Leslie Cottage: 4 Cameron Street, Coburg. Melbourne, Victoria

Sitting all by itself, without any heritage protection and surrounded by sprawling modern factories but in remarkably good condition is this little Coburg gem.  It certainly is an unusual sight with its spectacular display of polychrome brickwork patterns of zig zags and diamond under the window, its elaborate ironwork including spiral window columns, classical verandah supports, brackets and frieze and its highly decorative parapet and party walls.  Perhaps it is a “nail house” and someone lives there or perhaps it has been adaptively used as a small office or something.

The parapet hides a gable roof and is brightly painted and features similar patterns to others in the area, but perhaps with more detail.  While missing four urns or finials it retains intricate vermiculation panels on the party walls as well as horizontal frieze broken by brackets and roses above which sits a bold cornice, temple motif and name of the terrace on a cartouche framed by a small classical temple motif with vermiculation panels and round arch pediment with crown and flanking scrolls.  The terrace has a bluestone base course and a single tall chimney is visible from the street. The verandah gives the impression it was always designed as a standalone villa but with all of the features of a terrace from a row.

I’m happily suprised to see that this little terrace has lasted this long in such a precarious position.