Inspired by a sketch of Batman’s Hill which was the western boundary of Melbourne during the 1830s, Ashley Smith has done a deep dive into the dubious history of duels fought on the hill. The hill was eventually levelled in the 1860s to make way for extensions to the Spencer Street Railway Station but its infamy lives on in the stories of duels when gentlemen put their lives on the line to defend their honour or the honour of a woman.
read more...Cheryl Griffin’s latest article in CBD News has just been published – all about of a little ramshackle house that could have been found in Spring Street for over 50 after it was built in 1840.
When Godfrey Howitt, his brother Richard and other members of their family, decided to settle in Port Phillip in April 1840, Godfrey and Richard brought a home and that is what you see here.
His prefabricated wooden cottage fronted Spring St in the south-east corner of the CBD and his land,
read more...The RHSV is looking to appoint a new book-keeper as soon as possible. We’d like the new book-keeper to start by Monday 9th May 2022.
We are seeking a motivated, experienced, part-time book-keeper to work in a small team. Life is never dull or repetitive at the RHSV and this position would suit someone who has worked in small business.
Although we are small, the RHSV is a complex organisation in terms of the range of activities in which we are involved.
read more...The wealth and extravagance of the 1880s, the era of Marvellous Melbourne, was long gone when this photograph was taken, but it is still evident in the two main buildings you see here – the Grand Hotel on the left and the Princess Theatre on the right.
The ornate Princess Theatre that dominates this streetscape gives no sense of the terrible fate that overtook Victorian society in the 1890s. The collapse of the banks and the suffering that followed overwhelmed almost every aspect of life.
read more...Imagine you’re an eager tourist arriving at Spencer Street Station in the late 1920s or early 1930s.
With your back to the acrid coal smoke and much-needed sea breeze of the docks, you take one of the numerous passageways to the front entrance of the station and there, across the street at the corner of Spencer and Little Collins, you find the Hotel Alexander, the swankiest hotel in an otherwise no-frills end of the city
Read more of Ashley Smith’s story here in Docklands News (scroll down to P18)
read more...Statement on the John Curtin Hotel
Thursday, 24 March 2022
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria strongly supports the nomination of the John Curtin Hotel to the Victorian Heritage Register. Indeed, the RHSV has been providing historical information to assist the National Trust and Trades Hall with the nomination. On the basis of its historical associations alone, the hotel is clearly of state significance. We note, however, that it is also of some architectural significance.
read more...In the early 1930s Victoria Dock was one of the biggest sites for trade and export in Melbourne. A constant queue of ships sailed in, unloaded their cargo, recharged and reloaded, then left for the
next port. The RHSV’s researcher, Ashley Smith, has just written a great article about the birth of Victoria Dock for Docklands News (March edition)
Read the article here: https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/themes/user/site/dn/pdf/DN183.pdf (scroll down to P18)
read more...CBD News has just published Cheryl Griffin’s latest article, A stroll along Collins Street, 1900. A fabulous riff on a photo of everyday life snapped in December 1900 just weeks before the Colony of Victoria became one of 6 states in the new Commonwealth of Australia.
https://www.cbdnews.com.au/a-stroll-along-collins-st-1900
read more...24th-25th February 2022
Arts West North Tower Room 253 The University of Melbourne
Professor Stuart Macintyre (1947-2021) was one of Australia’s most outstanding historians and public intellectuals. An extraordinarily prodigious scholar, his scholarship covered many fields including the history of social movements, Australian public policy, intellectual history and labour history. Stuart was an inspiring teacher and PhD supervisor and mentor; his generous support of the careers of others was a gift from which many have benefited over several decades.
read more...Ashley Smith’s latest article for Docklands News (Feb 2022) has just been published.
“Whilst hauling goods and passengers to and from the nearby wharves and the city, a single steam engine stops at Spencer Street Station (now Southern Cross Station) to smile for the camera.
This photo was taken by photographer Charles Nettleton, who extensively recorded Melbourne and its people (including Ned Kelly) for over 30 years but the exact date of this image is unknown.
read more...Monday 31 January 2022
The RHSV’s Heritage Committee, chaired by Emeritus Professor Charles Sowerwine has just made its submission to the Parliament of Victoria, Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee Inquiry to examine Planning and Environment Act
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV) is the peak body representing approximately 340 community historical societies throughout Victoria. Our members are concerned at the increasing loss of precious heritage and so we welcome this Inquiry. We believe there has been a calamitous decline in the protection afforded local heritage by the Heritage Overlay (HO) as well as a decline in support for Councils to ensure that sites are covered by the HO.
read more...Cheryl Griffin’s wonderful article on St James Old Cathedral in King Street, facing Flagstaff Gardens, has just been published in the February edition of CBD News.
“There are so many reasons why you should visit St James Old Cathedral, located on the corner of King and Batman streets, just across the road from Flagstaff Gardens.
The oldest church in Melbourne, it is the only surviving work of colonial architect Robert Russell who had been employed in Melbourne’s earliest days as a surveyor.
read more...
The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is looking for a part-time project officer to work approx 1 day per week for about 7 months (April – October 2022) from our 1938 heritage-listed home on Flagstaff Gardens and a short stroll from Queen Victoria Market. The full position description can be read by clicking on the link below.
THE POSITION
We are looking for someone with strong administrative skills to work on the application and judging process of the Victorian Community History Awards (VCHA) which are run annually.
read more...The RHSV is looking for a fabulous tech-savvy marketeer to join our team in the Drill Hall on Flagstaff Gardens. This is a part-time position which focuses about 90% of the time on social media but there is also more old-fashioned marketing involved too. And endless possibilities as we get into creating more digital content etc
The closing date for applications is 5pm Tue 1 February 2022 so get your skates on if you want to apply or want to alert the perfect person for this job.
read more...A wonderful victory for the City of Melbourne and future Melburnians with their huge heritage study covering the City of Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid being almost fully accepted. The independent Planning Panel’s report, recently handed down, supported the proposed new heritage overlays covering 137 sites plus five new precincts (only 9 sites were rejected).
The RHSV’s Heritage Committee made major submissions to Future Melbourne Committee and to the independent Planning Panel which was appointed by the Minister for Planning to consider the amendment and submissions to Melbourne Planning Scheme Amendment C387.
read more...
239 A'Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria, 3000 
Office & Library: Weekdays 9am-5pm
03 9326 9288 
office@historyvictoria.org.au