ONE of the oldest wooden houses still standing in Victoria is rapidly becoming little more than rubble, prompting calls for its inclusion on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Recent research revealed the Pope House in Aitken St, Williamstown, was “possibly one of the earliest buildings to survive in the metropolitan area”.
The structure was so dilapidated it “would require a significant investment to restore it, so there is an on-going threat of demolition,” according to a Hobsons Bay City Council report.
However, a listing on the Victorian Heritage Register would provide the highest level of legal protection.
The house was already listed as a place of historical significance, and had heritage overlay status in the council planning scheme.
Brian Haynes, archivist for the Williamstown Historical Society, believed the owner was interested in preserving and restoring the building, and incorporating it into any future development on the site.
Mr Haynes said the house was an important historic site that needed protection.
“We’ve lost so much heritage from the pre gold rush era. This is probably one of only two buildings surviving from that time.”
“The house is vulnerable to weather. We’re worried that once it goes, it will never be put up again.”
Mr Haynes believed the building had been unoccupied for up to 40 years.
The Pope House was built in 1842-43 on land sold during the third land sales of Williamstown in 1840.
William Pope and his wife Clara arrived in Australia on 3 December 1841 aboard the Branken Moor, and settled in Williamstown where William worked as a joiner and a shipwright.
His death is something of a mystery – none is recorded.
William disappeared from official records in 1854 and the rate roll of 1858 named Clara as the owner of the Aitken St property.
