Dennys Lascelles Woolstore

Geelong Historic Buildings

Dennys Lascelles woolstore was erected for C J Dennys and Company, woolbrokers, in 1872 on a strategic site near the waterfront. Jacob Pitman, architect, designed the original conservative classical three storey warehouse and supervised construction of the basement. After a dispute a Ballarat architect/contractor was engaged to complete the works to a reduced design derived from industrial architectural traditions and built of squared basalt enhanced with modest cement rendered ornamentation

The Dennys Lascelles wool warehouse was the first building in Victoria planned to facilitate storage, inspection and marketing of wool in one operation and upon completion was the second largest store in the colony. The warehouse, regularly fenestrated and lit by additional roof skylights was a model for later woolstores built throughout Australia and in London. C J Dennys was largely responsible for establishment and development of the wool marketing industry in Geelong and is a figure of significance in the history of settlement in Geelong.