Historical information
Graff's House was destroyed by fire in 2016.
Graff’s old timber house once operated as both residence and store, having been strategically located on a bend of the former Upper Plenty or Whittlesea Road, almost opposite the now demolished Lamb Inn.
Shire of Darebin rate records for 1870 list David Young, a grocer, as owner/occupier. As no Rate Records prior to 1870 survive, but it is probable that Young had been operating his store for several years prior to 1870. 1874 records also show David Young as owner/occupier of a house, store and land. No further rate records for Mernda survive until 1895. By 1901 John Graff was the owner, with James Gill as tenant. The property was stated to have changed hands several times during the 1890s, having been owned for some time by Mrs. Agnes Baker. Mrs. Baker’s maiden name was Young and she was probably a daughter of David, indicating that the property had remained in the Young family for many years.
Graff died in 1901, and by 1903 the property had been sold to Mrs. Selma Gilding, wife of a local bootmaker, Robert Gilding. The Gildings relocated to the dwelling and operated their business from the shop. Mabel Hicks purchased the property in 1921 and shortly after married Herman Graff, the son of John Graff, a previous owner. Herman and Mabel Graff raised two children, Alison and Milton. Both lived in the old house until their deaths, Alison in 1998 and Milton in 2009.
Rate books are not available before 1870. It is therefore difficult to date this property from documentary sources. The details on the building however suggest a late 1850s or early 1860s date. Particularly significant is the window jamb detail using a bullnosed edge to the jamb as a stop to the weatherboards and no architrave. Similar detailing is found at Mills Cottage Port Fairy c1839 and the Queenscliff Pilots Cottages c1851. Architraves came into general use in the 1850s. Allowing for the remote distance from Melbourne, and the use of sawn boards rather than split boards, the date for the house is probably late 1850s. The rather squat window proportion and lack of horns to windows reinforce this likely date. Location is also relevant here. Opposite this building was the Lamb Inn (1840s) one of many small establishment along Plenty Road built to service travellers. Further down Plenty Road was Mayfield with the Britannia Inn and the school of 1853 and by 1860 the Presbyterian Church. Given the sparse nature of towns in the mid 1800s this house was in effect part of a strip of the old Morang township. Its previous prominence on the old road is illustrated by the shop constructed later than the house and known to be used as a bootmakers in the early 1900s. The pressed metal window hoods once common around Wonthaggi may have been added at this time.
A reasonable number of timber buildings from the mid to late 1850s survive in Victoria, very few however are combined in a shop (albeit it later) and are in such a remarkable level of intactness, in this case extending to the picket fence. This building is architecturally significant on a State level for this reason. Locally it is significant as the last shop to survive in Morang and as one of the few houses built close to the Plenty Road transport route to survive from the late 1850s.
(Ref: CITY OF WHITTLESEA HERITAGE STUDY © 1990 Meredith Gould Architects Pty Ltd)
Significance
Locally it is significant as the last shop to survive in Morang and as one of the few houses built close to the Plenty Road transport route to survive from the late 1850s.
Physical description
13 black and white photocopies of photos taken of the Graff House at 1480 Plenty Road, Mernda
Inscriptions & markings
handwritten notes on the rear of each photocopy
