'Bernaty, 18 Ewing Blyth Drive',
This house (originally named Bernaty) appears to have been constructed for Howard
Hitchcock in 1886-87. The Hitchock family were the owners of Bright and
Hitchcock's, a well known drapery and one of the principal mercantile establishments
in Geelong at the turn of the century. Hitchcock was also to become a Geelong Town
Councillor between 1915 and 1931 (and Mayor from 1917-22).
The single storey, horizontal weatherboard Victorian Picturesque house is characterised by a recessed hipped roof, together with a projecting gable to the street frontage and a return skillion verandah. Two early, rendered brick and corbelled chimneys with terra cotta pots adorn the roofline. A parapetted skillion extension has been added to the south-eastern section of the building. Narrow overhangs are a feature of the eaves. An early decorative feature of the design is the worked timber bargeboards on the projecting 'gable which contribute to the picturesque qualities of the house.
