What do you call your house - we call ours a home.
Many people do give their home a name. Older homes in the inner Melbourne had names above on the facia of the house. I sometimes wonder who named the house. Was it the first owner or was it the builder of the day. Most apartment blocks have a name, something that supposedly adds a bit of prestige, that is until it becomes old and run down.
What was the influence for these names?
So many questions without answers!
So many questions without answers!
So I said to Sue, "Let's take a drive along Beach Road and see what names we can see on the houses".
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| Venezia Court - I looked most of the buildings up on the Internet to see if I could find where their names may have come from. Venezia Court has a one bedroom apartment for lease currently at $450 per week. You can walk across from the apartment directly to the beach. Sorry - no Gondoliers there. Many of the apartment and home names along the beach roads of Port Phillip Bay tend to have an influence from Italy. Our Suburb of Mentone takes its name from the city of Menton on the French/Italian border. This influence seems to carry through from our suburb to Port Melbourne. |
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| San Remo we all know is in Italy. This apartment was built after WWI in what I'm told is the Arts and Crafts style based on the Californian Bungalow theme. |
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| Taranto apartments may have its origins from the Italian city on the Gulf of Taranto. Not much more than I can add to that. |
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| Although here in Bayside Melbourne, Woy Woy is on the NSW central coast. During the 1950s, Spike Milligan's parents moved from the UK to this quiet town established in the 1820's. Spike would often visit his parents and Woy Woy to relax from the show biz world and even described it as the largest above ground cemetery. |
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| L'Avenir I'm informed means something like "In the Future" and I believe there's a hotel in Paris and Brussels by the same name. |
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| Again the Italian influence is evident with Capri - the island off the coast near Naples. |
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| I had no idea where the origin Singara came from until I did a Google. Singara was a fortified post in Mesopotamia which was captured by the Romans in 114. So there - I guess another Italian influence albeit a little convoluted. Not sure why David stands under the porch though! |
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| Kiora is a grand old building on South Rd Brighton Beach area. Built in the late 1800s it later became an exclusive girls school. Today it is heritage listed and is an apartment house. |
Just prior to starting the search for house names we decided on coffee and a snack at quite a nice Patisserie opposite this grand old building in Bridport Street, Albert Park.
So back to work tomorrow with the next post in our Wednesdays in France almost completed. We leave Thenay on our way to Sancerre.
So far - 64 photos of France and only 301 to go, or with Leap Year did I miscalculate?
http://frenchtravelswithmywife.blogspot.com.au/
So far - 64 photos of France and only 301 to go, or with Leap Year did I miscalculate?
http://frenchtravelswithmywife.blogspot.com.au/
The Hotel de l'Avenir in Paris is a place that Ken and I stayed in many times back in the late 80s and early 90s. And, as you know, our house here in France has a name: Les Bouleaux!
ReplyDeleteWalt - Isn't past your bedtime 11.00pm when you commented. I thought you country folk went to bed early for an early get-up.
ReplyDeleteLeaves are starting to fall here where I see over there that new growth has started. Sue and I wish you a pleasant Spring.
That's your time. Here it was just after 8:00am. Good morning!
ReplyDeleteOMG, that's weird - my cpmputer doesn't say that.
ReplyDeleteAnd who has a birthday Monday?
Interesting post and so many names. When my parents lived in the UK before they left for Rhodesia in 1953 we had a house called 'Little Ridgeway' that was in a tiny road called Morris Lane. Now you make me wonder where the name came from! Perhaps it was called that before. The last house they lived in (in Rhodesia) before my Mum moved to live with us in S. Africa also had a name, Yertiz. This is a Somerset (UK) saying for here it is. That one I do understand because we had moved from the county of Somerset. Here in France we have no name or number, the post lady just knows everyone :) Diane
ReplyDeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteIn Oz it would translate from Yertiz to maybe Hertiz. I'm sure living in rural France the locals know of you quickly - does it take a long time to meet the locals though?
Leon I think we were lucky. Because I was here all summer on my own the neighbours were always popping around for a drink to check and see if I was OK. I was never sure if it was me or the pastis that was the attraction! If I needed any help for the odd thing I could not do alone I just went and asked and I always had someone who would help. Despite the fact that my French is complete rubbish, with a lot of hand waving and a smile I always got there in the end. My S.African accent is a mystery to them as well, so even when I am certain that I am saying the right thing I get a vacant expression. We have one neighbour who speaks a little 'American' he tells me that my English is terrible LOL. They are the ones who gave me the rabbit the other day.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was so ill with pneumonia a couple of years ago, the word got out quickly and I left the front door unlocked. Between them all they made sure I was OK, had food and drink etc. The Dr who lives over the road popped in each day to see if I was OK, no extra charge. Great people and neighbours. Diane
Leon, when my dad bought his bungalow just a couple of miles from us it had the name "Witts End" !! I suggested he remove or change it but it's still there !!
ReplyDelete