Houses of Doncaster and Templestowe

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Victorian Homes

The Heritage Study, prepared in 1991 for the City of Doncaster and Templestowe, made a listing of houses in the district worthy of recording and of significance in the municipality.   Chronologically these houses date from 1848 to the architect designed homes of the 1960's and 70's. 

It is important to identify and conserve significant houses of all eras, as they provide a perspective, and reflect on our past.  We need tangible evidence of our inheritance, and houses provide clear guides as to the lifestyles and work practices of our ancestors . It is vital that the community retain houses of historic architectural or social significance, as a legacy from our forebears to be handed on to the generations which come after us. 

“Pontville”

Our oldest house, "Pontville", is presently undergoing a process of evaluative studies with a view to eventual restoration.  Built by Major Newman in 1847-8, as the farmhouse home for himself and his family, "Pontville" has the distinction of being the oldest surviving house from the pre gold rush era, in the eastern region of Victoria.  Architectural studies are being made to evaluate the significance of the oldest sections of the house which has undergone alterations both in the later nineteenth century and the 1950 period.  Probably, the original building was a three roomed house with a verandah and a hipped shingle roof.  The general contour of roof and verandah is similar to the Indian Bungalow style of mid Victorian times.  The house was built of brick which had been rendered and ruled up to imitate stone in a process known as ashlar.  The roof was of shingles.  Alterations were made to the house perhaps in the 1870's.  The end verandahs were filled in to make extra moms and the shingles were covered with corrugated iron and lining boards replaced the lathe and plaster ceiling.  Much later still, in 1950, areas of the house were given fibro cement walls and louvre windows.  Over the years vandals have damaged part of the building and out houses but studies being done will help to ascertain the full value of " Pontville" 

“Friedensruh" 

This lovely Picturesque Gothic style building was built by Johann Gottlieb Thiele in 1853.  The Thiele family, one of the earliest orchardist families in Doncaster, farmed on the land where the homestead stands, and the home is still in the hands of the descendants of the first owners. 

The Gothic section of the house is of rendered masonry.  There is a gabled roof with a finial and a charming attic window high above a twelve pane sash window which faces the front.  In the 1860's, another wing was added in the Italianate style with a bracketed frieze, moulded cornice and a triple window.  Further rear additions were added in keeping with the rest of the house, in the latter part of the nineteenth century.  

"Friedensruh" is a superb example of how disparite styles of  architecture can join together to become a harmonious whole.  In its setting of cottage garden with a mix of venerable trees, formal garden beds and wild free flowering areas, "Friedensruh" overlooks Ruffey Park which once formed part of the extensive Thiele orchards.  The Italianate style was an almost universal type of architecture popular in the mid to late Victorian era.  The style, derived from Italian architecture, is distinguished by the use of bracketed eaves, often over cornice moulds.  Symmetrical proportions are common in the Italianate style with moulded chimneys, lower pitched roofs and sometimes hipped verandahs.  There are many variations within the style, but there is always an element of solid grandeur, a reflection of middle class respectability tacitly expressed in these fine nineteenth century houses. 

“Tullamore" 

Built in 1887, is an example of a fine two storey, brick house of stately proportions eminently suitable as a home for a professional man, surgeon Thomas Fitzgerald.  Now the club house of the Eastern Golf Club, it stands in a prominent position on Doncaster Road, and was once part of a country estate of 76 acres.  Dr Fitzgerald was a keen race horse owner and the facing stables remain on the property as part of the golf course.  The house itself is an imposing two storey Italianate house, double fronted with the typical cornice moulded over bracketed frieze.  The roof is of slate with deeply moulded chimneys and decorative tops.  The projecting gable has bay style windows on three sides with pointed heads and sash panels below.  Similar architecturally to "Clarendon Eyre", the home of Robert Laidlaw, in Bulleen, "Tullamore" retains the features of a grand house of the 1880's.  Unfortunately, due to its role as a golf club house, additions both front and rear have not always been in keeping with the original design, and much of the integrity of the Italianate style has been lost.  

