Lovell Chen has been commissioned by the Port of Melbourne Corporation to prepare the Heritage Victoria permit compliance requirements prior to the stage 2 demolition works of the remnant timber fabric of Gellibrand Pier, Williamstown.

The requirements include an archaeological survey of the seabed around the pier to determine whether there are culturally significant artefacts requiring recording or recovery. This involves investigation in the Yarra silt, which is up to 3m deep around the structure, through weighted line transects and diving. Photographs and measured drawings will be used to make an accurate record of the remnant fabric together with any features uncovered in the survey. The dilapidated condition of the pier means the survey will be largely undertaken from water level.

We will also prepare a Conservation Management Plan for both Breakwater and Gellibrand Piers and an interpretation display to provide a visible record for the public showing the history and development of Gellibrand Pier.

Lovell Chen will be assisted on this project by Maritime Archaeologists,
Cosmos Archaeology.

[ left photo: Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria (pi000415) ]
[ right photo: Lovell Chen, January 2006 ]
[ home page: Jubilee Report, 1927, Melb. Harbour Trust Commissioners ]

Our conservation works and reports team have been commissioned by the Shire of Campaspe to review an earlier Conservation Management Plan for Echuca Wharf (aka the Railway Wharf). We have also been asked to undertake a survey of its present condition and document a programme of restoration work.

Echuca, situated on the Murray River, was one of Australia's largest inland ports during the late nineteenth century. The wharf was the interchange between the transport of goods by paddle steamer and by rail.

The present-day wharf incorporates fabric from the 1860s, 1870s and later, including a number of railways cranes and other constructions, some of which have been relocated to the wharf environs. The project will involve full architectural documentation of the existing structure and the preparation of drawings detailing the proposed works.

The restoration programme will refocus attention on this well-known landmark and tourist icon, an important reminder of the extensive river trade of the past.
[ photos: Fraser Brown ]

The conservation reports team is also busy completeing a Conservation Management Plan for the City of Stonnington, the local authority that administers Central Park, East Malvern.

Established in 1906, Central Park combines a large sports oval with picturesque strolling gardens. A sunken garden and a fountain, and avenues of elms are also features of the park. It has a significant conservatory, dating from the 1920s, which is included on the Victorian Heritage Register. It's a well-used recreational facility for the surrounding community.

The Central Park CMP is the third in a series of reports for parks and garden for the City of Stonnington — we have completed reports on Toorak Park and the Malvern Public Gardens in the past year.

Working in conjunction with John Patrick Landscape Architects, and using the comprehensive resources of the City's archives, Lovell Chen has formulated policies to guide the future management of this popular place.

[ left photo: Stonnington Local History Archives; right photo: Michael Galimany ]

Associate Director Robyn Riddett presented a paper to the international conference Architectural Paint Research in Building Conservation at the National Museum, Copenhagen, in 2005. It has recently been published in a collection of all the papers presented.

Robyn's paper is entitled Which goes with which? The role of paint analysis and investigation in the restoration and reconstruction of earlier significant decorative schemes. It examines different approaches to the conservation of historic interior decoration in three significant Melbourne buildings: the Princess' Theatre, the 'Gothic' Bank and the Royal Exhibition Building.

The paper demonstrates the considerable value of documentary research in confirming analytical results obtained from microscopic examination of cross-sections, and the necessity of in situ stripping back to reveal the nature of lost earlier decoration to enable accurate reconstruction.

The conference ran from 8-11 May, 2005. It was organised by the National Museum of Denmark, Department of Conservation, in collaboration with English Heritage, the Museums of Helsingborg, Sweden, and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural research. The papers are published by Archetype Publications.