East Melbourne, George Street 016, 020

No 16 George Street was built by Robert Dixon for himself in 1869. The Rate Books described it as a two storey house of six rooms on a block of land having a 66 foot frontage to George Street.  It was double-fronted.

Robert Dixon was a builder and built many houses in East Melbourne as well as elsewhere.  He was also already a resident of East Melbourne.  On its completion he moved into No 16 with his family: wife Anne, and children, William and Isabelle. He named the house Chillingham.

In 1881 Dixon built a second house next door which is now numbered 20 George Street.  It too is double fronted and has two storeys.

The houses are similar in being built of polychrome brick and of similar dimensions. No 20 has a symmetrical façade, while No 16 is asymmetrical with a one section projecting forward. 

No 20 also had a substantial stable block at the back of the land which extended partially across the land behind No 16.  This came to be known as 20a George Street, and now is known as 25-27 Burchett Lane.  

No 20 was rented out, while the family continued to live at No 16 even after Robert’s death in 1883. William married Annie Elizabeth Wallace in 1889, and she became part of the family group. William Henry Wallace, her brother, gave Chillingham as his address when he enlisted for war service in 1914. Ann, Robert’s wife, died in 1899, and William died in 1917.  Only then were the two houses sold. 

The new owners were the Trustees of the Watchtower Bible Tract Society, sometimes known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1919 No 16, then known as Bethel, was advertised for sale.  It apparently did not sell and was advertised again in 1924.  This time it sold to a private buyer for the sum of £1,335. In 1922 No 20 was sold for £622.  The land behind the two houses on which the stable stood was retained by the church. [See link below for more on the stable site]