2 January 2026

The first block of Mitford Street St Kilda has a good collection of interwar flats, many with the names quite prominent.

Ive found some details as follows : Oberon, 1933, Harry R Johnson, great brickwork; Rayson, probably late 1930s; Greenmoun(t?), probably early 1930s, I like the stylised Tudor effects; Marlo, 1930, a bit Deco a bit Old English; Rialto, very plain vaguely Spanish presumably 1930s; and Burnam, 1918, one of those early blocks in Edwardian/Arts & Crafts style, with fun external stairs, by WA Tombs; Reigate, 1939, nice Deco, though I didn’t see the name anywhere; and some 20s flats that looks like a house.

There’s some not bad postwar flats too, the one with arches is 1970, architect Norman Roth, and a larger plainer one in two blocks with nice planting between. A case of how to do medium density I guess, lots of people housed along here, all built at a time when it didn’t matter if they just looked at each other, or across someone’s back yard. And the prewar ones have no or little parking, but it’s 100m from the 96 and a bus out front that goes the Brighton, following the route of a lost tram line. They’ve all got nice front gardens, which makes for a pleasant street.

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