
Drummond St, Carlton
The southern end of Drummond St in Carlton boasts some of the best examples of Victorian architecture in Melbourne. Many grand homes were constructed during the mid to late 1800s on the back of the gold mining boom. Constructed in 1866, 196 Drummond st sits right in the heart of these historical masterpieces. Unfortunately through lack of maintenance and ad-hoc extensions and renovations time threatened to be the enemy of this once grand residence. Fortunately our client bought with a vision to revitalise and modernise while paying utmost attention to the historic overlay.
When it came to the gardens we were presented with 3 areas. A front garden that in its current state was astroturf, English Ivy and an impenetrable wall of Pittosporum hedging. The hedging especially hide the fascade and stopped light from entering the front rooms of the house. Moving through the house there was an internal courtyard or at least, the potential for one as it had been roofed in and converted to a sunroom at some point in its long history. Lastly at the rear of the house was a courtyard which was taken up by an overly large shed.
Original state of the front garden
Starting with the front garden the first assignment was to completely strip it out back to its bare bones. All vegetation was removed, The astroturf pulled up and the date tiles all pulled up with one exception, The original flagstone at the entrance was a beautiful piece of Scottish slate which had seen the comings and goings of over a century and a half.Â
The original entrance hemmed in by Pittosporum and Boston fern
Detail in the Scottish Slate flagstone
Getting our hands on Scottish slate wasn't going to be a viable option and besides this bringing in newer slate from a different source would have meant the original slate was competing for attention. With this in mind we decided to use Victorian Bluestone for the rest of the path. For the garden itself which is west facing we chose a hardy range of perennials and roses. We wanted it to be a simple nod to a Victorian cottage style garden but without it being too rambunctious. We also wanted to keep the plantings relatively low so no tree or large shrubs were used. The planting palette consisted of Lavender, Scabiosa, Salvia, Miscanthus, Calamagrostis, Iris, Santolina, Nepeta, Sedum and Roses. An antique cast iron urn was used as the centrepiece in lieu of a feature tree.







Before demolition of the adhoc 1980s extension the courtyard was taken up by a large shed. It did however have 2 very well established Olive trees which were protected throughout the build.
The finished renovation and new plantings transformed the courtyard into a soft and relaxed multi use space.
This house will be up for sale in 2025 and has been tastefully modernised and renovated throughout. The standard of finishing throughout the project has been to incredibly high standards and the finished product is a home with all the modern amenities without losing any of its historic charm. When it came to the gardens the ethos was the same. Its a bit of a romantic notion that we would just recreate a Victorian garden of old. Our climate is changing with hotter and drier summers and we are more conscious of sourcing and using local materials. With this in mind we have used a combination of plants that wouldn't be out of place in a Victorian era garden but are suited to the challenges of our current climate. Materials similarly have been sourced from within Victoria. The house is connected by it glimpses into the multiple garden areas. From many rooms more than one vista is in view. The future owners of this home will be connected to the past, the present and nature.
Design and plant sourcing by Fitzroy Nursery, Landscape construction by Yarra valley Landscapes.