I have discovered a collection of old photographs of the area covered by the now City of Yarra. This is one of them, described as:
“A view of the privately-owned timber bridge which used to cross the Yarra in Abbotsford at the end of Church Street. It was also known as the Penny Bridge because of the penny toll charged to cross it. The bridge was built in 1857 and demolished around 1899. On the extreme right of the photo can be seen the veranda of a house, probably one of the two still standing by the river at this location. On the far side of the bridge is a tall chimney which possibly belongs to the Vauxhall Distillery then located at the intersection of Church Street and the Yarra. A picket fence runs along the bank of the river.”
This is another, described as:
“The foreground shows the section of Langridge Street from Smith Street to Wellington Street. A horse-and-carriage with driver stands at the bluestone gutter. A policeman complete with helmet stands at the ready while an elderly man with a rough walking stick looks on. All three men are bearded. Gas lamps line the street. To the right the side of the bi-chrome Commercial Hotel can be seen, then the Christian Chapel with a sign announcing that Dr. Porter preaches the gospel at Collingwood Town Hall. Below this is a sign erected by G. D. Langridge, auctioneer, and including the words “City of Collingwood” and “brick building”. It is not clear whether it is the chapel that is for sale. The large building on the left (now home to the Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant) housed at its Smith Street entrance the Langridge Mutual Permanent Building Society, managed by George D. Langridge, J.P., M.L.A, house agent and auctioneer, after whom the street was named. On the left (north) side is Waugh Bros, modellers and manufacturers of garden fountains, etc., then five house built in 1871 or 1872 and following the slope of the street. They have window shutters and open directly on to the street. Although timber (block-fronted with weatherboard sides) they are built as one unit, a style later outlawed because of the fire risk. Collingwood Council did not adopt its first building regulations until 1874, and even then they were perfunctory, inadequate and not strictly enforced. The house on the corner of Little Oxford Street has a shop window and was at different times a grocer’s, a confectioner’s and a greengrocer’s. A woman stands outside this shop with her dog. The houses’ bi-chrome chimneys echo the style of the six-storey brewing tower to be seen in the distance on the corner of Langridge and Wellington streets. This is John Wood’s Yorkshire Brewery, topped by a flagpole. Between Little Oxford and Oxford streets is Thomas Wood’s corn and wood store.”
remember the bridge well