WHY are there art deco pillars at either end of Henderson Place?
The answer is probably pretty simple, but the exact truth appears to have been lost in time.
Henderson Place, probably named after former Mildura mayor ET Henderson, is a “new” street bordering the historic Eleventh Street address of Valetta.
READ MORE: HISTORY FOR SALE: VALETTA GOES ON THE MARKET
It wasn’t there when the house was built in 1891 but was later developed as a housing estate, probably before World War II if the predominant architecture is any guide.
The pillars appear to fit the style of that time, too.
According to Chaffey Trail historical information, the Eleventh Street pillars mark the old entrance to Valetta and some people believe they were once gate posts, but that wouldn’t explain the matching set at the Twelfth Street end, plus there’s no physical evidence that gates were ever attached.
Some can remember the pillars being topped by light fittings and the popular theory is that these were removed because vandals kept throwing rocks at them.
At least one does seem to have what might once have been a globe socket on top.
Henderson Place is laid out a little differently to typical inner-city Mildura streets and appears to have been marketed as a slightly fancy estate when the land went on sale.
For instance, there was once a decorative garden planted down its centre.
Some trees remain there but it’s not clear why the rest has gone.
However, local theory has it that it came to be seen as a traffic hazard.
So, the simple answer is that those pillars were probably just put there to look fancy and push the price of the land up a bit, as developers still do today.
Whether that was successful in making any extra cash, we don’t know, but they still look great and they really do make the street appear to be a little bit special.
