Anglican Parish of Collingwood History 8

From the Town Hall in 1887, looking North. The area known as Abbotsford is to the right of Hoddle Street, Collingwood to the left.
Click on this image to see the same view in 1985(126K).

A semi-aerial view looking north along Hoddle Street to Clifton Hill. In the foreground is St.Philip's Vicarage (still standing) and St. Philip's Sunday School, or "Iron Pot", (with two toilets in the backyard). The next house looks as though a newer brick section has been built on to the front of an older timber dwelling.

The church on the south side of Vere Street is the Ebenezer Primitive Methodist Chapel. Towards the east in the next cross street, Yarra Street, is the Claremont Hotel, now demolished.

Nearby in Park Street is the Victorian Free Church (now demolished), sometimes known as the Free Church of England and Ireland, a secessionist Anglican sect run by a lay preacher, Nathaniel Kinsman. (See History Page 2)

In the distance, beyond Johnston Street, is a large piece of vacant land, originally known as Dight's Paddock, which was not subdivided until the late 1870s/early 1880s.

The circular grassed area is Victoria Park,for many years the home of the Collingwood Football Club - perhaps the most famous Australian Rules Football Team of all.

On the western (Collingwood) side of Hoddle Street the Victoria Hotel can just be seen in the foreground. The next house was the residence of Edgar Wilkins, a councillor and M.L.A. On the corner of Vere Street is Edward Bice's "Family Grocer". Shops in the remainder of this block include drapers, a dressmaker, butcher, tinsmith, confectioner, bootmaker, picture framer and greengrocer.

Note the verandahs over the footpaths along Hoddle Street, the light traffic (half a dozen carriages along its whole length), and gas street lamps. The bird's-eye view of many backyards shows that most are crowded with numerous outbuildings and lines of washing.The shot tower can be seen in the distance.

This was one of a series of photos taken from the Town Hall (around 1887 when it was completed) by prize-winning photographer J. W. Lindt and presumably commissioned by council in a mood of euphoric civic pride at the completion of its lavish status symbol.