Railway Station Estate

Morris Street and Wright Street and Stanford Street SUNSHINE, Brimbank City

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Brimbank City

45847 Railway Station Estate

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • Physical Description 1

    Railway Station Estate - Physical Description 1

    All the original allotments in this rectangular grid subdivision were 40 foot frontages. Several of the original 'lanes', between the blocks, can still be seen. In some cases, two houses were built on one allotment. The best examples of this re-subdivision process can be seen in the row of 1890s houses in Benjamin Street. This row of five single-fronted detached brick Victorian houses has simple parapet ornament, corrugated iron verandahs and iron lace (some original). This parapeted row house type in the form of detached brick cottages is unique in Sunshine. Six houses were built on three of the original subdivision blocks (two to a block). These blocks were originally 40 foot frontage, with a 120 foot depth. One of the houses (the second from the east end of the group) has subsequently been demolished. The facades have had details altered, some with windows replaced, others having the cast iron ornament removed or altered, probably representing attempts to undo renovations of the mid twentieth century.

    At least eleven houses survive from the early 1890s subdivision, including the five singlefronted houses in Benjamin Street (Numbers 25, 29, 31, 33, 35); one single-fronted house in Morris Street (No. 179); the house of Edmund Parsons at 114 Morris Street; and the house at 51 Stanford Street. Outside the precinct boundaries are 1890s houses at 46 Chapman Street (altered), and reputedly 79 Couch Street (though this is not obvious from its present form).

    While the subdivision and the first few houses date to late nineteenth century, most of the Heritage Area was developed in the first half of the twentieth century. Some houses in the area are said to have been moved here from Ballarat, when H.V. McKay's workers followed him to Braybrook Junction in 1907. These houses, ranging from Edwardian, through building booms in the interwar period and early postwar period, provide consistent streetscapes of freestanding, single storey timber houses with mostly iron roofs, with a consistent garden setback. Edwardian houses in the Heritage Area, of c1905-1915, tend to have an asymmetric facade, with a projecting gable (often half-timbered) and a bullnose verandah on the other side. The roof is otherwise hipped, and often quite tall with a tiny gablet at the peak. They have singlepane sash windows or groups of casement windows, often beneath a decorative timber hood. The doors are solid four-panelled, like the Victorian houses, or have an upper arched pane of glass, and have both highlights and sidelights. Chimneys are similar to the Victorian ones, or have rendered mouldings at the top. Intact examples include: 2 and 70 Benjamin Street; and 95, 97, 101, 120, 122, 144 and 169 Morris Street.

    There are many houses from c1915-25 that have features both of the Edwardian and California Bungalow houses, and can be called 'Transitional' or 'Federation Bungalows'. These houses have hipped roofs, but at a much lower pitch than was seen in the Edwardian period. They usually have a half-timbered front gable, also with a lower pitch. The verandah details - turned posts and a timber frieze - are similar to those of Edwardian houses. The verandah roof, however, is a plain skillion and often extends across the entire facade, supported on timber brackets, as was common to California Bungalows. Chimneys are plain and narrow, some with bands of clinker bricks. Intact examples include: 10, 48 and 75 Benjamin Street; and 99-105, 106 and 161 Morris Street.

    California Bungalows, of the 1920s, are one of the most common types in the Heritage Area, particular in its western half. They have gabled roofs - either facing the street or parallel to it, though some of the earlier ones still have low hipped roofs. There is usually a smaller gable facing the street which may be half-timbered, rendered or shingled. Front verandahs have skillion or hipped roofs, and are often carried across the entire facade. Verandah supports tend to be heavy and range from paired timber posts resting on masonry (brick or render piers), and tapered masonry piers or simple cast-concrete columns on top of a low masonry wall. Verandahs often have simple triangular brackets. The ends of roof rafters tend to be visible. Windows often have multiple panes in the upper sash. Some of them have box frames that project from the wall of the house; others are grouped in angled bays. Doors of this era had a high-set window above shallow panels or vertical boards, and sometimes a sidelight. Intact examples include: 4, 49 (1930s), 61 and 82 Benjamin Street; 49 Hampshire Road; and 117, 123, 145, 162 and 164 Morris Street.

    Houses of the 1930s and early 1940s tend to have tiled hipped roofs, some with a projecting hipped-roof bay. Verandahs have simple brick or render supports. Windows often have geometric leadlights in the upper sashes, and are grouped in twos and threes. Later windows have horizontal glazing bars, and can be found on the corner of the building. There are several exceptions among houses of this era as some were built in the late 1930s in earlier styles, such as Transitional and California Bungalow designs. Intact examples include: 5, 7, 32 and 95 Benjamin Street; 142 Morris Street; and 45 Stanford Street.

    Early post-war houses of c1945-55 demonstrate the second main period of housing development in the Heritage Area. They are double fronted with a hip roof and projecting hipped bay to create an asymmetric facade. Roofs are often clad with tiles, in contrast to houses of the earlier periods. Timber windows are placed in banks to create a horizontal format, and some are placed at corners, continuing the late interwar style. Front porches are minimal in size and either set below the roof line or beneath a concrete slab roof. Decoration is minimal and is often limited to stepped 'waterfall' chimneys, which often are a major feature of the facade, and porch detailing in cream brick. Intact examples include: 81 and 89-93 Benjamin Street; 33 and 46 Hampshire Road; and 115 and 124 Morris Street.