The 1875 house now in Hemingway Drive Templestowe, was built by Richard Serpell, one of the earlier orchardists of the district.  Clay from the land owned by Richard was quarried, and made into bricks on the site.  These bricks were used in the construction of the original four roomed symmetrical house.  After a family tragedy, the Serpell family left the homestead and the Jenkins family moved into it in 1883.  A verandah was added on three sides of the house.  This was decorated with a delicate cast iron lace valance and moulded cast iron verandah posts. 

Melbourne, perhaps more than anywhere, is famed for its delightful variety of cast iron lace.  It was used from about 1870 to 1900 for decorations on terrace balconies, verandahs, gates and railing heads on Victorian fences.  Much was originally imported from United Kingdom and U S A, but gradually Australian foundries began to develop designs which are uniquely Australian.  Flora was represented by native fern designs, and gum leaf and wattle patterns were popular.  In Sydney, the waratah was strongly featured.  Australian fauna, emu and kangaroo designs were incorporated into cast iron patterns, and there are some rare designs using kookaburras and cockatoos.  When restoring Victorian homes with damaged or missing sections of cast iron, it is possible to contact foundries which can reproduce exactly any pattern required by the client. Fortunately, due to the boom in the restoration of old houses, past skills and traditions have been revived and many products are on the market to assist in faithful reproduction of original features on nineteenth century houses. 

Source: Judith Leaney writing in 1994 09 DTHS Newsletter

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Victorian Homes 

An attractive feature of many Victorian brick houses was the polychromatic colour scheme formed from boldly contrasting bricks.  Using three colours, often cream, and shades of brown, vibrant and interesting patterns were devised in the walls and chimneys. 

“Fromhold” in George Street is an example of a beautiful Italianate single storey house featuring polychromatic brickwork with red brick window sills and patterned chimney.  Built by Heinrich Fromhold, an orchardist in the Waldau settlement, the home has the usual verandah with timber posts decorated with cast iron lace in the popular Victorian manner.  

Fred Schuhkraft's 1886 house in Serpell's Road, now known as the Rasmussen house, also features polychromatic brickwork in delightful patterned colour combinations. This home, again built to the Italianate design, is a large imposing structure, with a slate roof. It is a six roomed house with a central hall or passageway. The skillion verandah around three sides of the house features a timber fretwork valance, complementing the decorative brickwork.  Above the verandah, a cornice has attractive brackets and panels between.  Additions have been made to this house at the rear, but have been sympathetically done and the owners have retained all the Victorian interior features of ceiling roses dados and porcelain door handles.  

It is to the credit of many owners of old homes, that great pains are taken to research both the history of the house and the period, to find appropriate materials to carry out restoration.  

Yet another Italianate style Victorian house is “Plassey”, the Zelius home, in Doncaster Road. This is a beautifully intact brick house which has been designated in the Heritage Study as being of Regional Architectural Significance.  Many unusual and interesting features have given "Plassey" this high ranking.  The slate roof features decorated scalloped scales finished with delicate roof cresting and wrought iron finials on each end.  The verandah has cast iron lace and the slender columns are in the Corinthian style.  Walking up the garden path, the visitor approaches the front door, by way of a set of blue stone steps flanked by classical urns.  Vestiges remain of the original garden plan. Shaped terracotta tiles and edging bricks survive, as does the base of the original conservatory.   Before the front door, a beautiful encaustic tiled verandah stretches the width of the house. It might be said that an impressive entrance prepares the visitor for the elegance within.  This is indeed so at "Plassey" which has a fine four panelled front door with lead light sides and fanlight above.  Twin round topped niches are set each side of the door.  The interior is richly but tastefully decorated, and the house, regarded as one of the most elegant in Doncaster in its day, remains a delightful example of a fine Victorian home. 

