Appian Way, Burwood, Sydney
Encyclopedia
Appian Way is a street located in the suburb of Burwood
in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
.
The state heritage listed Appian Way has been described as one of the finest streets of Federation
houses in Australia. The picturesque houses create an asymmetrical, multi-gabled roofscape with a variety of materials used such as slate and terracotta tiles and feature varied designs. The houses are complemented with landscaped gardens, lawns and a nature strip with Brush Box
trees. The serpentine street runs between Burwood Road and Liverpool Road
with a communal reserve that has been converted into a lawn tennis club.
Homes in the street are designed in various Federation styles. Many are in the Federation Queen Anne
style, but other styles are also represented. Erica and St Ellero are designed in the Federation Arts and Crafts style, while Casa Tasso and Ostia are just two out of several examples of the Federation Bungalow style.
houses was created with his designer and builder William Richards to present an appropriate setting opposite the Hoskins St Cloud mansion on Burwood Road. They were not built to sell but as a long-term investment to be occupied by selected tenants of appropriate social standing. The subdivisions were large (0.1-0.3 Ha), which allowed for spacious and low-set houses. The main thoroughfare itself, completed by 1905, is named after Appian Way
(Latin
and Italian
: Via Appia), the most important ancient Roman road
which connected Rome
to Brindisi
, Apulia
in south-east Italy
. Its meandering path heightened the informal tone of the estate, only now fully complemented by the mature trees.
Most houses focus on an oval-shaped village green
that was originally intended for tennis
, bowls
and croquet
. Additional tennis courts replaced the croquet lawn in 1909, and later the bowling green as well. Residents formed the Appian Way Recreation Club Limited in 1913, taking up 97 1 pound shares out of a capital of 200 pounds, with Hoskins' son Leslie (also a resident) holding the remainder as a majority shareholder. The green is surrounded by a picket fence
and features hedges and an Edwardian
pavilion clubhouse.
Of the original 45 allotments, 36 houses were built, and 30 are still standing. Hoskins allegedly planned for his niece to have them named after towns lying on the original Appian Way in Italy, but only four eventuated, a 'Roma', 'Brindisi', 'Capua', and 'Alba Longa' All bar two houses are single storey, 'Brianza' and the now-demolished 'Brindisi' gaining a second floor so they could capture some aspect of the green.
The street has become the backdrop for movies and television advertisements, such as the 1987 mini-series Vietnam. Burwood Council
welcomes filming in Appian Way.
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
.
The state heritage listed Appian Way has been described as one of the finest streets of Federation
Federation architecture
Federation architecture refers to the architectural style in Australia, which was prevalent from around 1890 to 1920. The period refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Australia...
houses in Australia. The picturesque houses create an asymmetrical, multi-gabled roofscape with a variety of materials used such as slate and terracotta tiles and feature varied designs. The houses are complemented with landscaped gardens, lawns and a nature strip with Brush Box
Lophostemon confertus
The Brush Box, Lophostemon confertus, is a tree native to Australia, though it can be found in the United States and elsewhere. Quite frequently, it has been planted as a street tree, due to its hearty nature, its disease and pest resilience, high tolerance for smog, drought and poor drainage, as...
trees. The serpentine street runs between Burwood Road and Liverpool Road
Hume Highway
The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...
with a communal reserve that has been converted into a lawn tennis club.
Homes in the street are designed in various Federation styles. Many are in the Federation Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
style, but other styles are also represented. Erica and St Ellero are designed in the Federation Arts and Crafts style, while Casa Tasso and Ostia are just two out of several examples of the Federation Bungalow style.
History
Also known as the Hoskins Estate, Appian Way was a model housing estate conceived by a wealthy industrialist, George J. Hoskins on 8 hectares of land that he purchased at the start of the 20th century. He bought the land, known as 'Humphreys Paddock' in April 1903, and submitted a proposal for an estate there by June of that year. Burwood Council approved the project in August. Built between 1903 and 1911, the estate of 36 FederationFederation architecture
Federation architecture refers to the architectural style in Australia, which was prevalent from around 1890 to 1920. The period refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Australia...
houses was created with his designer and builder William Richards to present an appropriate setting opposite the Hoskins St Cloud mansion on Burwood Road. They were not built to sell but as a long-term investment to be occupied by selected tenants of appropriate social standing. The subdivisions were large (0.1-0.3 Ha), which allowed for spacious and low-set houses. The main thoroughfare itself, completed by 1905, is named after Appian Way
Appian Way
The Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
(Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Via Appia), the most important ancient Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
which connected Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
in south-east Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Its meandering path heightened the informal tone of the estate, only now fully complemented by the mature trees.
Most houses focus on an oval-shaped village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
that was originally intended for tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
and croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
. Additional tennis courts replaced the croquet lawn in 1909, and later the bowling green as well. Residents formed the Appian Way Recreation Club Limited in 1913, taking up 97 1 pound shares out of a capital of 200 pounds, with Hoskins' son Leslie (also a resident) holding the remainder as a majority shareholder. The green is surrounded by a picket fence
Picket fence
A picket fence is a variety of fence that has been used mostly for domestic boundaries. Until the introduction of advertising on fences in the 1980s, a Cricket field was also usually surrounded by a picket fence, giving rise to the expression rattling the pickets for a ball hit firmly into the...
and features hedges and an Edwardian
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
pavilion clubhouse.
Of the original 45 allotments, 36 houses were built, and 30 are still standing. Hoskins allegedly planned for his niece to have them named after towns lying on the original Appian Way in Italy, but only four eventuated, a 'Roma', 'Brindisi', 'Capua', and 'Alba Longa' All bar two houses are single storey, 'Brianza' and the now-demolished 'Brindisi' gaining a second floor so they could capture some aspect of the green.
The street has become the backdrop for movies and television advertisements, such as the 1987 mini-series Vietnam. Burwood Council
Burwood Council
The Municipality of Burwood is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs serviced by Burwood Council are:* Burwood* Burwood Heights* Enfield...
welcomes filming in Appian Way.