Description
The Victoria Street group has a distinctive aesthetic and visual character which is continued through to other neighbouring streets – Manning Street, Tusculum Street and Macleay Street (refer to listings in this Register). Victoria Street is possibly the most outstanding of all this group due to its contiguous interlocking canopies and tunnel effect over the roadway and a more intimate mixed residential/ business scale reflective of the era the trees were planted. A few specimens of Oriental Planes (Platanus orientalis) have been planted randomly along the length of the street, and are assumed to be younger infill planting. These are not included in the listing.
Significance
This avenue of London Planes (Platanus x acerifolia) is one of the most memorable single species road-side plantations in the City of Sydney LGA. In combination, these street trees are considered to have significance at both the local and broader City of Sydney LGA level due to the special combination of visual and social values.
The London Plane Tree is an important part of the historic landscape character of Potts Point and Kings Cross. Furthermore, there are relatively few examples of the mature, single species avenue of this age within the City of Sydney LGA apart from Bourke Street. The environment of overhead power lines and a history of later alternate species selection have tended to compromise the overall composition and landscape heritage values.
Historical notes
This relatively long avenue of London Planes (Platanus x acerifolia) contains a fairly consistent aged structure with several larger older specimens probably planted in the 1920’s in the middle sections of the street, with numerous younger trees, possibly dating from the late 1930’s which are clearly evident as semi-mature trees in 1943 aerial photographs.
Gallery