In any historical period, the homes of the affluent are the most likely to survive.  Being constructed solidly of strong timber, stone or brick, the houses of the wealthier citizens were obviously meant to last.  The Victorian age was one of blatant ostentation of wealth.  It might be said, `If you have it, flaunt it'.  Consequently, many homes of the Victorian era are decorated without restraint, over furnished and stuffy in the extreme. 

By contrast, homes of the poorer people, the laboring masses were cheaply constructed of any material available.  Due to the transient nature of much laboring or seasonal work, hastily erected shacks or even in the gold fields area, tents, were the usual homes of the workers. As a consequence, very few of these early cottages remain in an intact condition.  In Doncaster and Templestowe, a few exist, it being difficult in most cases to assign a previous history or even a construction date to them. 

We are fortunate to have the home of Ben Atkins, a small farmer who built a wooden, double fronted cottage on his land at Templestowe, in the 1860-70 period.  Although he was able to afford his own property, Ben was by no means well off and built his house of second hand materials. Originally a three room house, the design is that of a hip roofed cottage with a skillion verandah with simple wooden posts and timber valance.  The original shingle roof has been covered in iron and several rooms were added to the rear for the growing family.  Teak boards, dunnage from a ship, were used to line the walls and as was usual in a Victorian farmhouse, the family lived mainly in the kitchen where meals were cooked on the open fire.  

The house has suffered two moves in the last few years, but has found a permanent home in the grounds of Schramm's Cottage.  The old cottage has been restored to the original three rooms, and redecorated in the style it was when it was lived in by the Atkins family. It remains as an interesting example of a simple nineteenth century cottage typical of the type lived in by the early orchardists of the district.  

The sun filtering through the pines around Schramm’s Cottage casts a soft glow on the beautiful sandstone walls of the cottage.  This stone, locally quarried, was chosen by Max von Schramm for his house and school, built in 1875, originally in Doncaster Road.  The house, built in a simple rectangular shape, has four main rooms comprising the living accommodation and a school room across the back with a separate entrance.  A small kitchen is at the back of the schoolroom and a wide verandah continues across the front and down one side. Although the house has been relocated, thereby reducing its historical significance a little, the gains have been considerable. Schramm’s Cottage is now the centre of an historic complex of house, garden and adjoining cemetery, in the former Waldau or Lutheran settlement.  

An important part of heritage conservation is the recognition of historical links to lifestyles and events.  The Waldau cemetery forms part of an historic site, associated with the early German settlement of the area.  The cemetery area also has the importance of being a topographical landmark, marked by a windbreak of Monterey pines.  

In the grounds is the Finger barn relocated from Henry Finger's property.  Perhaps the earliest barn in the area, it is important because of its connection with an early orchard family.  Surrounding the cottage, the garden has been designed as a typical cottage garden of the nineteenth century, complete with plant types popular at that time. 

The whole provides an opportunity for the public to see an area containing various elements of Victorian life.  We in Doncaster and Templestowe are fortunate to have retained a number of varied and beautiful Victorian homes.  The Heritage Study has identified these and underlined their importance. 

It is now up to us to recognise this tangible evidence of our past, and cherish the remaining places created by our predecessors for those who come after us. 

Source: Judith Leamey writing in 1994 12 DTHS Newsletter

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Homes of the 1920-1930 era

We have a tendency to regard history as a time far into the past, remote perhaps from ourselves and our present may of life. The house we lived in as children is part of history, at least our personal perception of our own past. Most of us have a nostalgic attachment to the home of our childhood, and these often lesser regarded houses can be important landmarks signifying a sense of familiarity and local character. The inter war houses of the 1920 - 30 period are sparsely represented in our city, but are interesting due to the distinctive styles of architecture which developed at that time. Apart from the large substantial homes built in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, most people had lived in simple timber cottages in the last decades of the nineteenth century. These cottages were functional and utilitarian in design and were universal as dwellings for the lower middle class. 

