Chevy Chase and Ratho Park were built in 1881 only 100m from each other in Brighton by the two partners of Thompson & Niven book importers, sellers and publishers (business must’ve been good). Very curious, but presumably good friends, met on the boat out from Scotland only 8 years before when Andrew Thompson was barely … Continue reading Matching mansions ! →

Ive no idea what this was built as, looks sort of like a church hall, but no church nearby - but it’s nice. Definitely Edwardian. It’s just off the Armstrong Street shops in #MiddlePark. Update : thanks @anthgram for finding that in 1915 it was the #churchhall for the Methodist Church, which is on the … Continue reading A very stylish church hall in Middle Park. →

At the @library_vic just evidence of yet another bushfire, William Strutt’s huge canvas depicting Black Thursday, 6 Feb, 1851; burning an estimated 5 mill hectares, they were the worst fires until 1939, then 1983, then 2009, now 2019/20, burnt 6 mill hectares (by 8 Jan) so obviously accelerating ☹️. Black Thursday took place in one … Continue reading The bushfires of 1851 are no longer the biggest. →

4 January 2020 OMG isn’t this amazing ? I thought this was both beautiful and bizarre - a costume representing electricity (see the pylon headdress ?) worn by Jessie Clarke (nee’ Brookes) at the Pageant of Nations held at the Melb Town Hall as part of the celebrations for the #CentenaryOfVictoria. It’s at the @state_library_victoria … Continue reading A history of brown coal. →

The #MiddleParkHotel is one of those pubs that’s bigger than a lot of others, more than just a pub really - and also rather less decorated, which is surprising because it’s by #WSLaw, who did some great ornate OTT designs in the #landboom years, including the very grand Grand Hotel in Albert Park which opened … Continue reading Middle Park Hotel, 1889 →

Imagine my delight in finding that concrete pioneer #LeslieMPerrott’s own 1924 house in Newbay Crescent, Brighton is still there ! ...or is it ... nope, replaced in 2016 by a house that takes up the whole block of course, by McKimm architects, interestingly it’s #NeoBrutalist, so the concrete is visible now - and it’s better … Continue reading Another one down in Brighton ☹️ →

A set of once matching single-fronted cottages in #MiddlePark - there are actually a lot of these around but they are obscured by the various alterations over the years, in this case only 2 are unpainted but both have high brick fences and only 1 still has the slate roof. A third one has horribly … Continue reading Matchy matchy Victorian cottages. →

First posted Instagram 6 January 2020 The 1906 #MiddleParkStation has finally been rebuilt having been destroyed by fire in early 2018; it was a very popular cafe #mart130, but those operators couldn’t wait this long to get back, so I guess it’s up for lease ? Not quite finished, yet to put back the verandah, … Continue reading Rising from the ashes in Middle Park – though not completely….. →