hv revised statement of significance convent

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Memo

To: Vivien Williamson

From: Matthew Milbourne

Date: 25/03/2011

Subject: Convent of the Good Shepherd

Heritage Victoria at its meeting in March 2011, adopted a new statement ofsignificance for the Abbotsford Convent site.

The new statement of significance replaces a former statement which hadbeen previously compiled and did not conform to the new standards ofstatements of significance which requires the following questions to beanswered:

What is significant?

How is it significant?

Why is it significant?

The previous statement mainly focussed on the buildings and provided littlecomment on the history of the Order of the Good Shepherd, the farming The previous statement

had been prepared prior to the new format of statements of significancebeing adopted by the heritage community.

I have attached a copy of the old statement of significance (attachment 1),and the new statement of significance (attachment 2).

application team to assess applications for new works.

Main differences between the old and new statements:

The new statement has multiple statements about the importance of thefarming operation of the Order of the Good Shepherd;

The importance of the large-scale agricultural operations were uniquefor an inner city location (and continue to be so);

The importance of the designed landscape elements and the naturalattributes, for the bushland vistas, and the rural setting on the YarraRiver;

The rural setting is also important as it provides important views to thebuildings from the Johnston Street Bridge, the Kew side of the River,

A number of trees have been identified as being important on the siteand are individually listed.

The new statement of significance better reflects the importance of farming

for the Order, and better protects the rural / landscaped land whichsurrounds the convent buildings.


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Attachment 1


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CONVENT OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, ABBOTSFORDPREVIOUS STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE(Replaced March 2011)

The Former Convent of the Good Shepherd is symbolic of the first permanent European

settlement in Collingwood. It also played an important role in the establishment of the

Good Shepherd Order throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The role of the complex within the Collingwood community fulfilled over a long period

a charitable and educational role together with other similar but less substantial

institutions. The Convent was crucial to the expansion of charitable facilities by the

Catholic Church in Australia during the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

In turn, the central role Collingwood played as a repository for Melbourne?s poor in themid- to late-19th century and thus as a site for many charitable institutions, of which

Abbotsford was by far the largest. It is also important for its early creation of women?s

refuges in the State.

The Good Shepherd order played a part early in provision of privately operated

reformatories and industrial schools. The concept was subsequently used as a model for

the development of the State's late 19th century policy on rehabilitation of its wards.

The Convent is also notable for possessing the oldest known surviving privately built

industrial school in the State.

Architecturally, it is a visually cohesive complex, developed from the repetition ofsimply built components and in part an outstanding expression of the influence of

French Medieval and Renaissance architecture and symbolic of a medieval village in

miniature. It is also an intact and substantial example from the important architectural

firm, Reed Smart and Tappin. Furthermore, the Convent it exemplifies nineteenth and

early twentieth century convent architecture within an important landscape setting.

Examination of specifications held by Sisters of the Good Shepherd Convent,

Abbotsford, shows that work on the main convent building was commenced in

December 1899 by the firm of Reed, Smart and Tappin. These specifications give some

idea of the careful craftsmanship which went into the building. They include detail

instruction concerning masonry and brickwork, the bluestone foundations, the use ofCastlemaine stone on the front balcony, and Oregon pine, Californian red pine and kauri

in the carpentry and joinery.

Joseph Reed, founder of the firm Reed, Smart and Tappin, during a practise of forty

years, "?designed most of Melbourne's major public buildings in any and every historic

style.". Joseph Reed died in 1900. Reed, Smart and Tappin later became Bates, Peebles

and Smart and later still, Bates Smart and McCutcheon.

In addition, plans held by the Melbourne University archives in their Bates, Smart and

McCutcheon records, confirm that the buildings were erected between 1899 and 1902.

This collection of Abbotsford convent plans includes many large and beautiful colour


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drawings, such as: basement plan, ground floor plan, first floor plan, second floor plan;

northern, eastern, southern and western elevations, and part of the southern elevation

section through the balcony.

Nothing is known of the early history of the garden. It probably dates from the late

nineteenth century. A lawn sweeps down and away from the main building and focuseson a small summer house and a perimeter path skirts the boundary. The garden is of

some importance as a large mature garden with many fine trees in an area otherwise

devoid of such gardens and is assumed to be largely intact.


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Attachment 2


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hv revised statement of significance convent

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