By 1920, greater sophistication and affluence provided the opportunity for many to own a more substantial home. The acute housing shortage after World War 1 prompted improved housing for many, encouraging detached houses and led to the emergence of specific architectural styles common to the period. The best known and most popular of the inter war house styles were the type known as the "Bungalow ". Bungalow really referred to a detached single story dwelling, but it also became connected with several different styles, the most common being the Californian Bungalow. This came in several different characters, and many builders used a variety of hybrid styles, with differing detail to vary the generally economic basic design. 

The Californian Bungalow actually derived from the West coast of U S A. and was variously adapted for Australia. Generally the style was of a small house with pitched, broad roof and heavy , prominent verandahs supported by large piers of brick, or timber supported by brick columns. 

In Doncaster-Templestowe we are lucky to have a variety of Californian Bungalows in good condition. One in particular, "Caringa" in Monkton Rd Templestowe (Alternate spelling "Monckton") is a complete and most typical example of the style. It has major and minor gables with a verandah the width of the house in the angle of the minor gable. Many of this style of bungalow were decorated with roughcast or render and the Monkton Rd house has timber shingles on the gables so typical of the style. The four verandah posts are of brick, and support upper fretwork in timber. To add to the attraction of this 1920 house, is a period garden in the usual style of the era with a wire and timber fence and wire gate with straight path leading to the front door. The State Bank provided a design service for those who wanted to avail themselves of a bank loan. Or returned soldiers could buy a house built by the War Service Homes Commission to one of a variety of designs. 

A simple timber house with wide gable roof in Park Rd Donvale, is believed to be of this type. State Bank Housing Scheme House Type 20 was the most common design, sometimes with double or triple windows, brick balustrade and timber post pairs. 

A late Californian Bungalow house with the usual major and minor gables facing the street was built in Tindal's Rd, Donvale for Walter Aumann. This house has a verandah with concrete Tuscan columns over a solid balustrade and is of interest as a house associated with the well known orchard family. "San Souci" in Elgar Rd is a variety of California Bungalow with some special features. The roof is made of Marseilles terra cotta tiles and the gables are decorated with the timber shingles so popular in the 1920-30s. The large gable on this house forms the extension on a verandah supported on concrete Romanesque twist barley sugar columns on bases of red bricks. The three separate windows adjacent to each other forming one complete window are called triples. 

A beautiful example of a large double fronted Californian Bungalow is in Linton Ave Templestowe. The paintwork is in the correct colours for the period and the minor gable on the roof has some features typical of the inter war period. These are decorative timbering and the use of roughcast rendering on the gable. The fence of brick piers with wire mesh between the piers is probably original to the house and is appropriate to the overall style.

In the 1920-30s, brick houses usually had brick fences, and timber houses timber and wire mesh fences, the latter often for economy to finish off a cheaper timber home. A very interesting example, perhaps the only one in the municipality of a combined shop and residence, is in Yarra St Warrandyte. This house of the 1920 - 30's period is a typical timber house with plain gables facing the street, the minor front one containing the shop front (unused in the 1990s) The shop is of, the usual traditional style with a central door set back from a display window on either side. It is painted in a cream and green combination which was the most popular colour scheme used in inter war houses. The lattice covered section on the side and the balustrade is in keeping with the whole. It is important to research the appropriate colours when restoring a period home of any era, and the larger paint companies have the correct colour chart for each kind of home. During the inter war period, colours generally used were cream and Brunswick green, buff and other stone shades and Indian red, a deep claret colour. In the brown range, Mission or Bungalow Brown were popular, sometimes lightened by Ivory or French grey. Pale coral or light green were other choices. 

