Category: victorian
First posted instagram January 24, 2020 This curious building in the middle of St Vincent's Hospital on Victoria Parade was built as the Hall of Science in 1889 by the Australian Secular Association, a pretty radical organisation who lectured on 'freethought', which was basically seen as anti-religious - and they had their meetings on Sundays. … Continue reading The Hall of Science, haunt of 1880s radicals.
#FootscrayCityPrimarySchool, which I think is pretty cute, a madly squished up collection of #Tudor features, built 1887, added to the more typically spreading rectangular 1877 earlier part, set back from the street. Both parts seem to have all original windows, which is rare. I’ve put the 1960s photo first because of that #poorlyplacedtree. I think … Continue reading Picturesque Footscray City Primary, 1877 + 1887.
A lovely well preserved #melbourneterrace, with original #tuckpointed #polychromebrick, all reasonably typical, except the #castironlace balustrade panels, very heavy floral, complete with fruit (?), but with curving sides, leaving some space, rather than more straight side, or joining up to create a continuous pattern. The same iron is also on another house around the corner, … Continue reading Some florid cast iron, South Melbourne
Repost 2020: Just got the 1983 book Australian Iron Lace (published in Sydney so I’d never heard of it) and the first street I look at - Ward Street, South Melb, near the market - about half the terraces have the same cast iron, though the houses themselves are different. So clearly after the first … Continue reading Six houses, same cast iron, Ward St, South Melbourne.
‘Shandon’ sits majestically on #BeaconsfieldParade near Fitzroy St #StKilda, looking might fine. Built 1885, no architect, but the unusual ‘uneven arcading’ is supposedly inspired by Pistoia Cathedral, but this is actually way more uneven. Also interesting that it’s built like a mini-palace, with the main rooms on the first floor up a grand staircase, with … Continue reading Intentionally uneven arches on Beaconsfield Parade
The poor old 1888 #SpurlingHouse in Brighton has been in the news again; this is a photo I took last year, this is what happens if there’s a fire just after you buy it, you refuse to spend the $1.5 mill insurance on repairs and instead spend it on a bunch of experts who argue … Continue reading Spurling House Brighton saved from demolition but not actually saved yet.
This #bandstand in the #GrattanGardens in #Prahran was built in ... nobody knows, just ‘late 19th century’. Very interesting #castiron, almost #MoorishStyle, from the Alhambra, but the #corrugatediron roof rather detracts from the elegance, though it was at least originally green. It’s been moved a couple of times, in the process lost the balustrades (pic … Continue reading Exotic cast iron bandstand in Prahran
The refurbished #QueensHall at the #StateLibraryVictoria looks amazing, all that delicate plaster detail highlighted by pale paint, and the fabbo #fishscale #skylights reinstated; hard to believe it’s been 16 years since it closed (due to fire risk/exits), and what a change from the 1970s green and cream scheme. It now looks much as it did … Continue reading Queen Hall at the State Library looks lovely
Pleased to see the refurbished and reopened #QueensHall at the #StateLibraryVictoria has the original furniture! Which I now see are at least 3 different designs, but all nicely old, varnished and worn. complete with old graffiti. They're on the sides when they used to be all in the middle, with book stacks on the sides- … Continue reading Queens Hall at the State Library has some great old furniture, and lots of empty space.
2 January 2020 Sun Blest - so very #instagrammable - this #VictorianVilla in #BlessingtonStreet, #StKilda shows what was left after (presumably) a built-in verandah was removed, with the internal paint left. But it also has 50s wrought-iron and funny crazy paved stepped walls, shouldn’t be there if it was built in ....maybe artfully rearranged ? … Continue reading Sun Blest, so cute.
If the Nazi's never took power, would Berlin have Europe's tallest skyscraper and East Prussia be a honeymoon destination ?
Storey of Melbourne 