HISTORY Templestowe is a planned settlement, a colonising village in the bush situated along an east-west ridge with a north facing slope to the Yarra and its river flats.
The township of Templestowe was laid out in 1852 by the surveyor Henry Foote, bound by the present-day streets Foote, Anderson and Porter and the Yarra River. In November of that year grazing leases were cancelled, and the land designated for the new village, sold off in small lots. The site was well chosen for its elevation above the river valley, its sunny aspect and its access to water.
However, the settlement did not thrive as an urban centre. Instead it continues as a residential suburb distinguished by its grid street pattern; its topography with gently undulating east-west streets and steeply sloping north-south streets; its street formation with gravel edges and wide grassed verges; its mature plantings of exotic tree species including Monterey Pines and Cypresses; and its contact with the river valley.
Several older buildings remain, notably the Templestowe Hotel and Sheahan's house. These places are listed separately in this report.
The street layout is of local interest as an element of the early survey remaining visible in a suburban landscape.
HOUSE 4 Parker Street, Templestowe
The house at 4 Parker Street, Templestowe is a simple double-fronted cottage with rendered walls on a high stone plinth. It has a tall hipped roof with no eaves and there is an internal red brick chimney with a corbelled top. There is a spruce tree at the front.
Alterations include external rendering, skillion additions at rear and side, a metal awning at the entry, security shutters and aluminium-framed windows. The clinker brick front fence with wrought iron gate dates from c.1930.
Condition Fair Integrity Altered - minor modificati
Place No. 374
Threats Key elements
Last Update 22/06/2005
Designer
Building
Tree(s)
Redevelopment
The site of this cottage in Crown Allotment 7 Section 25, Township of Templestowe was once part of a much larger piece of land in Allotments 5, 6, 7 and 9 owned in 1862 by James Hornby. Allotments 5, 6 and 7 extended between Parker and Foote Streets and Allotment 9 was on the south-east corner of Union and Foote Streets (1). The present cottage at 4 Parker Street was thought to date from the 1860s and to have been depicted in the 1866 Buvelot painting, 'Summer Afternoon, Templestowe' (2). However, a recent rate book search carried out by Ken Smith of the Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society suggests that the cottage was most probably built in 1887-88 for Alexander Calder, tailor, of Elizabeth Street, Melbourne (3).
In 1881, James Hornby was listed as owner of vacant land at Templestowe occupied by Johanna Sullivan, valued at 5 pounds (4). The following year, Johanna Sullivan, farmer, still occupied the land with a valuation of only 3 pounds (5). In 1884, Crown Allotments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 in Section 25 were acquired by Robert H. Howlett, dealer, of Westgarth Street, Fitzroy (6). Howlett sold the property in March 1885 to Alexander Calder, tailor, of Elizabeth Street, Melbourne (7).
A rate book search confirmed that the property continued as vacant land. In 1887, Alexander Calder, storekeeper, was rated for 8 allotments valued at 8 pounds (8). A house was recorded for the first time in May 1888 when Calder was rated for a house and three and a half acres at Templestowe valued at 102 pounds, a substantial valuation (9). The rate book entries remained the same in 1889 and 1890 (10). By 1897 Calder's house and 4 acres at Templestowe were valued at 45 pounds (11).
Alexander Calder died on 17 July 1917 (12). By March 1918, Crown Allotments 5,6,7 and 9 were owned by Letitia McClelland Calder (13). In April 1918, Letitia sold Crown Allotment 7 (the site of 4 Parker Street) to Linda Johnston, who retained ownership until her death in 1957 (14).
The township of Templestowe was laid out in 1852 by the surveyor Henry Foote. It was bound by the present-day streets Foote, Anderson and Porter and the Yarra River. In November of that year grazing leases were cancelled, and the land designated for the new village, sold off in small lots.
The site was well chosen for its elevation above the river valley, its sunny aspect and its access to water. However, the settlement did not thrive as an urban centre and only a small number of houses and buildings were constructed in the nineteenth century. The area remained predominantly rural until the post-war period when suburban development finally began to fill up the township lots that had remained vacant for over a century.
Today, this house is one of only six surviving nineteenth century buildings in the Templestowe Township reserve and one of only two houses. The others are the Templestowe Hotel at 23-29 Parker Street, the house at 103 James Street, the former Templestowe Presbyterian Church in Atkinson Street, the former Templestowe State School, and the former Templestowe Mechanics' Institute (now very altered and situated at the back of the Templestowe Memorial Hall). Another c.1890 house at 17-21 Parker Street identified by the 1991 study has been demolished.
(10 Township of Templestowe, E.Gilks, 15 May 1862; Certificate of Title Vol 414 Fol 617.
(2) Richard Peterson. Letter to Manningham City Council, 20 Feb. 2000.
(3) Shire of Bulleen Rate Book 1887, No. 77 and a half; Ibid 1888, No.12.
(4) Ibid 1881, No.107.
(5) Ibid.1882, No. 108.
(6) Certificate of Title Vol 1615 Fol 846.
(7) Certificate of Title Vol 1671 Fol 079.
(8) Shire of Bulleen Rate Book 1887,No. 77 and a half. These allotments would have been Allotments 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 9.
(9) Ibid, 1888, No.12.
(10).Ken Smith’s research
(11) Shire of Templestowe Rate Book 1897, No.10.
(12) Certificate of Title Vol 1671 Fol 079.
(13) Certificate of Title Vol 4108 Fol 443.
(14) Certificate of Title Vol 4114 Fol 616.
Associations: Alexander Calder
What is Significant?
The house, constructed in 1888, at 4 Parker Street, Templestowe.
How is it Significant?
The cottage at 4 Parker Street, Templestowe is of local historic significance to Manningham City.
Why is it Significant?
The cottage at 4 Parker Street, Templestowe has local historic significance as one of a small number of surviving nineteenth-century buildings that demonstrate the early development of the Templestowe township reserve. Although very altered, it nonetheless retains its simple cottage form and is recognisable as an early building within the area. (RNE criteria A.4, B.2 and D.2)
Conservation Management
In order to conserve the heritage significance of this place, it is recommended that the following conservation objectives, as appropriate, be given priority in the future maintenance, development or management of the place:
1. Conserve the fabric of the building/s or other built elements, which is identified as contributing to the significance of the place. This includes the original fabric as well as fabric that may demonstrate important successive stages in the historic development
2. Discourage the demolition of significant or contributory buildings unless the demolition is only of part of the building and it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the responsible authority that, as appropriate:
- The fabric to be removed is not significant, or
- The fabric to be removed is not of primary significance and its removal will not adversely affect the significance of the place, or
- It will assist in the long term conservation of the place, or
- It will facilitate the historic use of the place and will not result in the loss of fabric considered to be primary significance.
Note: The poor condition or low integrity of a heritage place should not be used as justification for its demolition, particularly if it appears the condition of the heritage place has deliberately been allowed to deteriorate.
3. Where there is a complex of buildings and other elements the aim should be to conserve or reveal the historic visual relationship between the buildings and other elements in order to demonstrate the historical use and/or layout of the place.
4. Conserve significant plantings on the property, and maintain a visual relationship between the plantings and the significant buildings on the property.
5. Encourage the removal of non-significant or intrusive elements, particularly where this would assist in understanding or interpreting the significance of the place.
6. Ensure that the siting and design of new development does not overwhelm the historic setting of the building and the site as a whole by becoming a dominant element or by interfering with key views to and from the site.
7. Encourage any new development on the property to relate and be complementary in form, scale and materials to the significant buildings and other elements, but be clearly contemporary in design.
8. Retain views of significant building(s) and plantings from the street.
9. In the case of subdivision of the property, encourage the retention of the significant buildings, trees and related elements on one lot.
NOTE:
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this citation is accurate, it is possible that more detailed investigation may reveal further information about the significance of the place. For example, in most cases an internal inspection was not made of buildings at the time of initial assessment. In the time since the place was first assessed it is also possible that the condition of buildings or trees may have changed.
The information contained in this citation should therefore be reviewed at the time that it is proposed to make changes to the property. This would likely require a more detailed assessment of any significant or contributory element that is affected by any proposed buildings or works. Once this more detailed assessment has been made, a review of the significance of the place should be carried out by Council’s Heritage Adviser or an appropriately qualified professional.
