Gowrie, Glenroy

Gowrie
Gowrie, Glenroy is located in Melbourne
Gowrie, Glenroy
Location within Melbourne
Interactive map of the Gowrie area
Former namesGowrie Park
EtymologyGowrie, Perthshire, Scotland
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHouse
Architectural style
Scottish baronial revival
Location63–65 Gowrie Street, Glenroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates37°41′58″S 144°56′41″E / 37.699517°S 144.944717°E / -37.699517; 144.944717
Completed
1855 (1855)
ClientJames Robertson
Technical details
Material
Floor count1 (or 2)
Grounds1,500 m2 (16,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firm
Cartwright Bros.
Official name
Gowrie
TypeRegistered place
Designated9 October 1974
Reference no.H0128
HO88
Category
Residential buildings (private)
Official name
Gowrie
TypeDefunct register
Designated21 March 1978
Reference no.5542

Gowrie is a house, located at 63–65 Gowrie Street, in Glenroy, an inner-northern suburb of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. Completed in 1855, the house was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 9 October 1974 in recognition of its historical and architectural significance.[1]

The house was also added to non-statutory lists by the Victorian branch of the National Trust on 29 November 1962,[2] the City of Merri-bek on an unknown date,[3] and the now defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978.[4]

History

Gowrie at 63-65 Gowrie Street, Glenroy, was erected in 1855 for James Robertson (1808–1888), a Scottish immigrant, on the southern part of a pastoral lease. Robertson and his cousin,[a] Alexander Gibb, acquired the 260-hectare (640-acre) pastoral lease in 1848,[6] and subsequently divided the lease into two homestead runs in c. 1850.[1]

Robertson, his wife, Ann, and the first of their nine children, arrived in the Colony of New South Wales in c. 1842 and, as a blacksmith, Robertson formed a profitable partnership with Gibb, a wheelwright, who arrived at the same time, with his wife, Betsy—the sister of Ann Robertson.[5] Gibb also built a large house on the northern part of the pastoral lease (now Broadmeadows) in c. 1850, initially called "Meadowbank", and later, "Manor House", also listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.[1][7][8]

Initially called "Gowrie Park",[9] it is most likely that Robertson, who was born in Perthshire, named the estate in honour of the eponymous Scottish province, Gowrie.

At the time of Robertson's death in 1888,[10] Gowrie Park comprised 330 hectares (820 acres) and probate was granted for a total of £47,601. Robertson bequeathed his eldest son, John, the option of purchasing the farm and homestead for £15,000 and paying his brothers and sisters; and made the same offer to his other sons — James, Alexander, and David — should John decline the offer.[11] In 1897, a parcel containing 230 hectares (560 acres) of the property was listed for sale.[12][b]

Description

The one-and-a-half storey six-bedroom bluestone house is constructed with a slate roof, prominent gable dormers and dressed stonework quoins and copings in the style of Scottish baronial revival farmhouse, designed by Cartwright Bros. Gowrie is one of the oldest surviving houses in the Broadmeadows district and is of architectural importance as a relatively rare and externally intact example of a traditional Scottish laird's house translated into the Australian context.[1]

The building is an early homestead of Robertson and is closely related to the similarly-styled house by Gibb, built in c. 1850, called "Meadowbank" (now "Manor House", in Broadmeadows) located on the northern section of the pastoral lease.[1][7]

Gowrie was extensively renovated internally and the original outbuildings and stables demolished to facilitate the erection of flats adjoining the rear of the house. The exterior is essentially in original condition, complete with '1855' foundation stone.[1]

The house and surrounding 1,500 square metres (16,000 sq ft) of gardens was sold in December 2009 for c. $687,000.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In another source, Gibb is identified as the husband of Robertson's sister-in-law.[5]
  2. ↑ It is unclear if the homestead was included in the parcel listed.[12]

Reference

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gowrie, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H0128, Heritage Overlay HO88". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Gowrie (NTA-V list: Property No B1506)". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Gowrie (local government list: Property No 97547)". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Gowrie, 63–65 Gowrie Street (defunct RNE) (Place ID 5542)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 March 1978. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Mini Biographies of Scots and Scots Descendants: Robertson, James and Ann". ElectricSoctland.com. n.d. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney, 30th Sept., 1848. TITLE DEEDS. — PORT PHILLIP LANDS". The Argus. Vol. I, no. 12. 24 October 1848. p. 1. Retrieved 13 July 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia. #43. Alexander Gibb and James Robertson, as tenants in common, 640 acres, Bourke, lot 32.
  7. 1 2 "Manor House, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1181, Heritage Overlay HO4". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Manor House, Eldon St, Broadmeadows (defunct RNE) (Place ID 5545)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 March 1978. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Family Notices: Funeral of Ann Robertson". The Age. No. 5636. 19 December 1872. p. 4. Retrieved 13 July 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "Family Notices: Deaths". The Age. No. 10, 432. 30 July 1888. p. 1. Retrieved 13 July 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia. ROBERTSON. — On the 28th July at Sunnyslde, Waggarandull, the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. James Moodie, James Robertson, late of Gowrie Park, Campbellfield and No. 6 Bridport Street, Albert Park, aged 80 years, a colonist of 47 year[s].
  11. ↑ "Wills and Bequests: James Robertson of Gowrie Park". Table Talk. No. 169. Victoria. 14 September 1888. p. 6. Retrieved 13 July 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  12. 1 2 "SALES OF PROPERTY". The Age. No. 13, 238. 5 August 1897. p. 4. Retrieved 14 July 2026 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "63 Gowrie Street, Glenroy VIC 3046". Domain.com.au. 2 July 2026. Retrieved 11 July 2026.

Further reading

  • Coulson, Helen C.; Duncan, M. (1959). The Robertson family of "Gowrie Park", Campbellfield 1841-1960.
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