    The surviving houses that are contributory to the precinct include the following:

    ADDRESS, PLACE, DESCRIPTION, DATE

    2 Benjamin Street, Edwardian era house, bullnose verandah, 1915c

    4 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    5 Benjamin Street, House, fibro house for munition workers, 1940s

    7 Benjamin Street, House, fibro house for munition workers, 1940s

    8 Benjamin Street, House, altered Edwardian era house, 1915c

    9 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house check, demolition permit issued 2004 1930s

    10 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    12 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    14 Benjamin Street, House "Blamdina", weatherboard house, 1920c

    15 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    16 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1940c

    18 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910c

    19 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    20 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1937

    21 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920c

    22 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1937 (NB: rear unit not contributory)

    23 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    25 Benjamin Street, House, Victorian Brick Row House, 1890-91c, Individually listed Regional significance in 2000 study #133

    26 Benjamin Street, House, weatherborad house, 1956

    29 Benjamin Street, House, Victorian Brick Row House, 1890-91c, Individually listed Regional significance in 2000 study #134

    31 Benjamin Street, House, Victorian Brick Row House, 1890-91c Individually listed Regional significance in 2000 study #135

    33 Benjamin Street, House, Victorian Brick Row House, 1890-91c Individually listed Regional significance in 2000 study #136

    35 Benjamin Street, House, Victorian Brick Row House, 1890-91c Individually listed Regional significance in 2000 study #137

    37 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1950

    38 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1900-10

    39 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1947

    41 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1950

    43 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1950

    45 Benjamin Street, House, well preserved weatherboard, 1920s

    46 Benjamin Street, House, rendered house similar to those on ICI Estate, 1948-49

    47 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    48 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    49 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    50 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1900-10

    51 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    52 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    53 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    54 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    56 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    57 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    58 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    59 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    61 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    62 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    63 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    64 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    66 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    67 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    68 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    69 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1949

    70 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1900-10

    71 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    72 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    73 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    75 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    76 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    77 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    78 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    79 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    80 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1955

    81 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1947

    82 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    84 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1952

    86 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1952

    88 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1952

    89 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1952

    90 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    91 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1953

    93 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1953

    95 Benjamin Street, House, weatherboard house, 1940

    30 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    31 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1950s

    32 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    33 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1949

    41 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1940s

    42 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    43 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    44 Hampshire Road, Richards' Dairy and residence, 1936, Local

    46 Hampshire Road, Moderne cream brick house and fence, c1955

    47 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    49 Hampshire Road, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    94 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    95 Morris Street, House, Cast iron verandah, 1915c

    97 Morris Street, House, 1915c

    99 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    100 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    101 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    103 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    105 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    106 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    110 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    113 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1955

    114 Morris Street, Parsons house, weatherboard, 1890s, Individually listed Local significance in 2000 study #113

    115 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1955

    117 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    119 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1955

    120 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    121 Morris Street, House, weatherboard Californian bungalow style, diamond pattern leadlight, 1920s

    122 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    123 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    124 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1956

    125 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    127 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1940s

    129 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    135 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    136 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    137 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    138 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1900-10

    140 Morris Street, House, brick house, 1948

    141 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    142 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1930s

    143 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, single house appears to cover two blocks shown subdivided in cadastre, 1920s

    144 Morris Street, House, Unusual weatherboard and block fronted Edwardian era house, recent carport added at side, 1915c.

    145 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, single house appears to cover two blocks shown subdivided in cadastre, 1920s

    148 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1940s

    149 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1950s

    153 Morris Street, House, cream brick house and fence, 1956

    154 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920-30s

    156 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    158 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    159 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    161 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    162 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    163 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    164 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    165 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    167 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    168 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1950s

    169 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1910s

    171 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    173 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, 1920s

    175 Morris Street, House, weatherboard house, altered windows, recent addition of disabled ramp, 1920s

    179 Morris Street, House, Single fronted ashlar fronted timber cottage, convex verandah, 1890s

    45 Stanford Street, House, rendered house, garage and fence, 1940c

    49 Stanford Street, House, weatherboard house, 1940c

    51 Stanford Street, House, hipped roofed, weatherboard house, altered, 1900c

    There have also been several places demolished and replaced or extensively altered, which were once contributory to the significance of the precinct, but are no longer so.

    11 Benjamin Street, former fibro house, demolished c2005

    55 Benjamin Street, House, extensively altered weatherboard house, 1950

    65 Benjamin Street, House, extensively altered weatherboard house, 1940s

    83 Benjamin Street, House, extensively altered weatherboard house, 1940s

    39 Hampshire Road, weatherboard cottage, 1920s, demolished c2010

    48 Hampshire Road, House, extensively altered cream brick house, 1955

    150 Morris Street, former weatherboard house, demolished c2000

    155 Morris Street, extensively weatherboard house (clad in fake brick), 1950

    Physical Conditions

    Railway Station Estate - Physical Conditions

    Condition

    While some houses are altered, the group retains sufficient integrity to identify the original character. Recent renovations have both conserved original features, but also resulted in loss of details. Typical alterations are the replacement of original timber windows with aluminium units, removal/replacement of original verandah supports, and covering weatherboards with vinyl or aluminium siding.

    Historical Australian Themes

    Railway Station Estate - Historical Australian Themes

    4 Building settlement, towns and cities
    4.1 Planning urban settlements

    Heritage Study and Grading

    Heritage Study and Grading

    Brimbank - Brimbank City Council Post-contact Cultural Heritage Study

    Author: G. Vines
    Year: 2000
    Grading: Local

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