Little Latrobe Street, Melbourne

[cardan]

We have a few current or former Melbourne residents here.

Does anyone remember this building? It was in Little Latrobe St, not far from the Elizabeth St end, on the southern side. I assume it has gone now?

It's a pretty interesting building that housed three different motor factories: the Acme Cycle Co (makers of the Liberty motorcycle) in the early days, then J. E. Tilly, Engineer, who built the engine for the first Australian airplane to fly in 1910, and finally E W Brown, maker of the EWB motorcycle. That's a fair bit of motoring/aviation history in one building.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Little Latrobe St was my favoured parking place in Melbourne. In about 1975, I had an AJS flywheel assembly aligned, either in this building or the one next door closer to Elizabeth St. I remember in the window of one of these buildings there were forged-alloy Vincent fork blades - I never knew quite why...

(I've spent the last couple of days doing "L is for Liberty" - the motorcycle brand used by the Acme Cycle Co - thus bumping into this "blast from the past".)

Leon

[R]

Judging by all the building/construction going on, we may be a few weeks too late ?!

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.8094707,144.9620064,3a,90y,172.01h,93.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVKXGn9fTJtimu0lbwEYDHA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

No 70 there and down Literature Lane still has some dinky little buildings there.
Modernisation is creeping closer ....

[cardan]

Oh dear! The date on the bottom of the pic is October 2016, so presumably there is a modern building there now. I don't like the chances of the small buildings still there. I guess change is what makes recording history interesting.

Leon

[cardan]

I was lured back to Google maps. The attached link is taken from about the spot where the original photo was taken. The laneway on the right is in the original photo, and the workmen are working on the floor of the old factory.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.8095491,144.9617748,3a,75y,131.7h,90.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3JwZ0N649LVCjrkZ2EM3uA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

From this angle, you can see, in the background, the glass "cone" that covers the old shot tower, which was near Knox Lane, scene of the fire that burned the back of Maplestone Motors potentially damaging their Barr and Stroud engines, as discussed with JFerg a while back. http://classicmotorcycleforum.com/index.php?topic=5664.msg30543#msg30543

Leon

[R]

Oh dear! The date on the bottom of the pic is October 2016, so ...

Ha ! Well spotted.
The date out in Elizabeth St is Nov 2020, didn't notice the earlier scan down in the back blocks..

Even then a new building is likely to be already built and being used.
Its surprising how often they update such things, we'll know soon enough I guess.

Where did you turn up the little pic the subject of this.
EWB / EW Brown would be the source of many a petrol tank for aussie built bikes ?

[JFerg]

I remember that building, Leon.
The Scout Shop was on the Elizabeth St SE corner for years, with Bulley's Next door in Elizabeth St.  I worked in Lonsdale St  from around 1981 - 86.  At that time your building was an auto electrician who did a lot of motorcycle work and was recommended for same, which is why I went there.  Only went the once, can't remember why.  Ron someone?  The name will come to me.

[33d6]

Yes. I remember that electrician. It was the only place I knew that sold just the little round contacts for magneto points. You could then get just solder the new contacts on your magneto points when they got too bad.

I could never do it but a riding mate of the time was an aircraft electrician at CAF down in Fishermen’s Bend. He made it look so easy.

Cheers,

[cardan]

Was it Mann's electrical? I would have placed them on the north side of the street, opposite the Acme/Tilly/EWB factory, but it was a long time ago...

R - E.W. Brown were motorcycle manufacturers, and later moved into motor cars. The petrol tanks were made by Edwards Bros, in Richmond, and were stamped E.B. There was an E.B. motorcycle, but it was made by A.G. Healing, and not E.W.B., which would have been more fun! My head is exploding with Australian motorcycle info, ordered by letter.

Here's Duigan's airplane, the engine of which was built by J.E.Tilly in the old factory. In July 1910 it made a "hop" of 24 feet, but it was deemed that the original engine was not powerful enough for sustained flight. Tilly built larger bore cylinders and water-cooled cylinder heads, and with this new engine Duigan flew later in 1910. The original cylinders and heads presumably went under the bench in Little Latrobe Street, and employees Bob King and Reggie Robertson fancied they could build a motorcycle engine using them. So the four heads and cylinders went to build four Lennox motorcycles at King's new works in Lennox St, Richmond. "L is for Lennox"!

Leon

[cardan]

I wonder if the magneto man was in one of these building, across the road, on the northern side of the street.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-37.8095491,144.9617748,3a,75y,9.81h,87.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3JwZ0N649LVCjrkZ2EM3uA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Leon

[JFerg]

Yes, Neil Mann.

And it was the North side, sorry, but that's where I thought your photo was.  It was a similar looking building, from the fog of my distant memory.

[R]

Something like Sands Directory for various years would give an index as to who was in each street number over the years.
Very useful info - most large libraries would hold copies.

And it looks like they are online these days.
https://prov.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-blog/sands-and-mcdougall-directories-online

[mini-me]

Is there reverse colonisation going on on this site?

just like Earls court in the 70's on here.

if it is reverse colonisation,tough luck cobbers, Pakistan got here  first

[Rex]

More like the Paddies of Kilburn or the Jews in Golders Green/Hampstead.
Ozzy barmen etc in Earl's Court used to be a right of passage for the Antipodeans before the EU put a stop to it.
According to an article in last week's press the Ozzies are returning here now though.
I can think of many worse nationalities to come here, even though the Ozzies cheat at cricket and  are pretty useless at the Olympics now....

[TGR90B]

I think the great Rod Laver is still going. The best grass court player ever IMO. Djokovic comes close and reminds me of him.

[mini-me]

They'll be well put out when they find how many pubs have gone, no more jobs for Barry Mckenzie tpyes.

I found his films hilarious at the time, but damn near choked on my drink when I saw Sir Les Patterson at the start of one film, as I had just left a job where my boss was the exact image of him in looks, crassness and ignorance.
If you don't know who Barry Mckenzie was, he was the epitome of ozzie culture. Or as near as they got to culture.