McQuade’s Garage and Stables and Walker’s Bakehouse, 18-20, 22-24 Scott Street, Dandenong

Most recently, before demolition, being occupied by Raux & Sons and known as the Tin Shed. It was owned by two well-known Dandenong identities, E. P Walker and P. V. McQuade. A ratebook search has revealed that between 1917 and 1925 allotment 18/20 was owned by P. McQuade (Licensed victualler) when there was a garage and stables on a 66 feet frontage.

Max Oldmeadow speculated that this may have been where McQuade, who was licensee of the Albion Hotel round the corner on Lonsdale Street, provided accommodation for hotel guest’s horses and cars. McQuade left his mark with the naming of McQuade Lane, running off Scott Street, which almost meets the back of the Albion Hotel.

Blocks 22-24 were owned by E. P. Walker. The land had a house, bakehouse and outbuildings on a 100 ft frontage. He had various tenants, usually women, and apparently never lived there himself. Edward Percy Walker was born at Echuca and with his father owned a chain of stores at Tooradin, Lang Lang and Dandenong.

In February 1910, he paid £22 per foot for his property at the corner of Scott and Lonsdale Streets where he established a well-known corrugated iron grain store. He ran his hay and corn business for many years and gave the site the name by which it is still known, ‘the Old Tin Shed’.

In 1931, the ratebooks become vague about the site and Scott Street was rated as belonging to the Electricity Commission who had 8.5 acres. In 1925, the Electricity Commission had number 16 as a house for a linesman. In 1957, 18-20 and 22-24 were occupied by and used as a garage belonging to Central Motors.

By more recent times, before demolition, being occupied by Raux & Sons, these two gabled single storey buildings had timber frames, horizontally fixed corrugated iron wall cladding (some red Lysaght Orb), some weatherboard cladding to the front gables of both and corrugated iron roofing.

A red brick wing appears to have been added in front of the western building (22-24), sometime in the inter-war period. The interior was still partly unlined; there were timber ledge & braced doors across the eastern building’s entry (18-20); and some early brick flooring (possibly the stable area?).


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