7 October 2024

What we’re looking at here might be basically 1843, under the 1920s roughcast, which makes it pretty bloody early for Melbourne ! (with the slight possibility that the multi pane windows are original too). This is the corner of Acland and St Leonards Ave in St Kilda, where solicitor David Ogilvy built a house after buying a plot at the first land sales in 1842, calling it Apsley House. He may have also built the two attached terraces, but they were certainly there by 1854 (as per the plan with the materials colour coded). Another terrace, no 22, was added by 1894. There are a few other early hints like the bluestone steps, and inside the first one (no 18) there’s a stair balustrade that looks very early Victorian. The plan of the next one (no 20) still has that peculiar angled inset rear wing, but the rest of it is very altered, having later been two flats, and now a single house again. But really I mainly like this row for its Arts & Crafts renovation, which is probably early 1920s, those angled buttresses and angled bay windows, some nice lead light, and in no 18 a lovely sunroom, and a great scrolled wrought iron entry screen. It’s a bit unusual that the houses were just given a new look rather than converted to flats. I couldn’t find any sales or rent ads for the original house, which might have more early bits inside. Info from ‘Movers Shakers & Money Makers’, a history of early St Kilda.

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