The Residency, Bunbury

Statement of Significance

The Residency, Bunbury, a single storey brick and iron building in the ‘Victorian’ Regency style, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
situated within a large open landscaped area that contains two large plane trees, the place is a competently designed and built example of a substantial house in the Victorian Regency style and contributes to the aesthetic and precinctual qualities of Stirling Street;

as a substantial residence constructed in the 1890s in the Victorian Regency style and situated in a landscaped setting, the place is a rare and prominent house type in the Stirling Street precinct;

the place was the official residence of the Resident Magistrate from 1896 to the early 1960s and has associations with the various Resident Magistrates who served the district during this time, including W. H. Timperley (Resident Magistrate 1890 - 1905) for whom the place was built in 1896, and William Lambden Owen (Resident Magistrate 1905 - c. 1920);and,

the place is valued by the local and wider community for its contribution to the built environment of Bunbury, and as a result contributes to this community’s sense of place. This is evidenced by its inclusion in all relevant heritage listings, the preservation works carried out in c. 1979/1980 and c. 1990, and its retention in public ownership.

The freestanding laundry and bathroom block is assessed as being of little significance.

Physical Description

The Residency, Bunbury is a simply planned building designed with a restrained use of classical decorative detailing. It displays some of the characteristics of the Victorian Regency c.1840 –1890 style.

The building has a hipped roof that runs across the front face of the building and returns to the rear as a pair of hipped roofs. The inner edges of these abut to form a central valley gutter that discharges to the rear of the house.

The rear part of the building has a lean-to roof. The verandahs have separately-pitched bullnosed corrugated iron roofs. All roofs are covered by sheets of Colorbond finished corrugated iron. The guttering is of ogee pattern, pressed galvanised iron.

The front façade of the building faces north onto Stirling Street. This façade is composed almost symmetrically with a rendered bay set on either side of a panel of the wall. This panel of wall is off centre by about 450 mm. The wall of this façade is completely rendered. The outer edges of the bays are finished with a bead and stop chamfered detail whereas the corners of the wall are not resolved in this manner, evidence that the rendering is not original.

The brickwork between the high point of the verandah and the soffit of the main roof is of tuck-pointed brickwork instead of render. Pairs of timber corbel brackets appear to support the fascia of the main roof. Each of the bays contains a pair of almost full height timber framed double hung sash windows.

The rear part of the east face of the building appears to have been built in two stages. The part adjoining the main part of the building has Flemish bond brickwork which matches the front, whereas the brickwork of the rear section is stretcher bond instead of Flemish and the windows are timber framed with 3 paned casement sashes instead of double hung sashes.

The west face of the building is composed in the same manner as the east face. The main part of the building is under the hipped roof and is edged by the verandah. The other part is the rear area, which has a lean-to roof and no verandah. The door and the two windows on this face of the building are evenly spaced and are of the same construction as those on the east side.

This description is based on the Physcial Evidence in Heritage Council of Western Australia, ‘Register of Heritage Places: The Residency, Bunbury’, 2001.

The place was purchased by private owners in the mid-2000s and has been restored and additions have been constructed.

History

The Residency was built in 1896 for William Henry Timperley (1833-1909), Bunbury’s Resident Magistrate at the time.

Timperley had arrived in Western Australia with his father and a Mrs Pennefeather in 1851. He soon joined the police force and in November 1858 while sergeant at Bunbury, he married Rebecca Properjohn. Timperley was promoted to sub-inspector in 1860 and inspector in 1870 and after a long leave in England, returned to Western Australia in October 1884. He was appointed superintendant of the ‘native prison’ on Rottnest Island in 1885. He left Rottnest Island to take up the position of resident magistrate and electoral registrar for the Wellington, Blackwood and Sussex districts in 1890.

Resident magistrates (also known as government magistrates) were the colonial government’s representatives in outlying areas. They were influential community members, with considerable powers sometimes considered to be more than the elected members of local government. The Bunbury position involved overseeing all court proceedings in the Wellington, Blackwood and Sussex districts. The Bunbury Resident Magistrate presided at the Bunbury Courthouse, while a number of prominent citizens served under him the local courts.

Unlike resident magistrates in other areas, the Bunbury position did not come with a residence. The Timperleys had rented in a house in Wittenoom Street unitl the mid-1890s, when they decided it was time to build a house of their own. The Timperleys had 10 children (seven of whom were alive when William died in 1909).

Title to the land on the corner of Stirling Street and Moore Street was granted to William Timperley on 6 March 1896 and he soon engaged architect Robert Balding to drawn up designs. Local contractor Joseph Hendley completed the building in the same year.

At the time of construction, the building was described as a substantial brick building on a solid cement foundation, with cement dressing around the windows. On the eastern side was a 20’ x 6’ entrance hall. On the right hand side was the 14’ x 15’ dining room, with Cornish ornamental flowers on the ceiling. The woodwork was grained maple. There were three bedrooms (each 14’ x 11’) on the right, and a 14’ x 15’ bedroom, 14’ x 8’ smoking room and 14’ x 8’ servant’s room on the left. Outside the back door were a large open space, a detached kitchen, bathroom and store.

A newspaper report commented that White Road (Stirling Street) was becoming a favoured location for residential villas, competing with the Vasse Road as the best address in town.

Although it was a private residence, the Timperley’s house was known as ‘The Residency’ from the time of construction. It was not purchased by the State Government (Public Works Department) until 1904 when William Lamden Owen replaced Timperley as resident magistrate for the Wellington, Nelson and Sussex magisterial districts. He took up occupation of The Residency in January 1905 and lived there until c. 1920.

C F Coles completed renovations to the cost of £59 under a PWD contract in 1913.

The Residency continued to be occupied by successive resident magistrates until the 1960s, at which time a new house was built at another location. From the early 1960s until the mid-1970s, The Residency was used by several state government departments. During this time, various changes were made to the house including conversion of a small rear room to a kitchen, the addition of adjoining toilets at the rear and the creation of a bitumen car park.

By the late 1970s, the building was unoccupied and subject to vandalism. The Government prepared to put The Residency on the market, but community concern for the building delayed this action. In 1978/79 the Western Australian Heritage Commission provided a $5,500 grant towards the conservation of the building. The project was jointly administered and conducted by the National Trust of Australia (WA), the Bunbury Town Council and the Bunbury Historical Society. The restoration of The Residency was completed in the early 1980s.

At the request of and in conjunction with the Bunbury Historical Society, the Bunbury Arts Council took over the lease of The Residency in 1979 and the place was used as an art centre through the 1980s. In early 1990, the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) took over the lease on the condition that further conservation work be carried out. The work was completed under the supervision of the National Trust of Australia (WA) and funded by the YHA. The work included provision of 35 beds and a detached bathroom and laundry block. The former toilet/bathroom addition was removed and the area renovated for use as a living room.

The above history incorporates information taken from the Documentary Evidence in Heritage Council of Western Australia, ‘Register of Heritage Places: The Residency, Bunbury’ prepared by Kris Bizzaca, 2001.

The place was purchased by private owners in the mid-2000s and has been restored. Additions have been constructed and the place is now a private residence.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium degree of integrity (original intent clear, current use different to original but compatible, high long term sustainability).
Medium degree of authenticity - alterations but with much original fabric remaining
(These statements based on street survey only).

Condition

Condition assessed as good (assessed from streetscape survey only).

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.