18 Wood Street

William Donovan purchased what was to become 18 Wood Street – the title was dated 2nd July 1868. He built a two room wooden house and moved in with his wife Susan. They were the second residents in the street. The Murphys at about No 2 were the first, paying rates in 1866.

Donovan started life in Wood Street as a labourer and soon became a carter with a single horse and dray. This business expanded and Donovan also became a property owner and developer He was a significant North Melbourne resident and his story can be found in the People section of Melbourne Streets.
In 1871 Donovan purchased the next door block (to become No 16) and stabled his horses in the area covering the back of both No’s 16 and 18.
The Donovan’s time at No 18, while one of growing prosperity, was a tragic one. Their four children died, three from typhoid fever in 1876. Then Susan died in 1884. By this time the No 18 house had been expanded to five rooms and Donovan had built the grand Erin House next door – a free standing double brick two story Victorian residence.
Donovan married Annie Hamilton in 1885 and they moved into Erin House. In 1885 Donovan also built thefour house, two story, Erin Terrace at 8 to 14 Wood Street.

The Residents section lists a number of tenants in period 1885 to 1921. The Cronin’s then purchased No 18 and lived there until 1964.

William Donovan still owned No 18 when he died in 1898 and he left it to one of his sons, Charles Donovan, but it was held in trust until he turned 25. He became the owner in 1917 and he sold in 1921. As detailed in the Land section, Charles had the rear part of the block covered by the two story horse stables cut from the No 18 title. Note that for many years the sewerage collectors had had access to the rear of No 18 via a 3 ft strip from Donovan’s Lane through No 16 next to the stables on the house side.

In 1921 Denis and Mary Cronin purchased No 18 and Mary was listed on the title as the owner. They had been married in 1915 and moved in with their four young children, Marion, John , Helen and Bernadette.

Denis is listed as having been a watchman. Marion married in 1942, Helen in 1943 and Bernadette in 1950. John served in the WW2 and lived with his parents until he died in 1951.

Denis died aged 92 in 1963. In May 1964 Mary was in the Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital when the Housing Commission made a Section 56 declaration stating the house was not fit for habitation and must with be demolished or repaired. Mary aged 89 died six weeks later.

One of Mary’s daughters, Marion Shortis became the owner in August 1964. The house was demolished and the Housing Commission order withdrawn in April 1965.

In 1968 the Housing Commission purchased the block from Marion. At the time the entire block on the south side of Wood Street had been compulsorily acquired by the Housing Commission, cleared and new apartments were being built. The reasons for the purchase are unknown. It is hard to believe they were thinking of demolishing the important Victorian streetscape on the north side.

In 1976 the Housing Commission sold the block through a public tender process. Rob and Liz Snashall became the new owners with Rob listed as the proprietor. Rob, a civil engineer designed and built the house which was completed in 1978. The family moved in and lived there until 1984. As noted in the general Wood Street story, it was Rob who in the early 1980s took the initiative and convinced the City of Melbourne to put garden beds in the street.

The next owner lived at NO 18 for most of the time until he sold in 1992. The new owners are still there.

The Age 14/11/1951