Introduction & How-To Hints
Catch the Route 19 Tram (Flinders Street - North Coburg line) along Royal Parade, alighting at stop number 13, Gatehouse Street.Welcome! Here a few how-to hints to help you use this tour.MapThe map provides you with a bird's eye view of the tour, including the location of the next Stop.Press the Map icon to display the map, and navigate around the map by swiping and pinching. Each Stop has a designated number.If you device has GPS signal you can locate yourself via the GPS symbol on the map.ImagesEach Stop is accompanied by photographs and images which will help to familiarise you with key features at each location. Swipe the images to see more.ListPress the List icon to display a full list of Stops for this tour.WALKING SAFELYPlease prepare for this tour by wearing appropriate clothing for variable weather conditions, as well as comfortable walking shoes.Take care when crossing roads, and keep an eye out for cyclists.Public toilets are available in Royal Park north of the intersection of Gatehouse Street and Park Drive.
Stop 1
Ievers Drinking FountainFrom Tram Stop 13, take care crossing Gatehouse Street to the north. Approach the statue-like former drinking fountain.The person who was responsible for the shape and design of the Parkville suburb was Councillor Ievers (an Irish name pronounced "Eevers".Behind the fountain is a disused substation, architecturally based on a Bavarian chalet.Looking further north you will see College Church. Originally a Presbyterian church constructed in 1898, it boasted one of only nine crown towers in the world, and a copy of King's College Chapel, Aberdeen University. This crown tower has been dismantled for safety reasons. When first constructed, the white stone sourced from Oamaru (New Zealand) made the building shine so brightly it was nicknamed "The Wedding Cake Church". The building is now used by the congregation of the Mar Thoma Church, founded by St Thomas the Apostle who established the Christian Church in Kerala, southern India, in the 1st century.The park you can see tothe north-east is called Royal Park, and was declared in 1854 by Governor La Trobe.
Stop 2
The Golden ElmWalk west along the footpath and look beneath the large Golden Elm treeAs you walk, take note of the large elm tree in the garden. This is a Golden Elm (Ulmus glabra 'Lutescens'), and this particular specimen is registered as regionally significant by the National Trust due to its size and interesting limb structure. It was likely planted in 1936.This grassy area was formerly the southern termination of the historic horse-drawn tramway to the Zoo. Passengers from the city would catch the cable tram up Royal Parade (then known as 'Sydney Road'), and disembark at the Gatehouse Street intersection to board a smaller horse-drawn tram car for the final kilometre to the gates of the Zoo. Unfortunately in 1923 the stables for the horses burnt down and it was decided not to continue the tram service.
Stop 3
Walmsley HouseContinue along the footpath and turn right up the cobblestone track into the park.Entering the park at the first driveway, you will approach an small maroon building. This is Walmsley House, a rare example of a pre-fabricated iron house produced in Britain and imported following the gold rush. The Victorian government purchased many of these pioneering iron houses in the 1850s, with this one being placed in 1862 to house the first Park Ranger, Mr Meaker. Others were known to have been erected for the Colonial Surgeon, the Registrar General, the Richmond Police Depot and the Steam Navigation Board.Wander around the house and observe the doors and windows. The building pre-dates all the residential houses of Parkville and is registered as significant by Heritage Victoria.
Stop 4
Australian Native Garden, Royal ParkWalk under the eucalypt trees and past the native flower beds, returning to Gatehouse Street via the path.The park to the north-east is called Royal Park, and was declared in 1854 by Governor La Trobe. Originally covered in gum trees and scrub, it was used by drovers moving animals in to the markets. Later, the Melbourne City Council fenced it off to let it out to local residents and dairymen for grazing, and as sports grounds on Saturdays. The Zoo (further north-east) was granted its enclosure in 1862.Following the settlement of Melbourne by European settlers, this site became a place where food and blankets were distributed to the local indigenous population.During World War II, Royal Park became a base for the U.S. Army stationed in Melbourne, known as Camp Pell. After the war, the Victorian Housing Commission used the "army huts as transit camps" for families who had been evicted by the Commission's slum reclamation program.The first part of the park has relatively recently been crafted into The Australian Native Garden, developed from a variety of native plants. Keep an eye out for seasonal flowers and plaques commemorating sister city relationships.
Stop 5
205 Park DriveCross Gatehouse Street via the median strip, turn right and cross Park Drive following Gatehouse StreetThe building at no. 205 (late 1880s) was once a grand mansion, but sadly its encircling verandah and balcony were cut back by road widening. Note the brackets where the former balcony attached to the wall.Look down the cobbled laneway. This is the course of former watercourse known as Gully Creek. The land between this lane and the park was subdivided and sold for residences by Melbourne City Council in 1878.
Stop 6
Former Church HallWalk south-west down Gatehouse StreetThe Church Hall on the corner was built in 1888 and used by the Presbyterian Church until College Church (Royal Parade) was built in 1898.A day school was conducted here for many years, known as Parkville High School. Scotch College Junior Preparatory also operated here for a time.It is thought to be the only apsidal church building in Australia (apsidal = a semicircular building of polygonal termination, usually vaulted and used by a choir).
Stop 7
168 & 170 Gatehouse StreetContinue south along Gatehouse Street, notice the various ironwork patterns.The houses at no. 168 and 170 (built late 1880s) are very good examples of iron balconies known as 'opera balconies' because of the curved ironwork.
Stop 8
154 Gatehouse StreetContinue south down Gatehouse StreetNote the very fine matching suite of iron at no. 154 (built late 1880s), a strong characteristic of Parkville's heritage architecture.Then turn left into Bayles Street.
