Lansdownie, Bagot Rd, Subiaco

Parent Place or Precinct

27310 Park Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Park Street Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

Architectural style
93 Bagot Road was designed as simple weatherboard cottage and does not represent any of the major architectural styles. It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as office workers, retail employees and both skilled and unskilled tradesmen.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Symmetrical façade, featuring a central entrance door, flanked by windows to each of the front rooms.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
• Separate bullnose verandah roof.
• Painted brick chimney (originally face brick, with a rendered cap).
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Weatherboard’s shaped to imitate ashlar stonework to the main façade.
• Square-edged weatherboards for the secondary façade along Francis Street.
Other detailing to main facade
• Centrally located entrance door, with a highlight and narrow sidelights.
• Geometric pattern lead light panels to the door (in a design more consistent with the Inter-War period).
• Single double-hung window to each of the front rooms.
• Verandah detailed with turned timber posts, carved timber brackets and a simple frieze with square balustrettes.
Streetscape setting
• House set back approximately 6.8m from the Bagot Road frontage.
• Lot width approximately 11.4.
• Built up to the boundary along Francis Street. Approximately 1.7m setback along the eastern side of the house.
• Front yard enclosed by a low stone wall and tall stone piers, set with square-topped timber-picket fence panels.

History

Subiaco's population increased significantly in the 1890s due to an economic depression in the eastern states and the discovery of gold in Western Australia. During the 1890s property developers bought large landholdings for subdivision in the Perth metropolitan area. The original subdivisions in Subiaco were generally simple grid pattern developments with small lots suitable for occupancy by working families. However, the more elevated parts of the suburb, particularly towards Kings Park, also attracted business and professional men and some lots were later amalgamated to accommodate their larger homes and gardens. Mixed development occurred and within the Park Street Heritage Area this ranged from narrow, single storey terrace housing through to a large 2-storey house set in spacious grounds. The readily available evidence indicates that the number of houses within this area increased from around 24 in 1901 to 72 in 1906; 86 in 1910; 92 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 103 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949.
Perth Suburban Lots 243 to 246 were subdivided as Deposited Plan 352 in the early 1890s. This comprised 141 lots of which Lot 39 was developed as 93 Bagot Road. Members of the Mills family were living in Bagot Road by 1899 and in 1901 their house was the only occupied property on the southern side of Bagot Road, between Francis Street and Park Street (the latter now known as Kings Road). In 1903 the Subiaco Rate Books more specifically identified their property as Lot 39. It is therefore possible that the house was built in as early as 1898.
Thomas Franklin Mills (c.1854-1911) (WAGR) and Hannah Parker (c.1856-1914) were married in Victoria in c.1883 and had at least 5 children: William Arthur Thomas (born c.1884); Louisa May (c.1885); Elsie Maud (c.1887); Ethel Amy (c.1893); and Veronica (c.1898). In a letter to newspaper children’s pages in 1908, Ethel Mills referred to their house as ‘Lansdownie’. Hannah and Thomas remained here until around the times of their deaths, while Elsie and Ethel remained here until c.1915.
Entries in the Rates Books suggest that the house was sold by Miss E Mills in c.1916-1917, with the owner in 1917-1918 being identified as a Miss Anderson.
After the Mills family departed there was a high turnover of occupants until at least the mid-twentieth century (with the majority of occupants remaining here for around 1-4 years), which suggests that it was primarily used as a rental property. A review of the Post Office Directories at 5-yearly intervals (together with reference to contemporary Electoral Rolls) indicates that some of the primary residents during this period included:
 1920: Mrs Lilly Haffner
 1925: Mrs Julia Luchinelli
 1930: Miss May Crommelin
May Crommelin lived here in c.1926-1930. The Rate Books of 1929-1930 and 1935-1936 identified ‘Crommelin’ as the owner of this property.
 1935: Gilbert Lee Townshend Drummond-Hay (inspector)
 1940: John Dobson
 1945: Mrs C M Dean
 1949: Mrs Lillian Georgina Wallis
The weatherboard residence was offered for sale by auction in November 1954.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (revised March 1954) and historical aerial photographs indicates that the footprint of this house has remained relatively unchanged since the mid-twentieth century.

Integrity/Authenticity

The original external detailing and form of the building (as viewed from the street) appears to be largely intact and/or sympathetically restored/renovated.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the buildings appear to be in a good condition.

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.