Watervale, 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
102 Bagot Road appears to have been designed as a Federation Bungalow. It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as professional men and small business owners.
A high front fence and garden planting limit public views, but it is clear that some of the original detailing has been altered and/or concealed by modern works.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Asymmetrical facade. The original design featured a bay window to the projecting wing on the eastern side of the main facade, with a prominent porch across the western side. A separate verandah on the eastern side of the house (possibly designed as a sleep-out) has been removed.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
The original roof featured double verge gables, one to the main part of the house and the other to the projecting front porch. Both are finished with rough cast render and vertical timber battens.
Modern extensions have added two additional gables, one to the centre of the main roofline and one to the additions on the eastern side (both smaller than the originals, but with matching detailing).
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• The main façade has been fully rendered, concealing any evidence of the original finishes.
Other detailing to main facade
• Prominent bay window with a single double-hung window to each face.
• Projecting porch, emphasised by a large gabled roof. This has large, rendered masonry piers and shallow arched valances.
• Entrance door located under secondary porch constructed as part of modern additions (door relocated from original location under the verandah).
Streetscape setting
• House set back approximately 3.8m from the Bagot Road frontage.
• Lot width approximately 16.6m (original block width approximately 25m).
• Front yard enclosed by a high timber picket fence and gates.

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; 91 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 13 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949.
Perth Suburban Lot 220 was subdivided as Deposited Plan 1552 in 1896 and advertised as the “Parkerville Estate”. This comprised 38 lots with frontages along the eastern side of Townshend Road (between Barker and Bagot Roads), part of the southern side of Barker Road, part of Salisbury Avenue (renamed as part of Park Street in 1901) and part of the northern side of Bagot Road. 102 Bagot Road was subsequently developed across Lots 36 to 38.
Entries in the Subiaco Rate Books show that Lots 36 & 37 had been purchased by ‘Jones’ by 1905 and that ‘J Jones’ was the owner/occupier of a house on this site by 1907-1908.
James Alexander Jones (restaurant and hostel proprietor) (1857-1925) and Mary Ann Hilder were married in SA in c.1878 and this couple had at least 10 children. Members of this family lived at ‘Watervale’, 102 Bagot Road, for much of the time from c.1907-1932, although the house does appear to have been rented out for a period around WWI (c.1916-1919).
James died in 1925, when it was reported:
The funeral of the late Mr. James Alexander Jones, late of the Duke of York Hostel, Murray-street, Perth, took place on Thursday afternoon last, and was very largely attended. The deceased was born in Watervale, South Australia, where he resided for 41 years. He then came West [c.1897], where he has resided for the past 28 years, during which time he became very well known and highly respected. The cortege moved from his late residence, 'Watervale,' 102 Bagot-road, Subiaco.
In October 1931, a brief newspaper item stated that 102 Bagot Road had been sold on behalf of M A Jones. After this time there was a high turn-over of occupants until at least the late 1940s, which suggests that it was primarily being occupied as a rental property.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (as revised in 1927 and 1955) and historical aerial photographs, shows that the original spacious grounds of 102 Bagot Road were subdivided into 3 parts in c.1995-2000. During that period, the eastern portion of the block was developed with one new house (96 Bagot Road), while the rear yard and a strip along the western side were developed with another new house and access drive (104 Bagot Road). In c.1999-2000 the original house was enlarged with a second storey addition and new ground floor additions along the eastern side.

Integrity/Authenticity

The authenticity of the house within its streetscape setting has been reduced by the rendering of the main facade, the construction of a prominent gable to the two-storey additions at the rear, and the extension of the house to the eastern boundary. This has significantly altered the scale and form of the place, but the original design can still be interpreted.

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.