Terrace Houses: 1-5 Neptune Lane, St Kilda. Melbourne, Victoria

This row of three east facing single storey terrace houses is set back slightly from the street on a narrow back lane facing a bluestone lane. The modest decoration and other stylistic anomalies suggests it has been modified at points during its life. There are a couple of hints as to its past condition.

The apperance of this row and its setting is much more akin to early working class terraces in Sydney than Melbourne.

The simple painted brick facade features a cornice comprised of a course of straight and diagonally angled bricks. There are indications that its original parapet may have been removed, possibly in the 1910s or 1920s and given its current appearance.

The double storey verandah is timber framed with only two inner brick party walls extending from the facade, they are concealed behind timber support posts. The verandah appears to have a stylistic mix -cast iron lacework and wood. While all three has subdued fringes and brackets on the upper storey, all but one of these houses have plain wooden slat verandah railings instead of the typical iron lace balustrade. The iron lacework on the end terrace (5) is fine and appears to be in too good condition to be original, possibly a reproduction as part of a relatively recent restoration. The timber verandah on the end terraces has sides facing down the lane giving the row a sence of unity. Thick paint covers the brick on the facade and there is no indication of any mouldings.

The doors and windows have flat arches and the doors have skylights to allow for natural light, however a couple of the doors are of Edwardian rather than Victorian style, adding further evidence of the era of the remodelling. The house at the end of the row (1) retains its naming “IONA” in stylistic Victorian era font on the glass of its skylight.

The houses also have different colour schemes and fence styles although they fall under the jurisdiction of City of Port Phillip’s heritage overlay HO5. My guess is that this terrace dates to the mid to late 1860s but has been modified shortly after the turn of the century. If anyone knows more about this most interesting little row, add your comment.