November 2018
My favourite bit of #streetscape in #Melbourne, a whole strip of crunchy, masonry facades, all #ragtrade #warehouses built 1898-1940. It’s the south side of #FlindersLane looking west from #SwanstonStreet. Everything is under the 99ft #heightlimit (the limit on the big streets was higher, 132ft- that limit was reimposed in 1982 thankfully). So the north side is still low too, and in summer the sun gets right in !
Flinders Lane developed with huge warehouses early on, which then became largely rag trade by 1900. Many more places were built specifically for the trade, as warehouses or light manufacturing. To maximise space and light they were usually built with a half basement, so the ground floor was up some stairs, and often there was a lane to one side, with the goods lift at the back.
More pics 2026, including a few in detail. The south side all date from after the Great Fire of 1897 and include : Bible House, 1897, Sargood Warehouse (Ross House) 1899, and a warehouse from 1900 now housing the @cityofmelbournelibraries.
On the north side there’s Manchester House, 1912, and Flinders House, a grand edifice from 1870, with an Art Deco makeover of the ground level from 1928 (no idea what the MS stands for). This included an arcade inside, L shaped into Manchester Lane, but I don’t think it was a success.
Colourised pic is Flinders House in 1951, next shows it in 1883 (in the middle of three same height), and last pic is after the fire looking to the lane from Flinders Street, showing a bit of Flinders House, and the scale of the buildings.
Storey of Melbourne 