Does anyone recognise this location (poss Melbourne) please?

[Rufous Treecreeper]

I think that it's more like a Post Office or even Town Hall.  It's clearly on a street and close to the curb by the other buildings and tree plantings.  I don't think mansions would be built right on the street in those days, 1900 - 1920 (my guess).  I've seen those sort of tree guards in that era photos of my country town.

Mo

[Ruskie]

My guess is 1920's:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0d9d/
(compare with Hawthorne House)

Check out "californian bungalows" - which have a similar style verandah. Maybe shades of Spanish Mission style as well ...

(PS. Definitely Australian  )

[majm]

Hi there,

Is it likely that the part of the building in the top photo is also the part of the building in the lower photo?  In which case, the land behind the man in the top photo may be part of a larger estate .... Could that be sandstone gates being made ready for assembly and thus be part of the entrance to the "mansion" under construction?

If that is so, then that could help date the photos to the year the mansion was built ...

Are there any clues as to who the chap may be and his age in the photos  ... I agree he could be in his 50's ...  

Cheers,  JM  

[Ruskie]

I think you're right JM. The far right of the house also appears in the top photo.

But there is this too: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:01_Bondi_Waverley_School_of_Arts.jpg

[majm]

The School of Arts at Bondi was erected c1914 .... which puts it into the "right" era for the dating of the photos 

(Google maps 138 Bondi Road, BONDI .... and nearby was a Masonic building which would have needed to be built LATER than the School of Arts as IF this is the "right" address, then the land for the Masonic building was vacant when the photo was taken)....

And the School of Arts building has lost the WING and verandah from the far left (looking at the photo) of the building...

Has Bondi Road been widened .... since the photo, or perhaps/likely we have not yet found the location for the photo ....  Barry had suggested London or Melbourne or near the port ...

I tend to think the sky is too bright to be UK, but that could well be because I am so used to NSW sunlight and the photo may not be protraying the light accurately... There's possibly a much better photographic explanation as to the "bright sky" I notice in the black and white photo, but I am not ever to be thought of as a anything but an amateur in the fields associated with photographs...   

Cheers,  JM

[Ruskie]

I wasn't suggesting that the Waverley School of Arts was the same building in Barry's photo - just comparing styles. 

From the photos it's impossible to say if the building is near the port, unless there is more information about the person in the photo, or Barry's ancestors lived in a particular area.

The chap in the photo could have been the owner, the builder, architect, or had some other part in construction - even a neighbour I suppose, getting his photo taken in front of huge new building.  Might any of this fit in with your ancestors Barry?

Window hoods to protect from the sun - so not the UK. It doesn't have a UK 'feel' about it - I don't think so anyway ...  .

[majm]

It reminds me of some of the rural Post Office buildings in central west NSW .... the Post Master and his family would live above, and the telephone exchange would be at the side with the girls entering the exchange from the rear of the building.  Mail sorted in the area to the left (looking at the photo), and of course a long counter inside for the various tasks .... agency for a bank, sending telegrams, parcel post, and letter post functions come to mind, as well as public telephone booths ...  BUT there's no clock face on this building, and I recall many public buildings in NSW had clocks or at least a tower area where a "look out" could be stationed (Coaches approaching, etc)...

Here's a link to various Post Offices in Eastern Australia http://auspost.com.au/about-us/heritage-property-showcase.html perhaps there's some styles here to help date Barry's photos

Cheers,  JM

[PrueM]

It looks like Federation Style to me (1900-1914-ish...so maybe a little earlier than I first though, but I wouldn't be surprised if the pic was taken around 1920or later) and would definitely not look out of place in Melbourne.

There are some websites/pages featuring the better-known Melbourne mansions.  Couldn't see this one, but there are a few in similar style (particularly the arched collonade):

http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/mansions_of_melbourne.html
http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=408
http://www.mileslewis.net/melbourne-mansions.html (a Melbourne mansions database!  Bit hard to find your way around/just browse, though)

[BatUser]

Hi
There are also places at St Kilda that look a bit like the style
http://thetramwalker.livejournal.com/41258.html
batuser