Roofs of Californian Bungalows were often of terra cotta tiles or corrugated iron, these often painted green or dark red. In restoration, it is important to regard the house as an entity, with the garden, fences, and path to the front door appropriate in style. The picket fences with decorative tops are generally incorrect for 1920s houses. More correctly, a low brick or stucco covered fence to match the house itself is a better choice. For a timber house, a crimp or woven wire fence with a wire gate is the proper choice. Often, houses of the inter war period had low hedges along the fence each side of the gate. The path in many was of concrete, painted green, going straight up to the front door. Sometimes it was a formal curve, bordered on each side with neat flower beds, planted seasonally with bright coloured annuals. Lawns of buffalo grass, perhaps with a specimen tree or standard rose in the centre formed the nucleus of the front garden. Imported species was the norm, with the emphasis on small flowering shrubs, bulbs, roses and annuals at the lower level. Generally, the enthusiasm for Australian native gardens, apart from the odd small tree or bush was to come at a later date. Car ports are inappropriate for the period. Mostly driveways were at the side of the house, leading to a detached garage with wooden doors set back level with the house rear, close to the back door. To soften the bitumen or gravel drive, a grassed central strip was left in the centre of the driveway. 

A variation on the Californian Bungalow was the Craftsman Bungalow. "Journeys End" in Bridge Rd Bulletin is a fine example of this style in our municipality. The house is two storey, built of timber with a major gable containing a protruding room (once a balcony) under the gable. Typically, shingles cover the upper gables. There is a minor gable on the west side of the house and Marseilles tiles cover the roof. This style of bungalow differs from the more common Californian in so far as Craftsman bungalows are often two storey, incorporating an attic room, sometimes with dormer windows. Instead of the heavy, dominant verandah, giving a squat horizontal line to the house, " Journeys End" has the angled verandah porch common in the more expensive, slightly grander Craftsman bungalows. We are fortunate to have such an attractive example of this style in Doncaster and Templestowe, a rarity here but quite common in Kew and Camberwell. 

Westerfolds Manor in Templestowe is yet another variation of the bungalow type, one of larger and grander proportions. The Manor is a fine example of the English Cottage style bungalow with many of the characteristics of the style which was named after the style of many 1930's era homes in England. This grand house, standing at the top of a hill overlooking Westerfolds Park is seen at its best unobscured by any trees or surrounding foliage. Westerfolds Manor , built in 1936, is an imposing two storey brick house of asymmetrical design. The "L " shaped plan has multi- gables, with a tiled steeply gabled roof and is set off with attractive tall, rather mediaeval chimneys. The windows are double hung pairs with multi pane glass at the top. The whole evokes some of the more modern manor houses seen in the Home Counties of England and the interior reflects the Tudor paneled halls of mediaeval England.  Typical art deco, geometric style plaster moulds decorate the ceilings. The rooms, large and well proportioned are painted white near the ceiling and have lovely timber panelling on the lower walls. No longer a private home, the Manor is a beautiful spot for the headquarters of Melbourne Water's Westerfold Park. The lovely gracious rooms provide a perfect setting for conservation displays and conferences set up by Melbourne Water staff for the interest and education of the public. 

"Wellwood Manor " in Donvale is a superb example of an English or Tudor style bungalow. It has a steeply pitched roof and brick nogging, the brickwork being in a herringbone pattern. There is half timbering on the upper gables, this painted white in a tudor pattern, similar to Westerfolds Manor. The house features a large prominent chimney and decorative diamond patterned leadlights. The fancy brickwork is even carried over on to the side garage. A special feature in the grounds, is a charming little child's playhouse quaintly resembling a medieval cruck barn. It has a tiled roof and upper storey of shaped timber to complement the house and a pretty little diamond paned casement window on the top storey. This is really a child's dream come true ! The house has a lych gate on the street entrance appropriate in this style of home. Originally a lych gate was at the entrance to a church as a resting place for a coffin on its way into the church and later it became a shelter for parishioners. 

