Bondi, Como and Manly 44-48 Carlisle Street, St Kilda. Melbourne, Victoria

This small row of three single storey terraces named for Sydney harbourside suburbs is an interesting transitional style between Victorian and Edwardian displaying a compact arrangement of eclectic features. The terraces have iron lacework and slate roof tiles of high Victorian terraces, but the red brick and gables of the Queen Anne style in a symmetrical Palladian layout.

The name of each house is in a cartouche on their respective projecting gable. The mid terrace’s name is featured above an arched pavillion doorway which has a Queen Anne moulding, wooden bargeboard and finial. This creates the impression of a single grand villa. The other two gables gravitate to either end and feature a projecting gable with a complex arrangement of projecting bay, smaller roof and a wooden awning with fretwork, lacework frieze and casement window below. The plain gable roof runs along its length penetrated by blade style party walls which culminate in clusters of chimneys with short terracotta pots. The corrugated iron verandah roof bullnoses out (Como’s has alternating bands as were popular in earlier decades) and is dressed in a simple but elegant fringe and brackets in cast iron lace,. The facade features a wide band string course running along its length dotted with paterae and between the two sets of round arched windows on either side of the mid terrace and single pairs of windows for the end terraces. A wood picket fence completes the early Edwardian picture.

I’m not certain of the architect or date, however it would be safe to assume early 1890s given the transitional style.

The terraces have protection under heritage overlay HO7 in the City of Port Phillip Planning Scheme, although it would greatly benefit from a consistent paint scheme.