8 October 2019 I poo-pooed the #greening of the city’s #laneways as unnecessary and maybe detracting from their gritty urban quality, but actually it’s quite nice, and it’s still gritty. This is #GuildfordLane, the once unknown now totally hip laneway off queen st. Update 2024: The first 4 pics are recent, borrowed from Facebook, showing … Continue reading Greening Guildford Lane →

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 … Continue reading St Kilda, very early, well disguised →

5 October 2024: The old School of National Philosophy extension at Melbourne Uni is in a very interesting style that’s broadly Art Deco but the diagonal verticals lend a suitably Gothic flavour, all in cream brick laid in a variety of ways. Designed by Percy Everett, chief of the PWD, just about everything he did … Continue reading Natural Philosophy is Gothic, naturally →

5 October 2014: #modernism and #gumtrees at the #baillieulibrary at #melbourneuniversity, a very long facade of rather typical curtain wall, but impressive. Designed by the office of JD Scarborough, it was actually built in two stages, with the southern part completed 1959, which has nice double height spaces and an interesting 1/2 spiral stair; the … Continue reading Baillieu Library →

4 October 2024 There was a fuss on St Kilda Facebook pages about this elec box plonked right in front of the Palais, so local artist Colin Shepard saved the day by painting it (a bit daggy pseudo art deco though), which looks a bit better, though it’s not exactly on axis anyway. No idea … Continue reading Palias forecourt →

4 October 2015: Ignore the big ad and cluttered shop windows and you can see an interesting little shop/offices from c1971, half behind a tree in Elizabeth Street opposite the GPO. Lots of detail when you stop to look, like projecting first floor display window, which leans out, with inset corners and tiled edges to … Continue reading In Orbit →

3 October 2013: The mail was once Royal. Double #postbox, I think the only one like it in #victoria. 1920s. Outside the town hall, #swanstonstreet. Update : I wrote an article on ‘Pillar Post Boxes’ for the @nationaltrustvic in 2000, noting there were only about 200 left, many disused, and Australia Post had a policy … Continue reading Post box, double →

30 September 2024 George Mateers Victoria Bakery, Johnston Street, Collingwood, 1888. Quite a statement for a baker, but that’s what they did in those days. The designer was Norman Hitchcock, whose style was quite unusual and often very elaborate, with unique elements which means you can spot them, like the stumpy pilasters, with brackets on … Continue reading Ornate bakery →

30 September 2024 Denton Hat Mills, Nicholson Street, Abbotsford, a wonderful huge wall of late Victorian polychrome brick. Designed by the versatile and prolific William Pitt, seems built in stages, two storeys by 1883, three by 1888. Apparently rare as a clothing factory powered by steam, but I think steam was also/mainly used to shape … Continue reading Big polychrome wall →

29 September 2024 Rusty remnant on Punt Road, near Bridge, photographed in Nov 2017; great overgrown garden. Untouched since perhaps the 60s, no sale or rent ads I can find.