Another house style derived from South West U S A, the Spanish Mission type was the style chosen for the Park Orchards Chalet. Originally planned as a clubhouse for a Country Club to be established on the Park Orchards Estate, this grand house was built around 1928. The Chalet has many features of the Spanish Mission Style with the roughcast render walls and tall arched windows. The roughcast effect provides the texture typical of Spanish or Moorish houses in the Mediterranean. The whole is painted white with features picked out in black. Shutters on the outside of the windows invoke visions of sunny Spain where the hot midday sun is repelled by shutters drawn over glass windows. The tessellated tops of shaped chimneys on the Chalet, are a reminder of Spanish and Morrocan mediaeval castles. A more recent addition of the black wrought iron which edges the balconies is sympathetic with the Spanish Mission style. 

These 1920-30s homes, clearly now in a minority among the plethora of houses built in the last forty years, stand out as an interesting reflection of the architectural styles of the times: It is pleasing to see how many of them arc in good condition, obviously cared for by proud owners. Many of these have sought expert advice when contemplating painting or other alterations. This will ensure a sympathetic result in the style of the original house. The presence in any community of a variety of homes from many eras, adds interest and richness to the streetscape. It is to be hoped that these inter war houses will continue to he preserved and cherished for the enjoyment of present and future generations. 

Source: Judith Leaney writing in 1996 09 DTHS Newsletter

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Edwardian or Federation Style Homes

The Federation house was the first distinctively Australian house style. The earlier Georgian and Victorian styles were largely an inheritance of the early British settlers who brought their architectural preferences with them. Often indeed houses were carried on ships, stripped down to portable proportions and re- erected in Australia. Settlers were thus able to set up their homes, complete with Victorian furniture, pictures and carpets as reproductions of the lifestyle they were so used to in England. 

The small worker's cottage made of wattle and daub or rough hewn timber with a wide verandah around the outside, can more accurately be described as the earliest representation of an authentic Australian style of architecture. 

These small homes, however, were often transitory and unplanned, being added to willy nilly as the family grew, and cannot be said to constitute any particular form or style. 

By 1900, the growing middle classes, on the wave of prosperity which accompanied Federation, together with the pride engendered in the proclamation of a new nation - The Commonwealth of Australia - were able to afford a mogri) substantial home. The great Exhibitions of 1880 and 1888 had fostered the push for an Australian identity which had its origins in the Gold Rush of the 1850's. At Federation in 1901 in Australia, as in much of the Western world, a sense of optimism had arisen. Problems, about since the Industrial Revolution, could at last be solved due to technological and scientific advances. The telephone and electricity had been invented and were spreading throughout the country. Transport in particular had improved. Rail links were advancing, the motor car was in its infancy, even powered flight had made a beginning. 

The ability to travel into the city for work by train and tram obviated the need to live in crowded inner suburban terraces, which by 1990 were sinking into slums. Town planning schemes were mooted, many designed as garden suburbs centred around tramlines. These were purely residential zonings consisting of brick houses with tiled roofs, complete with gardens and wide tree lined streets with nature strips. As sewers were gradually replacing the old pan system, there was no need for rear lanes. Central shopping centres were planned and the old style corner shop had no place in the sparkling new subdivisions. Generally the growing middle classes embraced this new concept and the quarter acre block with detached house and garden which has become a symbol of the Australian way of life, was born. 

The Federation style of architecture is rather a mish mash. Borrowing elements from Queen Anne, the Arts and Crafts movement, and Art Nouveau styles, nevertheless the Federation house developed a style which is uniquely Australian. 

The Arts and Crafts movement in particular with its emphasis on craftsmanship, use of regional materials and a certain rusticity, had an influence on houses built in the first two decades of the twentieth century. The swing away from the heavily ornamented grand and somewhat sombre Victorian house led to the romantic and picturesque Federation house. There are many examples of the more ornate Federation style homes in the older suburbs of Kew and Hawthorn. Roofs featuring gables, dormer windows, turrets and corner towers (often called candlesnuffers) abound. 

