In this video, librarian Mary Lewis introduces us to the winning entry for the Flinders Street Station design competition.

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TRANSCRIPT

The Architects Fawcett and Ashworth won the First Prize in the competition for Flinders Street Station and this is the beautiful coloured lithograph of their winning design. It’s got added watercolour to indicate the materials that are going to be used, brick, stucco and stone. There are various details.

There’s an Elevation to Swanston Street which was never built and that’s reminiscent of some of the English 19th Century Railway Stations with iron and glazing and very high ceilings. This is the well known Corner site…Elevation to the Corner and this is the Flinders Street Elevation.. It’s been signed by C. G. Norman, who was the Chief Engineer and it’s dated 1902.

Now what’s underneath are examples of the Contract drawings. Showing what in fact was actually built. This is an Elevation to the Platform and it’s been signed again by Norman as the Chief Engineer, and it’s the Contractors copy. The Contractor was Peter Roger and his descendents donated this collection of drawings to the Library. So this particular drawing, as you can see, is not exactly in prime condition because it’s had rather a hard life. It’s been a used drawing by the Contractor and here’s another one… Contractors copy…this time showing the Corner Elevation and the Elevation to Flinders Street.