Name/TitleTown Hall, Malvern, c. 1920
About this objectThis photograph of Malvern Town Hall, which is located on the north-east corner of Glenferrie Road and High Street, Malvern, has been taken from the opposite corner of the crossroads, and shows the west and southern frontages, with the imposing clock tower on the corner of the building as the focal point.
The two-storey Renaissance Revival style building has a two-storey central portico, to the left in the image, and French Second Empire style towers. The parapet is adorned with balustrading and urns.
There are three women standing in the shadow of a tree under the clock tower. They look to be dressed in clothes from the 1920s. The foreground of the photo is taken up by the crossroads of Glenferrie Road and High Street. There are tram tracks in the roads but no overhead cables, suggesting that electric trams had not yet been installed for these lines.
The town hall was constructed in 1886 to a design by John Beswicke from the firm Wilson & Beswicke, with additions, such as the clock tower in 1890, by Crouch and Wilson. John Beswicke went on to design town halls in Brighton, Essendon, Hawthorn and Dandenong.
It is one of the grand public buildings constructed during the Marvellous Melbourne era. The foundation stone was laid 22 September 1885 by Alfred Deakin, then the Victorian Minister of Public Works.
One of the many glass slides purchased from retailers or specifically made for illustrated lectures given by Isaac Selby between c. 1930 and c. 1955 to raise money for the Old Pioneers Memorial Fund. This was slide #52 according to Selby's record.
For more information about this image contact Royal Historical Society of Victoria
MakerT.W. Cameron (Firm)
Maker RoleSlide Maker
Measurements8.2 x 8.2 cm
Period1920-1930
Object TypePhotograph
Subject and Association KeywordsSelby, Isaac, 1859-1956
Subject and Association KeywordsMalvern (Vic.)
Subject and Association KeywordsRenaissance Revival style (Architecture)
Subject and Association KeywordsWilson and Beswicke (Firm)
Subject and Association KeywordsCrouch & Wilson (Firm)
Subject and Association KeywordsMalvern Town Hall
Subject and Association KeywordsTown Halls
Subject and Association KeywordsDeakin, Alfred, 1856-1919.
Named CollectionImages collection
Object numberGS-BCS-20
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved
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