The house my grandfather built in 1946-7 on the corner of Percy and Gordon Street, #Balwyn – still there ! And much smaller than I remember. Takes up so little of the block. Pretty sure there were far more trees, it looks rather sad. Nice combo of vaguely Georgian and Modern. I remember Grandpa said having windows that went so low was a bit radical Lounge and dining to the left, main bed in the right. One bathroom. Very neat. They had great pull down stripy blinds, now there’s nothing. The woodwork was a bright 50s blue, the garage blue and white chequerboard. The high timber ‘back garden’ fence with rescued cast-iron panels he put up in the 70s still there. But no trees at all. The street used to be all small interwar brick villas or timber cal bungs, hardly any left, the one right across the street is another Tuscan/French/Georgian just built where I think my German relatives lived, their son married my mothers sister (and the mothers in law did not get along !). Many get togethers with the cousins here. My grandfather died 1977, and grandma lived here till her stroke in 1986.

I’ve found photos mum took in 1988 after my grandmother went into a nursing home – my aunt has just written up her memories of growing up there in the 1950s, and it was still pretty much still just as she described it, down to the radio and canisters on the kitchen shelf. Though in the 70s my grandfather apparently got into antiques, which replaced earlier furniture. They had separate beds, which used to be common I think. The door knobs were rather elaborate Regency things. And while nearly all the bungalows around it have been replaced by horridly pretentious mini French chateaux, it’s still there.

And a photo mum took c1956:

Oh I see now it was all white originally- wonder when they added the blue?

I’ve got the original blueprints, which mum also kept ! By architect Vincent Ward, of 422 Collins Street, dated Nov 1946. I’ve redrawn the plan to make it clearer. It was modest, vaguely Georgian, big garden, with a sort of grand entry stairs.

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