In Doncaster and Templestowe, the examples of Federation style houses are more subdued as befitted a rural area where the homestead was usually a farmhouse situated on a large orchard acreage. Many of these feature the open verandah around the house as a protection from the sun and to catch the breeze. 

"Morialta" the home of John and Emily Read, the orcharding family in Templestowe, is an example of the transitional style from the Victorian to Edwardian period. Many houses show characteristics of overlapping periods. Often new styles are slow to take on, as people generally are conservative and unwilling to embrace unfamiliar ideas. The Read home is an asymmetrical timber house with Victorian Italianate features, but the use of beautiful timber fretwork on verandah brackets and the general use of decorative timber is very characteristic of Federation style. 

The Manse of Trinity Lutheran Church, Victoria Street Doncaster. Built in 1909.

The Trinity Lutheran Manse in Victoria St Doncaster is a classic example of a Federation home built in the first decade of this century. Said to have been designed by A B Koch who designed the neighbouring church, the house has many features of the Federation style.  Red bricks were used in the construction of the Manse. One of the main changes from Victorian style to Edwardian was the use of rich earth coloured brickwork. In contrast to the grey stucco covered walls of many Victorian buildings, the down to earth honesty of ruddy tones, was typical of the Romantic Federation period. The Manse has a corrugated iron roof with gable bays projecting each way. The gable ends are decorated with the timber fretwork beloved of Federation architects. Scroll brackets have hanging barge boards embellished with timber motifs in a chrysanthemum design. The roof has a gambrel, or small crest at the ridge with terra cotta cresting and finials. Decorative brickwork distinguishes the chimneys. Curved valances on the verandahs between the turned timber posts typify the Federation style which emphasised rounded shapes in direct contrast to the geometric precision of the Victorian style. 

The Edwardian timber house north of the Doncaster and Williamson Rd junction, formerly the home of the orchardist Otto Bloom is at risk, due to its proximity to commercial development. Surrounded by factories and offices, it has lost some verandah features since the Heritage Study was written. The house is built of timber, with a hip roof and two projecting gables. A side window has a skillion hood. The angle verandah is decorated with a valance with curved timber and rails. Some of these have been removed or have collapsed. This use of curved timber was very popular in Federation architecture and gives a pleasant decorative appearance to the facade. 

Source: Judith Leaney writing in 1995 03 DTHS Newsletter

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Edwardian or Federation Style Homes

A particular feature of many Federation roofs was the use of terra cotta Marseilles tiles. The tile had won a medal at Melbourne's Centenary Exhibition in 1888. The bright red tile was somewhat slow to achieve popularity, but by the turn of the century was a favourite with architects and builders. It had been invented by Galardon Bros of Alsace France and was imported in large quantities by the firm of Wunderlich. All decorative terracotta work during the Federation era was an unglazed apricot colour. The Wunderlich catalogue contained a variety of finials and decorated gargoyles together with delicate crested ridge capping in many designs. After World War 1, shipping curtailment forced Wunderlich into local production in a factory at Brunswick where millions of tiles were made. 

"Yarra Lodge" formerly Hemsworth House, in Yarra St Warrandyte was built in 1906 for the Blair family. The house then known as Koh-i-Noor is a delightful example of the Federation style.  Built of timber, it is a triple fronted house painted cream and green, a suitable colour combination of the era. The roof is of Marseilles tiles, with full crested ridge capping in terra cotta tiles. The finial on the edge was known as "Ram's Horn" a very popular design of the period, widely used. 

The turned timber posts on the verandah are fitted between a valance of cast iron in a fancy design. An appropriate garden is fenced off by a wooden picket fence painted cream and grey blue, again an excellent choice. 

Fierce dragons and other gargoyles were popular as finial decoration but local flavour was introduced by using designs of gumnuts, kangaroos and emus. The Melbourne firm of Rocke and Co were foremost in the production of these patriotic emblems. 

