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Bidura, (demolished) 41 Chapel Street

View from Chapel Street ca.1962-7
photo by John Collins, SLV image H98.251/78

35A Chapel Street
St Kilda,Victoria
Australia 3182

This property occupied the area north of Alma Road to Redan Street alongside Chapel Street.It's entry was from the corner of Alma Road and Chapel Street

  • Date Built: 1873 tender (See architect below) also however identified as fully built 1873 Vardy map (See Below)
  • Demolished: 1970ca.
  • First European Land Owner:

    1857 (land sales may be earlier) Prahran Parish Map 4  67 C and D. Both allotments ownership O Brown https://stkildahistory.org.au/our-collection/resources/parish

    1873 Vardy Map NW2 Corner Chapel Street and Alma Road Allotment 2 Building identified as W Webster  https://stkildahistory.org.au/our-collection/resources/vardy-plans
  • Architects:

     

     Lloyd Tayler
  • Owners and occupiers:

     

    1873 First reference to W Webster regarding the dissolution of a partnership of sheep and cattle farms at 'Piaka' and 'Bidura' stations in New South Wales. Trove Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 7 February 1873, page 3.

    1885 Jan 10 Reference to a "to Let' notification for Bidura being the residence of Mrs William Webster (sic) for 2 years. Trove Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 10 January 1885, page 5. and then 1885 Feb 10 Reference to 'sale of 'costly and supurb household furniture'  for MRS W Webster  (all itemized in great detail indicating surely more money than sense for a 2 year rental)  Trove The Argus Melbourne Sat 7th Feb 1885 The Australasian. (1885, January 10). Advertising. Trove. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137597511?searchTerm=%22mrs.%20william%20webster%22

    1885 Francis Boardman Clapp (of Cobb and Co. and pioneer of Melbourne’s tramway system) and his father-in-law Gilman Goodrich Pierce (approx 1885, when the house was then called Decomet).

    1897 MMBW Map identified it as being called 'Decomet'

    1898 Birth Notice MACPHERSON.—On the 5th August, at Narrama, St. Kilda, the wife of W. A. Macpherson, Paika,Balranald, N.S.W.—a daughter. It was later also called Narrama (by Helen Brown) after another place under that name also near Balranald.  Dr T. Rowan; Thomas and Helen Brown; (Information for Peter J - is this informaiton correct?)

    1900C Trove references to ownership by Whiting through most of early 1900 called Decomet.

    It was later used as a boarding house until its demolition. As a boarding house it targeted the upper end of that market with its extended gardens and other luxuries.. See reference to Decomet 'Together Apart"
  • Description:

    Corner of Chapel Street and Alma Road. Beautiful garden, five bedrooms, two rooms inside tower, stables, tennis court.

     
  • Sources:

    MMDB 1041

     1897 - State Library Victoria Map 1361 from MMBW. Decomet identified with layout details..

    Together Apart Seamus O' Hanlon Australian Scholarly Publishing PL 2002

     References Architecture:

    The Argus. (1873, February 7). Advertising. Trove: Tender identified under the name Lloyd Tayler..
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5847805?searchTerm=%22webster%20and%20macfarlane%22

    The Australasian. (1889, August 24). Family Notices. Trove.

    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139135101?searchTerm=%22gilman%20goodrich%20pierce%22

    The Argus. (1898, August 17). Family Notices. Trove.
    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9847230?searchTerm=%22narrama%20st%20kilda%22

     
  • Compiled by: Compiled by: Peter Johnson (image and table) and Sally Moore (table) Last updated: 25.08.20
  • Last updated: 2021-09-24