
Early records show residents began living in this street as early as the 1850s’.
Roden Street in West Melbourne is thought to have been named after an Irish Tory politician, Robert Jocelyn, 3rd Earl of Roden who was best remembered for his strong support for Protestant causes in the north of Ireland. Robert had been appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827
The street crosses King, Spencer and Adderley streets and ends at Railway Place near the train line between Southern Cross station and North Melbourne station.
An old map shows numbering on Roden Street began in the north at number one near the National Trust-classified West Melbourne State School that was built in 1875. Tens of thousands of children from North & West Melbourne attended that school over its lifetime. The building was designed by architects Leonard Terry and Percy Oakden. In 1992 the building and playgrounds were sold to the Salvation Army.
In 1874 at number two, opposite the school, T. Richardson & Co operated a boot factory that employed many locals. The site of that unique early Victorian building is now a five-storey block of flats.
In 1895 Roden Street contained 92 Victorian terraces and 22 detached triple-fronted dwellings, the state school, eight vacant blocks and iron and steel merchant Briscoe & Co on the northern corner of Roden and Adderley streets.
One of the gems sadly lost was Bayview Terrace, a group of three dwellings at numbers 14 to 20 Roden. Built and owned by contractor John Falvy, their image endures in a photograph in Maie Casey’s book, Early Melbourne architecture 1840-1888, where she states,
“There is an airy elegance about this design with the calm of the row of pedimented windows broken by the smooth ellips of the carriageway arch and the sweep of the light veranda roofs.”
Much else of Roden Street’s early heritage architecture has been lost. Two-thirds of the original Victorian-era buildings have been replaced by factories. It’s a pattern similar to the recent explosion of blocks of flats with no private backyards for people to relax and unwind in or grow their own produce.
If it were still standing, the last house at the street’s southern end would have been number 241. Once a fine late-Victorian, triple-fronted two-storey detached mansion, owned by Joseph Reed, it’s now a single-storey industrial storage shed.
From today’s viewpoint, 74 of the original 114 historic Victorian-era residential dwellings in Roden Street have been lost. However, 68 Roden, the old home of local school teacher and proud Irishman Peter Madden, has been saved and restored to its Victorian splendour. Viewers of the ABC’s Restoration Australia will know that heritage homes like number 68 Roden can be revitalised, regardless of their condition.
Such restoration of existing heritage housing stock in and around North and West Melbourne benefits residents and maintains the architectural continuity of the surrounding streetscape.
Source: North and West Melbourne News Summer edition 2021 “Roden Street’s history lost to industrial development” page 8, by Stephen Hatcher.
14 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Bay View Terrace
18 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Bay View Terrace
Previous Address 2 Roden Street prior to Council street renumbering
20 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Bay View Terrace
22 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
43 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
47 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
48 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Constructed 1/2/1881
Builder Arthur McSpeerin, 39 Princes St Carlton
49 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
50 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Constructed 1881
Builder William Baird, Groom Street, North Fitzroy
52 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
54 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
56 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
57 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
58 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
60 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
62 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
64 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
65 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
66 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
67 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
68 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Previous Address 10 Roden Street before Council street renumbering
Constructed 4/4/1870
Style Victorian : 1840-1890
Builder Robert Dalton, Margaret Street, South Yarra
69 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
70 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Previous Address Known as 12 Roden Street before council street renumbering around 1889
Constructed 10/8/1871
Builder Adams & Hardy
72 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
73 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
74 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
76 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
77 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
78 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Athlunkardi Terrace
80 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
82 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
84 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
86 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
88 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
90 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Monteith
92 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
93 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
94 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
96 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
97 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
99 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
101 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
109 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
124 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address Emerald Cottages
128 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
129 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
131 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
132 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
133 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
135 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
136 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
137 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
138 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
139 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
140 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
141 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
142 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
144 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
146 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
148 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
152 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
153 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
154 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
155 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
156 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
158 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
159 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
160 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
163 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
166 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
167 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
168 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
170 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
171 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address 1 Wigtown Cottage (1 of 3)
172 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
173 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address 2 Wigtown Cottage (1 of 3)
177 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Also known as Address 3 Wigtown Cottage (1 of 3)
179 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
181 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
183 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
197 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
198 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
199 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
200 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
201 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
202 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
203 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
204 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
205 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
206 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
207 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
208 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
210 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
211 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
212 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
215 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
218 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
219 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
220 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
222 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
223 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
224 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
226 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
228 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
229 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
230 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
232 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
233 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
234 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
235 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
236 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
237 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003
241 Roden Street
West Melbourne VIC 3003