Roden Street

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 Two-thirds of the original Victorian-era buildings have been replaced by factories.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