Stop B2: Jones Lane
Click on the above to listen to audio about the buried block
Society at the crossroads
Originally Foundry Lane, this was once the haunt of all manner of colourful characters. Part of the notorious ‘Little Lon’ district it represented the underbelly of post-gold rush period settlement.The excavation of the area helped build a rich picture of the lives of the people who lived here – from as far back as the 1840s. Walls and fireplaces from two periods of occupation and over 100,000 artefacts were found.
A highly significant find
Excavations in 2017 along the western side of Jones Lane not only uncovered the remains of buildings not far below todays current ground level, but also uncovered a second layer of earlier buildings preserved below thick layers of clay. These were the buildings that had to be abandoned when the council raised the levels of Jones Lane and Little Lonsdale Street by up to two meters. These early buildings dated from 1847 to 1854 and were the first buildings constructed on the site. They appear to have been residential properties and were larger and more widely spaced apart than the later buildings. The earlier buildings were an unexpected and highly significant find below the city.
Evidence of a colourful life
Historical sources indicate that between the 1860s and 1890s there were timber and brick cottages, commercial premises and small factories along Jones Lane and were populated by a mix of different types of people living and working there. This was also reflected by the diverse range of personal objects recovered during the dig. The archaeological finds tell the story of a lively and densely packed area of the city from the 1860s to the 1890s.
Jones Lane was also home to families where presumably mothers made lace, did needlework and other home crafts, to make money whilst watching over their children. Chinese cabinet makers manufactured all manner of furniture including tables chairs and washstands while the northern end of the lane was crowded with sly grog shops and brothels.
Prostitution close to redemption
By the late 1880s Jones Lane had become notorious for crime and illicit behaviour, including violence, alcohol consumption and prostitution. Wesleyan social workers from the adjoining church worked amongst the communities of Jones Lane and Little Lonsdale Street to support the inhabitants, wherever they could.
From artisan to industry
By 1910, the small houses and shacks had been demolished to make way for larger, red brick factories for printers, cabinetmakers, wood-turners and furniture businesses. These factories became the main type of building that replaced not only the earlier residential buildings, but also the notorious character of ‘Little Lon’. The factories remained along much of Jones Lane, until the 1980’s when the Wesley Church purchased and demolished a number of them to create a ground level carpark.
Uncover more about the Jones Lane findings here
Image References
- A carved bone pendant or brooch in the shape of a deer, recovered from the later occupation phase of Residence 3, at Jones Lane, deposited between 1855 and 1900. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associates
- The Wesley Church site and double-storey tenement houses along Jones Lane (to the immediate left of the church and Manse), as shown in this excerpt from the isometrical plan of Melbourne by De Gruchy & Leigh, 1866. Source: State Library of Victoria, H291
- Excerpt from MMBW 1895 plan of Jones Lane, north. Source: State Library of Victoria
- Detail of a fireplace from a 3D photogrammetry model of the remains of six of the Jones Lane cottages. Source: Dr Vincent Clark & Associates