There is a beautiful Edwardian house on the corner of Mitcham and Ruby St Donvale. It is a triple fronted house with gables facing the front and side. A very pretty minor gable is at the front corner above a corner window.  This is decorated with a turned timber finial. The verandah is a continuation of the roof and has a delightful fretwork design frieze along its length. The paintwork is very appropriate in its use of lemon yellow and white which is continued in the garage and outhouses at the rear. The whole is set in an attractive period garden which provides privacy and acts as a noise barrier.

The influence of Art Nouveau decoration can be seen on the porch of River Clay shop in Yarra St. Warrandyte. Art Nouveau was a movement early in  the century to lay emphasis on curved flowing lines as  opposed to traditional styles of architecture, on Victorian and earlier buildings.  The River Clay building is small, with a front facing gable porch, decorated with roughcast with a fretwork valance curved in the Art Nouveau manner. A balustrade in timber finishes off the attractive front porch. 

There is no particular time when one style ceases and  another takes its place. A transitional or over lapping  period exists, as some owners are always anxious to  embrace new architectural styles and others cling to  the older more familiar style. The Edwardian style gradually gave way to the Inter-War bungalow types  as costs increased and the m elaborate roof styling  and decoration became prohibitive financially. An example of this transitional period, is a house in Foote St Templestowe. This house is the usual hip roofed Edwardian timber style with minor gables on  both sides. Roughcast with timber decoration is on the upper gables. The unusual feature here is the use of barge boards curved as in a Japanese pagoda on the  front of the house. These were a feature of the Japanese bungalow variation of the bungalow types  built during the 1920 - 30 period. 

Source: Judith Leaney writing in 1995 06 DTHS Newsletter 

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Heritage Revisited

In 1990, the City of Manningham, or Doncaster and Templestowe as it was then, commissioned a Heritage Study to be made to identify buildings, areas and plantings of significance which remain in the municipality. Contex P/L led by Christine Johnson, with the help of the two historical societies in the city, completed this study and it was presented to the council and ratepayers in 1991.

Since that time, other houses, and stands of trees have been identified and will be added in an amended report at a later date. A similar study of Wonga Park is at present in production and will be launched later in 1997.

To give a email financial assistance to the owners of the properties named in the report, a Heritage Fund has been set up and many property owners have successfully applied for and received small grants to improve their houses or to receive advice on appropriate treatments. Time does not stand still, and since that time we have sadly lost several homes listed in the 1991 report. But the good news is that many people, encouraged by the interest shown in their homes, have completed beautiful appropriate alterations, repainted in suitable colours, and are proudly more aware of the heritage value of their properties.

"Heimat", the lovely old homestead in George St near the Reischiecks Sporting Reserve, is recognised by the council as a valuable heritage property, and will be retained. Its future is problematical, but it will possibly be leased to a tenant and thus kept permanently as a City of Manningham property.

The Corbett home in Doncaster Rd, west of Shoppingtown, was to have been purchased by a prestige car company. This plan, appears to have fallen through but it is being restored by consultants who wish to restore it to its original condition. At present we have no more details, but it seems certain that the house remain and will be even more attractive than it is at the present. Council last month asked the Historical Society for photographs of the building before the verandah was removed so that the restored verandah would be correct. We were able to supply photographs of the other Corbett houses showing the same style of verandah.

The old Sheahan home in Templestowe was to have been sold and the site turned into a restaurant, but according to the latest reports, the house has been moved to the rear of the large block on which it stands. The rest of the area will be subdivided, but it seems as if the house itself is safe. We hope to have further information on this house later.

As an Historical Society, we are saddened to read of the loss of precious houses and areas of significance which tell us something of our past, but overjoyed that many people in our community have an increased awareness of the importance of our cultural heritage.

Source: 1997 03 DTHS Newsletter