Stop 9
Iever's Reserve (rear laneway)After turning into Bayles Street, note the laneway aligned with a low point in the landscapeThis laneway marks the alignment of a former natural water drain historically known as Gully Creek. In heavy rain the creek collected stormwater from Royal Park and South Parkville, which flowed by the natural lay of the land through North Melbourne, past Arden Street into Moonee Ponds Creek.Early residents deposited waste into the creek, until it was eventually covered over and replaced by underground stormwater pipes in the 1920s.Happily the land was grassed over and converted into a long park reserve, known as Iever's Reserve (pronounced "eevers"), after the influential Councillor Ievers.
Stop 10
173 & 175 Park DriveContinuing east along Bayles Street, turn left up Park DriveThe pair of houses at no. 173 and 175 appear identical, however they were completed nearly ten years apart.
Stop 11
Beaconsfield TerraceContinue north up Park DriveThe three dwellings at no.179-183 (built early 1880s) comprise the fine Beaconsfield Terrace, beneath a central pediment. Note the elaborate decoratioin of faces and finials.
Stop 12
WardlowCross Park Drive at Degraves StreetThe imposing house on the south corner of Degraves Street is called Wardlow (built 1888). It in fact comprises a complex of houses which were built by the Boyes brothers (iron merchants). Continuing along Degraves Street, note the detail of the incised plaster on the front walls of each dwelling.
Stop 13
25 Degraves StreetCross to the north side of Degraves Street and walk eastDegraves Street was named after a flour miller. The balcony ironwork at no. 124 Park Drive features a star pattern which was supplied by Mr Boyes (iron merchant and the owner of Wardlow opposite), and is the best example of this patterm in Parkville. At the rear of no. 124, opposite the top of Fitzgibbon Street, is an original boarding house and stables.Look across the road to the south-east corner of the intersection with Fitzgibbon Street. One of the oldest buildings in Parkville, the house on the corner was built in 1873 by John Craig, who came from Scotland via Canada, possibly as his office and hay store. The upper storey was a hay loft. The recent addition, while modern, is modest and respects the height of the original building.
Stop 14
14 Degraves StreetContinue east along the north side of Degraves StreetThe intriguing brick house at no. 14 (built late 1870s), with double verandah posts and interesting interlaced ironwork between two pillars (known as spandrels), has two front door steps, one behind the other, and appears to have had an entire new front wall installed not long after it was first built, which was originally polychrome in colour.
Stop 15
Jageurs Lane OuthousesContinuing east on Degraves Street, turn right (south) into the cobbled Jageurs Lane.Jageurs Lane was named after Peter Jageur, who owned a large monumental works (i.e. stonemason for cemetery headstones etc.) which occupied a large area east of the lane, fronting Royal Parade.As you walk down Jageurs Lane, on the right (west) side are the backs of four cottages built in 1884 for John Dalton, who was a speculative builder. His economic methods included building pairs of privies (outhouses), allegedly separated by a sheet of plywood!
Stop 16
Jageurs Lane side landContinue south down Jageurs Lane to the smaller side laneAs you walk down the lane, note the large number of outbuildings, including a former horse stable on the corner of the side lane.This side lane enabled the 'night man' to access the back of Bayles Street to collect the waste.
Stop 17
97 Royal ParadeExiting Jageurs Lane, turn left into Bayles Street then left again at Royal Parade.The houses in this section of Royal Parade date from 1873 to the 1940s, and therefore vary widely in style. As you walk, note the faces in the iron lace of no. 87, and the unusual urns of no. 89.Built in 1907, no. 97 boasts elaborate fence pickets depicting a grapevine on both its major and minor palisades. The more basic iron fence set into bluestone at the adjacent no. 99 reflects its earlier date of 1873.
Stop 18
103 & 105 Royal ParadeWalk north along Royal ParadeThis terrace, known as Shannonville (built early 1890s), has unusual verandah capping.
Stop 19
107 Royal ParadeContinue north along Royal Parade to the corner of Degraves StreetThe house on the south corner of Degraves Street, built in 1875, is in an early English style which was the fashion in Britain at the time. The house has no front door, but rather a side entrance with a fine door, and an impressive high pediment.
Stop 20
115 Royal ParadeCross Degraves Street to the north cornerThis house, called Los Angeles, is an impressive Federation house (early 1900s) with later additions and a modern picket fence.
Stop 21
127 Royal ParadeContinue north along Royal ParadeThis was the home of Peter Jaguers, a monumental mason. Jaguers Monumental Works was a landmark in Sydney Road (now called Royal Parade) well into the twentieth century, and occupied the land on either side of the house.Jaguers was an important figure in the establishment of the Gaelic Club and a number of Catholic institutions. St Carthage's Church (built 1934) and the flats at no. 133-135, were built on the land that was formerly the stonemason yards.
Stop 22
Continue north to the corner of Gatehouse Street, the starting point of this tourThe modern buildings on the corner of Gatehouse Street are on the site of a small shop (built 1901) which served the district and the University Colleges until the 1970s. It was known affectionately as The Dugout, and was originally erected as an iron building in the 1890s, when it served the drovers who depastured animals on Royal Parade overnight prior to sales the following morning at the nearby markets.Unfortunately it was not covered by heritage protection and was sadly replaced by the current buildings.
The End
Congratulations! You have completed this tour. You have returned to the starting point at tram stop no. 13.If you would like to compete our next walking tour, head south to Naughtons Hotel at tram stop no. 12 (approximately 300 metres).For more information on the heritage of our wonderful suburb, see our website: http://www.parkvilleassociation.org.au/
