Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Flinders Lane is a minor street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Flinders Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main street. The street was once the centre of Melbourne's rag trade at the turn of the 19th century.

The lane has been spared the overdevelopment of nearby Collins Street, with many of these buildings historically subject to strict height limits of around 40 metres. Despite the loss of some significant turn of the century buildings, it is now known for its "SoHo" atmosphere. Today, the area is home to many boutique hotels, "loft style" apartment conversions, cafes and bars as well as connecting with a number of smaller lanes, including Degraves Street, ACDC Lane, Manchester Lane and "Centreway" which weave their way through the city.

For a block between William Street and Market Street, Melbourne tram route 55 runs along Flinders Lane.

Landmarks

Flinders Lane has many notable multi-storey warehouses, some included on the Victorian Heritage Register; including "Leicester House" (1888), "Murray House", "Chapter House" (1891) by William Butterfield, "Royston House" (1898) by Sulman & Power, "Milton House" (1901) by Sydney Smith & Ogg, "Tomasetti Warehouse", "Manchester House" and the "Majorca Building" (1928) by Harry Norris.

History

Flinders Lane was once home to the 12-storey Queen Anne styled "Australian Building" designed by Henry Kemp, which was reportedly the third tallest building in the world when completed in 1889. The building was demolished in 1980. Other significant buildings lost to development include the "Champions Hotel" on the corner of Swanston Street.

On Monday 18 June 2007, a shooting incident occurred on the corner of Flinders Lane and William Street when an unknown man shot and killed a pedestrian and wounded two others. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1953862.htm]

Geography

Flinders Lane runs roughly from east to west and it bisects the CBD (known as the Hoddle Grid) along its long axis. Flinders Lane runs between the parallel Flinders Street and Collins streets. It intersects Spring Street to the east and Spencer Street to the west.

References

External links

* [http://www.melpedia.net/wiki/Category:Flinders_Lane Notable locations on Flinders Lane]