Casselden's house, part house row, 17 Casselden Place, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Casselden's house, part house row, 17 Casselden Place, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 110724
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
Part of:
Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
Access restrictions:
UnrestrictedOpen access.
Use restrictions:
UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
General notes:
RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2024:__________________________________________________DATE: 1877;ASSOCIATIONS: Casselden, John;DESIGNER: Tuxworth, George?;BUILDER: Tuxworth, GeorgePeriod: Early Victorian_________________________VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTER H2267.Statement of SignificanceLast Updated: 18/10/2021By: Marina Larsson (ID 598)What is significant?The house at 17 Casselden Place is a single-storey brick cottage of three rooms, the last remaining of a row of six cottages built in 1877 on the west side of Casselden Place, a laneway running off Little Lonsdale Street in the once-notorious Little Lon area of Melbourne. The land around Casseldon Place had been subdivided and sold in 1847 and five two-room wooden cottages were built there, most probably just before the Melbourne Building Act came into effect in January 1850. This was introduced to restrict the spread of fire and specified the use of fireproof building materials. These cottages were bought in 1871 by John Casselden, but there are no records of any earlier building having been constructed at 17 Casselden Place. In 1877 Casselden, who had been first recorded in 1853 as a shoemaker and later as a newsagent, had six new brick cottages built by George Tuxworth. The six cottages were always rented out, often to Chinese men or single women, who were attracted by the cheap rental and central location. The single women were likely to have been among the many sex workers who worked in the area and were stigmatised by those who thought them less respectable. The cottages remained in Casselden's possession until 1890, after which they changed hands every few years until the Commonwealth Government took possession of the area in 1948. In the 1960s the other five of the six cottages were demolished leaving number 17 as the sole survivor, which in 2010 is used as an office. The city block on which the house is located has been redeveloped, and the house is now almost surrounded by high-rise buildings: the Telstra national headquarters, the Casselden Place office tower and The Urban Workshop.The house at 17 Casselden Place is a small three-room cottage constructed of machine-made bricks on bluestone footings and has a gabled slate roof. There are two main rooms, one, which opens directly off Casselden Place, has a fireplace with a timber surround (likely to have been installed some time after the building was constructed), a timber dado and a wooden ceiling. The other room, originally a bedroom with no fireplace, opens off this. The small kitchen is in a rear skillion and opens off a small bluestone-paved courtyard, which also contains a brick WC structure, which retains with some early water piping and evidence of its former nightsoil function.This site is part of the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people.How is it significant?The house at 17 Casselden Place is of architectural and historical significance to the state of Victoria.Why is it significant?The house at 17 Casselden Place is historically significant as the only surviving example in the city of the many single-storey workers' houses that were built along the back lanes of the central city as rental investments from the early 1860s. It is a demonstration of the way of life of the city's poorer residents in the second half of the nineteenth century. The good quality of its materials and construction are probably a reflection of the Melbourne Building Act which came into effect in 1850. The small scale of the cottages reflects the circumstances in which many inner-urban poor found themselves, unable to find or afford more substantial lodgings. The artefacts uncovered by the large-scale archaeological excavation of 2002-04 revealed the frugal respectability of Melbourne's working class poor, who expressed pride in their homes through the possessions they acquired and used to decorate their homes.The house at 17 Casselden Place is architecturally significant as the last of the many single-storey workers' cottage built in the city of Melbourne during the second half of the nineteenth century to survive intact. It is a unique example of a small-scale workers cottage of the second half of the nineteenth century, and is notable for the quality of the materials and the workmanship._________________________GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites source 77___________________________City of Melbourne i-HeritageClassified by NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA (VIC) ; Colonial bond side walls; windows in disrepair; Ryan & Edmonds p. 50___________________________LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Records74263Casselden, J Melbourne VIC Houses Tuxworth, George - Melbourne 1877 02 16 7086-MCC registration no 7086 [Burchett Index]. Fee 6.0.0six cottages, Little Lonsdale near off Little Lonsdale - Casselden Place74267Casselden, John Melbourne VIC Houses Tuxworth, George 1879 01 28 7887-MCC registration no 7887 [Burchett Index]. Fee 1.15.0three rm brick cottage, Little Lonsdale near east - opp.Oddfellows Hotel74273Casselden, J Melbourne VIC Houses Casselden, J - 183 Little Lonsdale St 1883 08 6 419-MCC registration no 419 [Burchett Index]. Fee 1.15.0brick cottage, Little Lonsdale near off Little Lonsdale east - Finn Place76304Casselden,- Melbourne VIC Houses Wilson, John 1881 02 8 8679-MCC registration no 8679 [Burchett Index]. Fee 1.15.0house, Lonsdale near east___________________________VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTER Plaque 2011Plaque Citation25/02/2011This is the last of a row of six three-room worker's cottages built in 1877 for John Casselden in the then-notorious Little Lon area, and is a reflection of the way of life of the city's poorer residents at the time.___________________________Real estate web pages, 2024:https://www.rtedgar.com/property/8-tennyson-street-malvern-east-vic-3145/54301/RT Edgar 2023: 8 Tennyson Street, Malvern EastVictorian charm amidst contemporary luxuryErected as his own home in 1893 by renowned builder George Tuxworth, this stunning Victorian cottage retains the charm of its infancy alongside today’s style and luxury. Encompassed by pristine gardens, the home is a peaceful retreat amid its enviable lifestyle surrounds, situated within footsteps of Waverley Road’s vibrant cafés, eateries, conveniences, and transport.___________________________NEWSPAPERS:1864TO MASONS. WANTED, two good SETTERS. None other need apply. George Tuxworth, MelbourneHospital..CARPENTERS.-TENDERS for CARPENTERS' WORK (labour only) at the Refuge, Carlton.George Tuxworth..1865https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5734976INDENTURE of RELEASE and ASSIGNMENT, dated the twelfth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and slxty-flve, GEORGE TUXWORTU, of Carlton, near the city of Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria, contractor, ...the amount of £25 only executed) to William Lang, of Melbourne, in the colony of Victoria, lime merchant, and James Harris, of Melbourne, in the said colony, builder, as trustees for the benefit of all his creditors....1889The Friends of the late Mr. GEORGE TUXWORTH, builder, are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of interment, in the St. Kilda Cemetery. The funeral will leave his late residence, 335 High-street. Armadale, THIS DAY (Friday), 27th inst., at half-past 3 o clock.RAYBOULD BROTHERS, Undertakers, Chapel street, Prahran; South Yarra, Armadale, Spring Vale, and Cheltenham. Tel. 17, Windsor Exchange.
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Record number:
1266326
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 110724 | 1 PDF : 1,267 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |