Regular readers would remember all those posts that I have written over the past 13 months about the redevelopment of the house block next door to us. From late April last year,the 50s house has been demolished, the block cut and sculpted by large machinery, foundations dug and laid, and an unimaginable amount of concrete has been poured into the site. Eventually from all this organised chaos and dust, 7 townhouses have emerged to take the place of that original house. Being me, I've constructed a little timeline of this development for this post, starting in the 1930s...
On the rise behind, and to the right of these houses is the farmland that would eventually become our street...
After WW2 this area became part of a large housing estate...the next photo is No 52 in the mid 1960s...the house is 13 years old...
The next photo shows No 52 with a little glimpse of what eventually would become our house...
The reason why I have these photos is that No 52 was the childhood home of a school friend of mine and she lent me the photos to scan and use in this blog post...
Here is Irene and one of her sisters in their high school uniforms...they are standing beside the front steps...
The years went by and the house was owned by a succession of people.The house would eventually spend many years as a rental property for its then owner. In the years since I've lived here, there have been about 5 different renters...we knew though that one day the owner would redevelop the site as this part of the suburb is zoned Res B...multiple dwellings. Therefore he wasn't planning to spend much money on maintenance...so the little house languished while waiting for this redevelopment...
March 2013...the tenant had to be out by the 16th...(I bet he didn't get a reduction in rent because the place was almost tumbling down...note those eaves!)
Then the signs went up, a week after the tenant left...late March 2013
Early May 2013...
I was actually away in New Zealand from late April to May 14, so my dear neighbour took photos for me :-)
Like this one...
All gone...
June 2014...the back of the block...
The front of the block...
Our closest neighbours...well one of them...there's a detached house behind this one too!
A peep at the garden of that first house
And as marker that's still there where our front fences meet.
Disclaimer: I've changed the number of the house to 'protect' all those involved. :-)
On the rise behind, and to the right of these houses is the farmland that would eventually become our street...
 |
| 1932 approx |
After WW2 this area became part of a large housing estate...the next photo is No 52 in the mid 1960s...the house is 13 years old...
The next photo shows No 52 with a little glimpse of what eventually would become our house...
The reason why I have these photos is that No 52 was the childhood home of a school friend of mine and she lent me the photos to scan and use in this blog post...
Here is Irene and one of her sisters in their high school uniforms...they are standing beside the front steps...
The years went by and the house was owned by a succession of people.The house would eventually spend many years as a rental property for its then owner. In the years since I've lived here, there have been about 5 different renters...we knew though that one day the owner would redevelop the site as this part of the suburb is zoned Res B...multiple dwellings. Therefore he wasn't planning to spend much money on maintenance...so the little house languished while waiting for this redevelopment...
March 2013...the tenant had to be out by the 16th...(I bet he didn't get a reduction in rent because the place was almost tumbling down...note those eaves!)
.jpeg) |
| the western side of the house... |
.jpeg) |
| a closer look at that fascia... |
Then the signs went up, a week after the tenant left...late March 2013
Early May 2013...
I was actually away in New Zealand from late April to May 14, so my dear neighbour took photos for me :-)
Like this one...
All gone...
June 2014...the back of the block...
Our closest neighbours...well one of them...there's a detached house behind this one too!
A peep at the garden of that first house
And as marker that's still there where our front fences meet.
Disclaimer: I've changed the number of the house to 'protect' all those involved. :-)
7 comments:
That post is so interesting Maria. I hope you get quiet,nice neighbours.
An interesting tale - were you as history teacher?? certainly you should have been... Is there anyone living in them yet?
A wonderful 'Tale of a House'. I hope your new neighbours don't smoke, their balcony is quite close to you.
I guess that's "progress".
Amazing to have the historical pictures as well. Makes me wonder what another 70 years will bring. Will those 7 houses be turned into 50?
Great post Maria. Hugs......
That is fascinating Maria - thank you. xx
A real piece of history Maria, beautifully put together. The development next to your house looks much better than I feared from your previous posts....it looks quite delightful. I hope you get some lovely neighbours.
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