East Melbourne, Grey Street 061

A single storey render dwelling with central entry and projecting bay window on bluestone plinth. There is a bracketed eaves and stop chamfers to opening reveals. The path is paved with diamond pattern two tone terracotta tiles. [City of Melbourne, i-Heritage database]

This house was built by Murray and Hill, contractors, for themselves. At the same time they built a cottage in Albert Street: the Grey Street house was to be for Peter Hill and the Albert Street house for Thomas Murray. Their notification to Council of their intent to build was dated 28 August 1866. An early photo shows the house without a bay window, and over the front door a small brass plaque with the name Belle Vue. Peter Hill lived in the house until 1884 when he moved to a new home, also built by his contracting firm, at 92 Vale Street. The house was then let for some years, most notably to Lady Wasteneys in 1889-90. Her name in the rate books was later misread as Lady Hastings and that is the name that has been given to the lane running behind the house. [For more on Lady Wasteneys see link below.] By 1891 it was back in the hands of the family when the wife of James Francis Crow is recorded as giving birth to a son at the house, now named Ingleside. Crow and Thomas Murray’s nephew, John Murray, had taken over the business on the retirement of the original partners. Crow had married Peter Hill’s daughter, Margaret. They were still there in 1898 when another child was born, but moved soon after. The house was then rented out. It was sold in 1912 when Peter Hill died.