Ascot Vale tram substation

Ascot Vale tram substation
The substation in 2019
Ascot Vale tram substation is located in Melbourne
Ascot Vale tram substation
Location of the substation in Melbourne
Interactive map of Ascot Vale tram substation
37°46′21″S 144°55′16″E / 37.77250°S 144.92111°E / -37.77250; 144.92111
TypeElectrical substation (former)
Location53 Maribyrnong Road, Ascot Vale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
History
Built1925 (1925)
Built forMelbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board
2005
Site notes
MaterialRed brick; concrete
ArchitectAlan Monsborough
Architectural style
Inter-war Stripped Classical
Conditionabandoned
Current usevacant
OwnerYarra Trams
Public accessNo
Official name
Ascot Vale tram substation
TypeRegistered place
CriteriaA, D
Designated12 December 2013
Reference no.H2323
Category
Transport - Tramways

The Ascot Vale tram substation is a former electrical substation located at 53 Maribyrnong Road, in Ascot Vale, an inner western suburb of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. The substation was completed in 1925 and designed by Alan Monsborough in the Inter-war Stripped Classical style on behalf of the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board.

Located on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri, the former substation was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 12 December 2013 in recognition of its historical and architectural significance.[1] On the same date, the Victorian Government added substations at Carlton, and Camberwell, and former substations at Brunswick, Elsternwick, Maribyrnong, and South Yarra to the same heritage register.[2]

History

In 1919, the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (M&MTB) was established to electrify and extend Melbourne's existing cable and electric tram routes. Electrical substations were built to take electricity from the State Electricity Commission energy grid system to power the newly-established electric tram lines.[1]

The North Melbourne Electric Tramways and Lighting Company Limited (NMETL), also known as the Essendon Tramways, established the Maribyrnong tram line in 1906. NMETL was a private tramway company which operated mainly within the municipalities of Essendon and Flemington, and was taken over by the M&MTB in 1920. The M&MTB extended the existing line and constructed the Ascot Vale substation in 1925 to power the trams on the line. Alan Monsborough, the M&MTB's architect, was responsible for the design of tramway buildings during the formative years of the electric tramway system, and the design of the Ascot Vale tram substation is attributed to him.[3] The substation, one of four 1920s substations which survive relatively intact, was built to house the equipment to power the trams.[1]

In 2005 the Ascot Vale substation became redundant and a new substation was built at the rear on the 1925 structure.[1]

Description

The former Ascot Vale tram substation is a tall red brick Inter-war Stripped Classical-style building on concrete footings. Projecting from the front facade is a small square cable tower with disused cable insulators marking the original power connection. The substation has a rendered parapet, rendered dressings around the openings, steel-framed windows and a corrugated iron roof. The roof is topped by three large square ridge ventilators. The letters MMTB are inscribed in the render above the front entrance.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ascot Vale tram substation, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2323". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Heritage Act 1995: Notice of Registration (per G50)" (PDF). Victoria Government Gazette. Victorian Government Printer. 12 December 2013. p. 3035-3041. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Jones, Russell (2014). "Tramway architect: Alan G. Monsborough". Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.