The Terraces are two single storey houses
in a row of four in Carlton, Victoria.
Only a few blocks from gregarious Lygon
Street, the Terraces are in an excellent position to catch
the eyes of motoring tourists, foot travelers and inquisitive
neighbours. The Terraces were originally built in 1866. Some
hasty renovations, carried out in the 1960s and 1970s, combined
with subsequent neglect, make these two houses what they
are today: renovator delights.
About the area
Carlton is distinctive among Melbourne's
Victorian inner suburbs because of its geometrical regular
street and sub-divisional pattern, and because of the homogeneity
of much of its built form. The historical value of Carlton
has now been officially recognised.
The northern half of Carlton has an extraordinary
cohesiveness of built form, characterised by rows of terraces
of solid, austere construction. It began to be developed
in 1870, after the establishment of the Melbourne General
Cemetery (moved here in the early 1850s from the site now
occupied by the Victoria Market) and after the reservation
of Princes Park. Both North Carlton and Princes Hill were
developed in accordance with a government survey that laid
down a rigid grid-pattern road system and left few options
for further subdivision.
The distinctive historic and architectural
character of Carlton, North Carlton and Princes Hill makes
it an important part of Australia's heritage worthy of preservation.
It is essential that any new development or alteration continues
the tradition of sympathetic design and materials to enhance
the quality of this historic area.
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Character of Carlton
In 1837, a map of Melbourne showed the
area now occupied by South Carlton as 'highly wooded' and
North Carlton and Princes Hill as 'wooded'. By 1855, when
Kearney produced his plan of Melbourne and its suburbs, the
street pattern of South Carlton (to Grattan Street) had been
established, and the boundaries (Sydney Road, Brunswick Road
and Nicholson Street) formed. The northeast corner of Carlton
was occupied by quarries and a stockade was located close
to the present site of Lee Primary School. Apart from the
built-up South Carlton area, the remainder of the municipality
was still wooded. In 1856, Carlton became the Smith Ward,
a separate ward for the Melbourne City Council, named after
infamous mayor, John Thomas Smith. Despite agitation a few
years later for the separation of Carlton as an independent
municipality, the area has always remained under control
of Melbourne City Council with only the northern boundary
shifting from Brunswick Road to Park Street.
South West Carlton
Surveyor Robert Hoddle laid out the first
part of Carlton in 1852 when he surveyed the area north of
Victoria Street to Grattan Street and east of Elizabeth Street
(the Sydney Road) to Rathdowne Street. This area was planned
as an extension of the city proper.
Industries developed in the southern part
of this locality. Large bluestone brewery buildings and flour
mills were landmarks in the 1860s. Intermingled with these
developments were small cottages - mostly timber - and rows
of cheap terrace houses. Along the larger streets in particular,
these timber dwellings were soon replaced by predominantly
double story brick terraces and shops.
The land north of Carlton Gardens to Neill
Street was subdivided in the early 1860s and quickly developed,
with allotments close to the university being the first sold.
As in south west Carlton, reserves for ornamental enclosures - Macarthur
Square and Murchison Square - were laid out and soon planted
with avenues of English trees. Small hotels were dotted throughout
the area with shops being concentrated in Lygon Street, Elgin
Street, Faraday/Barkly Streets and Rathdowne Street.
- information supplied by City of Melbourne
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