoria prior to making a permit application. Discussing proposed works will assist in answering questions the owner may have and aid any decisions regarding works to the place.  

    
    It is acknowledged that alterations and other works may be required to keep places and objects in good repair and adapt them for use into the future. However, under the Heritage Act 2017 a person must not knowingly, recklessly or negligently remove, relocate or demolish, damage or despoil, develop or alter or excavate all or any part of any part of a registered place without approval. It should be noted that the definition of ‘develop’ in the Act includes any works on, over or under the place. 
    
    

    If a person wishes to undertake works or activities in relation to a registered place or registered object, they must apply to the Executive Director for a permit. The purpose of a permit is to enable appropriate change to a place and to effectively manage adverse impacts on the cultural heritage significance of a place as a consequence of change. If an owner is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that Heritage Victoria be contacted. 
    
    

    Permits are required for anything which alters the place or object, unless a permit exemption is granted. Permit exemptions usually cover routine maintenance and upkeep issues faced by owners as well as minor works or works to the elements of the place or object that are not significant. They may include appropriate works that are specified in a conservation management plan. Permit exemptions can be granted at the time of registration (under section 38 of the Act) or after registration (under section 92 of the Act). It should be noted that the addition of new buildings to the registered place, as well as alterations to the interior and exterior of existing buildings requires a permit, unless a specific permit exemption is granted.
    
    

    Disrepair of registered place or registered object

    Under section 152 of the Act, the owner of a registered place or registered object must not allow that place or object to fall into disrepair.
    
    

    Failure to maintain registered place or registered object

    Under section 153 of the Act, the owner of a registered place or registered object must not fail to maintain that place or object to the extent that its conservation is threatened.
    
    

    Conservation management plans

    It is recommended that a Conservation Management Plan is developed to manage the place in a manner which respects its cultural heritage significance. 
    
    

    Archaeology

    There is no identified archaeology of State level significance at the place. However any works that may affect historical archaeological features, deposits or artefacts at the place is likely to require a permit, permit exemption or consent. Advice should be sought from the Archaeology Team at Heritage Victoria.
    
    

    Aboriginal cultural heritage

    To establish whether this place is registered under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 please contact First Peoples – State Relations in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The Heritage Act 2017 and the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 are separate pieces of legislation. Please be aware that both Acts are required to be satisfied and satisfying the requirements of one Act may not satisfy the requirements of the other. 

    
    If any Aboriginal cultural heritage is discovered or exposed at any time it is necessary to immediately contact First Peoples – State Relations in the Department of Premier and Cabinet to ascertain requirements under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. If works are proposed which have the potential to disturb or have an impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage it is necessary to contact First Peoples – State Relations in the Department of Premier and Cabinet to ascertain any requirements under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
    
    

    Other approvals

    Please be aware that approval from other authorities (such as local government) may be required to undertake works.
    
    

    Notes

    • All works should ideally be informed by a Conservation Management Plan prepared for the place. The Executive Director is not bound by any Conservation Management Plan and permits still must be obtained for works suggested in any Conservation Management Plan.
    • Nothing in this determination prevents the Heritage Council from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
    • Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits where applicable.

    General Conditions

    • All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place.
    • Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place are revealed which relate to the significance of the place, then the exemption covering such works must cease and Heritage Victoria must be notified as soon as possible. 

    
    
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