18 April 2021

14-16 Isabella Grove, Hawthorn, which I posted this day in 2019 when the ‘Victorian’ stair was up for sale due to big renovations by a new owner – but it seems the stair was/is 1990s (unless from some other Victorian house), because even though it was billed as an original house in the #StJamesParkEstate dating from 1898, it’s more like 1998. That’s why it’s not #heritagelisted at all – when they did the listings the house had been transformed into a block of flats (or replaced?). Then it was restored (or built from scratch), reportedly using the original plans, though not exactly, because the 1896 #BoardOfWorks plan shows it was a pair of houses, not one house, and no indication of towers. They don’t seem to have tried too hard with the interiors, rather plain if they were going for Victoriana. Currently undergoing the renovation.

Update February 2025:

One of the architects that worked on the reconstruction tells me that the Victorian houses were more or less still there, but very altered, in fact looked like a cream brick block of flats. The client was very difficult and went through five architects, and ultimately, what was left was largely demolished, retaining only the footprint at the front. The reconstruction was based on an old photograph, and was completed around 2000, and now I look closely there isnt much Victorian detailing, except the tower roofs. The verandah balustrade was reproduced from a piece found in a back shed, and it’s quite elegant and unusual.

Photos October 2025

April 2025

There were no bids for the stair, which looking closely lacks a definite Victorian level of detail. Just after that the the owner, Countess Rosie (hubby Keith Rous is a British Earl) said it would probably be demolished to allow for a big dining room. The house has since been renovated with a big new extension by @robertsimeoniarchitects, and his website shows a new courtyard and trademark minimalist dark brooding interiors, with no sign of the stair. But since it’s not original, never mind. Goes to show how Victoriana is now very much out of fashion; instead, grey warehouse style minimalism is so popular that even Victorian houses are being remade to fit.

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