1900>1909

1901

In addition to filtering out the background odour, Victorian Melbournians also had to contend not only
with the menace of speeding riders and carriages, but also the very real threat posed by stray dogs.
“Vigilant pedestrians carried a ‘genuine piece of blackthorn’ to ward off savage mastiffs of
bloodhounds.” (Brown-May, 1998)
The genuine piece of blackthorn was the Shillelagh, the quintessential Irish fighting stick, finding a new
use in Melbourne as defence against the emancipated hunting dogs of the city.
Victorian pedestrians faced potential assault on their ears as well as their nostrils and limbs. The calls
of the hawkers and newspaper boys to attract customers were a recurring nuisance to some;
“[Anon in 1901] it has been impossible to pass along Collins, Burke, Swanston Elizabeth, or Flinders
Streets [without] being beset by a bevy of bellowing boys, leather-lunged and brazen throated, each
one yelling out ‘prize-ticket-o’-th’-gay-larr’ as if his life depended on making a more hideous noise
than his rivals…” (Brown-May, 1998) SOURCE p 14 Elizabeth Street Historical Character Study pdf

1900s as a decade

While the Romanesque was favoured for commercial buildings, a classical influence prevailed for public buildings. In line
with the less regimented designs of the early 20th century, this was the Edwardian Baroque style. It was characterised by mannered classical facades with deep cornices. Again, red
face brick with render dressings were preferred. Landmark examples include Flinders Street Station (1901-11, Fawcett and Ashworth) and the City Baths (1903, J.J. & E.J. Clark).
-SOURCE Context Pty Ltd 2012, Thematic History: A History of the City of Melbourne’s Urban Environment, prepared for the City of Melbourne.