8 June 2025
Toorak House in St George’s Road, now the Swedish Church, isn’t a huge house but it’s surprisingly old, and pretty important.
It was built 1850-1, that’s just before the goldrush, on a 47ha, everything between Orrong and Kooyong and Toorak Roads and the river (!). It was one of the first houses in the area, which soon after was generally known as Toorak. It was probably designed by James Blackburn, and was the first really good effort at Italianate, with a little tower off centre, and a single storey verandah on two sides.
In 1855 it was rented to house the new Governor of Victoria, Sir Charles Hotham, and so immediately everyone wanted Italianate, with a tower (well, it was already popular). The governors left in 1876 for the huge new Government House, also Italianate, and it reverted to a private house. Some time after the 1860s it gained an upper level verandah, and an extra bit of tower, which it has since lost again.
In 1956, when the nice interior photos were taken, it was sold to the Swedish Church, and a room created to form a chapel, and that’s what it still is, so anyone can go ! I havnt though, these are all other peoples images, the old ones from @library_vic.
Storey of Melbourne 