House, 8 John Street, Shenton Park

Parent Place or Precinct

24362 Shenton Park Conservation Area

Values

• The place is representative of the development of the Shenton Park area following the introduction of the Workers’ Homes Act in 1912.
• The place is an aesthetically pleasing example of a modest Californian Bungalow.

Physical Description

House, 8 John Street, is located within the Shenton Park Conservation Area which is an area identified in City of Subiaco Town Planning Scheme as the Shenton Park Precinct. The area contains a number of early homes although there are also areas of recent redevelopment. Traditional houses are single storey masonry or rendered masonry construction with corrugated iron or tiled roofs, and porches or verandahs. Typically houses are of the Federation Bungalow or Queen Anne style with some more recent Inter-War Californian Bungalow style homes, particularly at the western end of the area, with a number of timber framed weatherboard and iron houses, which are generally interspersed with masonry homes. The area south of Onslow Road is characterised by fairly intact streets of timber framed, weatherboard and iron houses, some dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
House, 8 John Street, Shenton Park is a single storey brick and tile Californian Bungalow with a limestone plinth. The place has an asymmetric façade with projecting wing with a timbered gable. The verandah/porch is accessed from the south side with two brick steps leading to a brick paved deck. A half- height brick balustrade is constructed along the west side of the verandah. The windows to the front elevation are timber framed casements with shallow Gothic arched detailing to match the arches over the entrance to the verandah. The rear elevation contains a small hipped roof wing which forms the Kitchen area, and the remainder of the rear elevation is formed by a fibre cement sheet sleep-out area. The north elevation is a simple form with the face brickwork broken by a number of timber framed windows to the bedrooms and bathrooms located along this side of the house.
The front verandah opens into an entry foyer from which a number of the main rooms branch off with direct access whilst the rooms towards the rear of the house are only accessible through another room. Internal original features include ornate moulded ceilings and decorative cornices, original Metters stove, brick fireplace, original internal timber doors, picture rails and timber floors.

History

The Workers’ Home Board operated between 1912 and 1947. The intention of the Board, as established by the Workers’ Home Act 1912, was to provide assistance to workers in providing homes for themselves. The Board funded the construction of houses by a labour day force, as well as financing the construction of homes by potential owners under freehold.
In the first two years of operations, the Board purchased land for the construction of homes in Fremantle, Subiaco, Midland Junction, Victoria Park, Geraldton, Beverley, Wagin, Narrogin, Merredin, Katanning, Albany and other regional locations. A range of construction materials, including concrete, timber and bricks, were considered, in order to increase the efficiency and production of suitable homes and deal with difficulties in economically obtaining resources across Western Australia.
The outbreak of war in 1914 had an immediate impact on the operations of the Board as a substantial number of salaried staff and many clients enlisted for active service. Construction of WHB houses ceased in August 1914, and little further activity took place until the Board assumed responsibility for constructing War Service Homes from 1921/22.
The federally funded War Services Homes were allocated larger grants than the State’s Workers’ Home Board homes, and the WHB’s regular program of housing construction suffered as War Service Homes were given prioritisation. Material shortages meant that the cost of building increased and brick houses were no longer being constructed by the Board. By the mid-1930s the high costs of construction meant that the WHB was no longer able to cater to the average worker on a basic wage. Brick houses were reintroduced in 1938.

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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.