Spencer Street, Melbourne
Encyclopedia
Spencer Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
. It is named for John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
under Lord Melbourne
, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
.
Spencer Street was the site of the first permanent buildings in the settlement now called Melbourne. The home of John Batman
was built on nearby Batman's Hill
where he lived until his death and the early camps of Captain William Lonsdale
and Charles La Trobe
were located along the street.
Important buildings on Spencer Street include Southern Cross Station
(formerly Spencer Street Station), the offices of The Age
newspaper, the former Mail Exchange, Grand Hotel (former Victorian Railways administration offices
), the former Sir Charles Hotham Hotel and the HM Melbourne Assessment Prison
. For many years, Spencer Street was also the location of Melbourne's General Post Office
.
. To the north Spencer Street becomes Dynon Road, and to the south it Clarendon Street after crossing the Spencer Street Bridge
over the Yarra River
.
, Southern Cross Station
and a shopping complex (formerly DFO), and demolition of eyesores such as the power station, several high rise apartment buildings have been built since the late 1990s.
The street was also home to the 1890 era Spencer Street Power Station
which has been abandoned since 1982. The power station was asbestos
-ridden, with demolition beginning in 2006.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is named for John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer
John Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer
John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer PC, FRS , styled Viscount Althorp from 1783 to 1834, was a British statesman...
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
under Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC, FRS was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary and Prime Minister . He is best known for his intense and successful mentoring of Queen Victoria, at ages 18-21, in the ways of politics...
, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
Spencer Street was the site of the first permanent buildings in the settlement now called Melbourne. The home of John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
was built on nearby Batman's Hill
Batman's Hill
Batman's Hill in Melbourne, Australia was named for the Vandemonian adventurer and grazier John Batman. Now removed, the 18 metre high hill was located to the south of today's Collins Street and Southern Cross railway station, and is the site of a steel marker the same height as the original...
where he lived until his death and the early camps of Captain William Lonsdale
William Lonsdale (colonist)
William Lonsdale supervised the founding of the official settlement at Port Phillip from 1836 and went on to serve under the Superintendent La Trobe from 1839 to 1854.-Early life:...
and Charles La Trobe
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
were located along the street.
Important buildings on Spencer Street include Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
(formerly Spencer Street Station), the offices of The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper, the former Mail Exchange, Grand Hotel (former Victorian Railways administration offices
67 Spencer Street
67 Spencer Street is the former head offices of the Victorian Railways, located on Spencer Street, Melbourne, Australia. Today it is used as a hotel and apartments...
), the former Sir Charles Hotham Hotel and the HM Melbourne Assessment Prison
HM Melbourne Assessment Prison
HM Melbourne Assessment Prison is an Australian remand and reception prison located in Spencer Street, Melbourne, Victoria. The prison is also known by the nickname 'The Map'...
. For many years, Spencer Street was also the location of Melbourne's General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
.
Geography
Running roughly from north to south, Spencer Street forms the western edge of the Hoddle GridHoddle Grid
The Hoddle Grid is the layout of the streets in the centre of the central business district of Melbourne. Named after its designer, Robert Hoddle, the Grid was laid out in 1837, and later extended...
. To the north Spencer Street becomes Dynon Road, and to the south it Clarendon Street after crossing the Spencer Street Bridge
Spencer Street Bridge
The Spencer Street Bridge is a road and tram bridge over the Yarra River in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It connects Spencer Street on the north bank with Clarendon Street on the south....
over the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
.
History
The street was once considered an unfashionable and unattractive end of town, but with the construction of Melbourne DocklandsMelbourne Docklands
Docklands is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia occupying an area extending up to 2 km west of and adjacent to Melbourne's Central Business District . Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne...
, Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
and a shopping complex (formerly DFO), and demolition of eyesores such as the power station, several high rise apartment buildings have been built since the late 1990s.
The street was also home to the 1890 era Spencer Street Power Station
Spencer Street Power Station, Victoria
Spencer Street Power Station was a Victorian era coal-fired power station which operated on Spencer Street in central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1892, it was closed in 1982 after being deemed an eyesore, and in 2006 demolition commenced....
which has been abandoned since 1982. The power station was asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
-ridden, with demolition beginning in 2006.