Victorian Housing



Address: 187 Ocean Beach Rd
Suburb: Sorrento

A number of timber cottages along Ocean Beach Road hark back to a Victorian type (dating from the 1860s) and demonstrate that this style was still popular late in the 19th century. These cottages, usually symmetrical in nature, featured wide entrance halls with main rooms to either side. Usually these four main rooms were sitting, dining and two large bedrooms. Service rooms (bathroom, kitchen, laundry) were either attached at the back or separated from the house. 202 and 222 Ocean Beach Road built for Dr Robert Hutchinson, have a familial resemblance. 200 Ocean Beach Road was built by James Tayton – an early owner-builder. It features a fine entry, almost Art Nouveau in its elegant curve. The craftsmanship of this residence is far superior to the other examples. One could surmise that Tayton built it as a “display home” to demonstrate his skills as a master builder.

Annandale, at 210 Ocean Beach Road, is almost Italianate in its heritage. It is an L-shaped timber Victorian cottage built to look like a stone cottage. Its front façade is an example of faux ashlar, with timber work imitating stone carved blocks. Its eave brackets recall the heavy brackets used to support a cornice on Renaissance palace buildings.

Cottage built 1890. 202 Ocean Beach Rd. prior to renovation shown in previous slide. Photo from Shire of Flinders Heritage Study 1992-97.