Terrace House: 8 Swanston Street, Geelong. Victoria

I chose to post this freestanding terrace out of sheer sympathy as much as anything.  Extremely difficult to date, but presumably originally Victorian, this terrace has been bastardised beyond belief at some stage in its history – most probably the late 1950s.  The effect of this renovation gone wrong of the original facade has all but rendered this terrace house unrecognisable from what it once was.  The “tinning” comes complete with aluminium sliding windows, security fly screens and besser wall.

Who knows, however, there may still be a facade underneath all that aluminium worth restoring.  Set back and high off the street, the verandah and brick chimney appear to be some of the only original features remaining of the house.  The double storey verandah has a hip roof design with cast iron posts, iron lacework frieze and brackets supported by a central wooden support column.  The lacework appears to date to the late 1870s or early 1880s.  The modernised tin cladding climbs all the way up what would have once possibly been an Italianate parapet perhaps to hide crumbling brick and render beneath or perhaps a diamond in the rough.

Geelong has some finely preserved terraces.  This, unfortunately is currently not one of them.