Beaumont Estate Northcote

 

The Beaumont housing estate in Northcote covered an area facing onto Bastings Street, Ilma Grove and Mitchell Street.

 

 ‘Beaumont’, was originally the name of a 2 storey house in Bastings Street built in the 1850s for a prosperous merchant, John Johnson. The house would have been set on a large piece of land in line with other grand houses built at that time by wealthy landowners in the area.

 

It appeared that the house and land stayed intact for a lengthy period until after the turn of the century. By then, a growing population dictated the need for growth in housing projects, and estates like Beaumont being carved up and sold as part of villa lots.

 

At this time the land was owned by Henry Hearne and on his death, in 1906, the estate was put up for auction.

 

An advertisement in the Herald described the Beaumont property as, ‘laid out as a garden, shrubbery, lawns and paddocks. This is an admirable property for subdivision having frontages to five roads and being situated on a gentle slope. The drainage is absolutely perfect. It could be subdivided without interfering with the residence and being in close proximity to High Street, the main business thoroughfare, affords an opportunity to those on the look-out for a really first-class subdivision property.’

 

After the sale, a local real estate agency, Scott & Bastings, managed the sale of the newly divided ‘Beaumont’ estate which they described as ‘nice villa sites 50 x 135 feet from 45 shillings, views unsurpassed’.

 

Advertisements like the land sale poster featured in this article were printed and individual plots were regularly advertised over several years.

 

Lemon, Andrew (1983). The Northcote Side of the River. North Melbourne: Hargreen, page 43.

Auctions. Herald (Melbourne, Vic: 1861 - 1954), Tuesday 9 October 1906, page 6.

Advertisement. The Age (1854 – 1954) 22 June 1909, p 5.

Digital copies of land sale posters donated by Jeanette Jones.