Appian Way is a street in the suburb of
Burwood in Sydney.
The state heritage listed Appian Way has been described as one of the finest streets of
Federation
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
houses in Australia. The picturesque houses create an asymmetrical, multi-
gabled roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its roof ridge, ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The roof pitch, p ...
scape with a variety of materials used such as slate and
terracotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
tiles and feature varied designs. The houses are complemented with landscaped gardens, manicured lawns and a nature strip with
Brush Box trees. The serpentine street runs between Burwood Road and
Liverpool Road
Liverpool Road is a street in Islington, North London. It covers a distance of between Islington High Street and Holloway Road, running roughly parallel to Upper Street through the area of Barnsbury. It contains several attractive Terraced ho ...
with a communal reserve that has been converted into a lawn tennis club.
Homes in the street are designed in various Federation styles. Many are in the
Federation Queen Anne style, but other styles are also represented. ''Erica'' and ''St Ellero'' are designed in the
Federation Arts and Crafts
Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
style, while ''Casa Tasso'' and ''Ostia'' are just two out of several examples of the
Federation Bungalow
Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
style.
History
Also known as the Hoskins Estate, Appian Way was a model housing estate conceived by a wealthy industrialist, George J. Hoskins on 8 hectares of land that he purchased at the start of the 20th century. He bought the land, known as 'Humphreys Paddock' in April 1903, and submitted a proposal for an estate there by June of that year.
[Irving and Kinstler, p. 82] Burwood Council approved the project in August.
[Irving and Kinstler, p. 89] Built between 1903 and 1911, the estate of 36
Federation
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
houses was created with his designer and builder William Richards to present an appropriate setting opposite the Hoskins ''St Cloud'' mansion on Burwood Road.
[ They were not built to sell, but as a long-term investment to be occupied by selected tenants of appropriate social standing. The subdivisions were large (1,000–3,000 square metres), which allowed for spacious and low-set houses.][ The main thoroughfare itself, completed by 1905, is named after ]Appian Way
The Appian Way (Latin and Italian language, Italian: Via Appia) is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient Roman Republic, republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is in ...
(Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and Italian: ''Via Appia''), the most important ancient Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
which connected Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
to Brindisi
Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...
, Apulia in south-east Italy. Its meandering path heightened the informal tone of the estate, only now fully complemented by the mature trees.[Irving and Kinstler, p. 90]
Most houses focus on an oval-shaped village green
A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
that was originally intended for tennis, bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
and croquet
Croquet ( or ) is a sport which involves hitting wooden, plastic, or composite balls with a mallet through hoops (often called Wicket, "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court.
Variations
In all forms of croquet, in ...
.[Fraser, p. 18] Additional tennis courts replaced the croquet lawn in 1909, and later the bowling green as well.[ Residents formed the Appian Way Recreation Club Limited in 1913, taking up 97 1 pound shares out of a capital of 200 pounds, with Hoskins' son Leslie (also a resident) holding the remainder as a majority shareholder.][ The green is surrounded by a ]picket fence
Picket fences are a type of fence often used decoratively for domestic boundaries, distinguished by their evenly spaced vertical boards, the ''pickets'', attached to horizontal rails. Picket fences are particularly popular in the United States, ...
and features hedge
A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...
s and an Edwardian
In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
pavilion clubhouse.
Of the original 45 allotments, 36 houses were built, and 30 are still standing.[Irving and Kinstler, p. 94] Hoskins allegedly planned for his niece to have them named after towns lying on the original Appian Way in Italy, but only four eventuated, a 'Roma', 'Brindisi', 'Capua', and 'Alba Longa'.[ All but two houses are single storey, 'Brianza' and the now-demolished 'Brindisi' gaining a second floor, so they could capture some aspect of the green.][Irving and Kinstler, p. 91]
The street has become the backdrop for movies and television advertisements, such as the 1987 mini-series
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''Vietnam''. Burwood Council
The Municipality of Burwood (also known as Burwood Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Inner West (Sydney), inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The mayor of the Municipality is ...
welcomes filming in Appian Way.Filming application
Gallery
File:Burwood Appian Way 1.JPG, 'Colonna', restrained Queen Anne style architecture
The Queen Anne style of British architecture refers to either the English Baroque architecture of the time of Queen Anne (who reigned from 1702 to 1714) or the British Queen Anne Revival form that became popular during the last quarter of th ...
File:Burwood Appian Way 2.JPG, alt='Olevanus', 'Olevanus', also Queen Anne Style architecture
File:Burwood Appian Way 3.JPG, 'Alba Longa', a very exuberant example of Queen Anne style architecture
File:Burwood Appian Way 4.JPG, 'Amalfi'
File:Burwood Appian Way 5.JPG, 'Brianza'
File:Burwood Appian Way 6.JPG, 'Vallambrosa'
File:Burwood Appian Way 7.JPG, 'Capri'
File:Burwood Appian Way 8.JPG, 'Atella'
File:Burwood Appian Way 9.JPG, 'Cassa Tasso', Federation Bungalow style, characterised by the prominent verandah
File:Burwood Appian Way 10.JPG, 'St Ellero', Federation Arts and Crafts
Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
style
File:Burwood Appian Way 11.JPG, 'Mevania' – Originally the home of George Hoskin's niece, Florence Crago, the daughter of Charles Hoskins.
File:SydneyBuilding0126.jpg, 'Erica', Federation Arts and Crafts style
File:Burwood Appian Way Tennis Club.JPG, Tennis Club
File:SydneyBuilding0128.jpg, 'Ostia', also a Federation Bungalow
File:SydneyBuilding0125.jpg, 'St Ellero', Federation Arts and Crafts style
File:'Del Osa' 9 Appian Way-wide.jpg, 'Del Osa'
File:'Ariccia' 10 Appian Way.jpg, 'Ariccia', also Queen Anne
See also: Gallery o
Appian Way Houses
and see als
Federation-house.Wikispaces
See also
References
Cited text
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External links
Picture Australia
{{Streets of Sydney Australia
Streets in Sydney
Federation style architecture
Arts and Crafts architecture in Australia