MIDDLE BRIGHTON RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX
CHURCH STREET BRIGHTON, BAYSIDE CITY

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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Middle Brighton Railway Station Complex is situated on the Sandringham Line. The line was reconstructed after the government acquired it from the Melbourne and Hobson Bay United Railway Co in 1878. The station buildings on the Sandringham line were built for the Victorian Railways during the period 1882-1895. Middle Brighton Railway Station was constructed in two stages with the upside building constructed in 1882 by the contractors R & J Shimmin and the down-side building constructed in 1887 by A Ringholm.
The two station buildings are constructed of bi-chromatic brick in a Victorian Free Style design, with bluestone platform walls and copings to the upside only. The upside building has a slate hipped roof with a later addition at south end and a concave verandah supported on cast iron columns. A long platform wall supports the verandah at the north end, which was probably extended to its current length in 1887 when the down-side building was constructed. The down-side building has a similar wall/verandah configuration with later timber extension to the north. Details common to both buildings include, arch openings, wrought iron lace work, fine wrought iron lattice panels in the verandah ends, and fluted cast iron columns.
How is it significant?
Middle Brighton Railway Station Complex is of social, historical, aesthetic and architectural importance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
Middle Brighton Railway Station Complex is of social and historical importance as an early representative example of a station building constructed after the government acquired the Melbourne and Hobson Bay United Railway Co in 1878. The Middle Brighton Railway Station demonstrates the expansion of Melbourne and the establishment of Brighton as a major metropolitan centre with a station at Brighton Beach, North Brighton and Middle Brighton constructed between 1882 and 1895. The complex is important for its potential to yield information on the changing nature of railways, locomotive technology and public transport use in Victoria.
Middle Brighton Railway Station Complex is of aesthetic and architectural importance as a fine intact example of the Victorian Free Style design of station buildings. The detailing features the now rare lion’s head motif in the lace work on the verandahs of the down-side building, as well as fine wrought iron lattice panels at the verandah ends and fluted cast iron verandah posts with a leaf motif. The Middle Brighton Railway Station is an important element in the Sandringham Line Railway Precinct, which is unique in that each station on the line is of a different design.
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MIDDLE BRIGHTON RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX - History
Contextual History:
Middle Brighton Railway Station is situated on the Sandringham Line. The railway to Sandringham was opened in stages, as follows:
Richmond-Cremorne 12/12/1859
Cremorne-Windsor 22/12/1860
Windsor-North Brighton 19/12/1859
North Brighton-Brighton Beach 21/12/1861
Brighton Beach-Sandringham 2/9/1887
The section as far as Brighton Beach was opened by the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company (Princes Bridge to Windsor) and the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company (Windsor to Brighton Beach, with a connection off the St Kilda line at its terminus). These lines passed in 1865 to the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United Railway Company and were not taken over by the Government until 1878.
The line had been initially constructed, after considerable debate as to its route, to serve the infant residential areas of Caulfield and Brighton, and it was pushed south to the Beach near Green Point to serve this important seaside resort area and pier. Here, the line’s promoters had optimistic expectations of developing Brighton into a busy seaport, and a tramway was built through a tunnel under the Esplanade linking the pier with the railway station.
Most of the civil engineering structures along the route of the line date from its period under company ownership which is coincident with the earliest phase of railway building in Victoria, and Australia. The station buildings however, were built for the Victorian Railways during the period 1882-1895 and followed an era of decline in the economic standing of the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United. More recently Gardenvale Station was erected, in 1906, and later again, passenger facilities at Brighton Beach and North Brighton.
The railway architecture of the Brighton Beach Railway is unique in its statewide context and should be considered not only in terms of its buildings and features in the city of Brighton, but also to the north as far as Windsor and Prahran. Each station building conforms to different designs, which is unusual, yet at the same time displays features common to its neighbours, such as the cast iron verandahs, black bricks with red trim and general architectural form.
History of Place:
The St Kilda and Brighton Railway company was formed in 1857 and ran a line from the St Kilda terminus of the Melbourne & Hobson’s Bay Railway Company to Windsor in 1859, extending it to Brighton Beach in 1861. The railway line was operated by the Melbourne & Hobson’s Bay United Railway Company from 1865 until 1878 when it was purchased by the Victorian Government. This company, initially known as the Melbourne and Hobson’s Bay Railway Company was the most successful of the private companies and responsible for the first steam railway from Melbourne to Sandridge in 1854. It had emerged as the Melbourne & Hobson’s Bay United Railway Company in 1865 after absorbing the Melbourne Railway Company, which had purchased the Melbourne & Suburban Railway Company in 1862, and the St Kilda & Brighton Railway Company. The line was taken over by the government in 1878. The station buildings on the line were built for the Victorian Railways during the period 1882-1895 and followed an era of decline in the economic standing of the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay United.
The upside building was constructed in 1882 by the contractor R & J Shimmin. The downside building was constructed in 1882 by the contractor A. Ringholm. The wall and verandah of the upside building was probably also extended at this time.
Associated People:
MIDDLE BRIGHTON RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX - Assessment Against Criteria
Criterion A
The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.
Middle Brighton Railway Station represents a period in the history of railways when the government was taking over private companies and building substantial stations. Middle Brighton Railway Station was one of the earliest stations to be built by the government on the Sandringham Line. Stations were constructed by the government on this line between 1882 and 1887.
Criterion B
The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.
Criterion C
The place or object's potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria's cultural heritage.
The station is important for its potential to yield information on the changing nature of railways, locomotive technology and public transport use in Victoria.
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.
Although a Special Design, Middle Brighton Railway Station features many of the standard details once common in Victorian Station Buildings. Many of these have been retained, including the bi-chromatic brickwork, the fluted cast iron columns, the fine wrought iron lattice work and the arched openings.
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.
Middle Brighton Railway Station is a Special Design, and exhibits characteristics not seen in any other Railway Station buildings in Victoria. Of particular importance is the iron lace-work on the verandahs which features a lion head motif. This design may once have been common, but is now rarely seen.
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 significanceMIDDLE BRIGHTON RAILWAY STATION COMPLEX - 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 exempted 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.
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
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