House

Parent Place or Precinct

24365 West Subiaco Conservation Area

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• As a good representative example of a well designed and detailed residence of Subiaco dating from the early twentieth century.
• For its historic value as a demonstration of the period in which Subiaco underwent rapid development in the early 20th century.
• For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact streetscape of early twentieth century houses.

Physical Description

29 Gloster Street is a single storey face brick dwelling with a corrugated steel hip roof displaying characteristics of the Federation Bungalow and Queen Anne style of architecture. The residence has a symmetrical form with two ridge gablets and a face brick chimney with brick corbelling and terracotta pot. A corrugated steel bullnose verandah extends across the front façade. The verandah is supported by tapered timber posts and features a simply detailed timber valance. The external walls are tuckpointed brick with a rendered string coursing at sill height. The entry door is timber framed with three panels of stained-glass glazing. The door is surrounded by highlights and a sidelight. Double hung timber windows with projecting rendered sills flank the entry door. Adjacent to the front door is a name plaque with the title ‘DAVUI’. The front yard is well maintained predominately a grass area with low-lying shrubs with a central paved pathway leading towards the house. The front yard is enclosed by a timber picket fence with a central timber gate flanked by rendered masonry piers. A mature verge tree largely obscures the dwelling from the street. The place is serviced by a rear laneway.

History

A mid-1890s map shows the future Gloster Street only to the west of Derby Road, named Bent Street near the railway and Murchison Street the rest of the length. In 1903, early Crawley resident George Shenton acquired the land between Derby, Heytesbury, Hensman and Nicholson Roads (undivided Lots 270 to 273). Shenton’s land, including the future 29 Gloster Street, was advertised for auction by B.C. Wood & Co as a new subdivision of 124 residential lots, on 8 August 1903. The roadway was named ‘Gloster Street’ by this time. By 1912, the former Bent Street was also named Gloster Street. The cul-de-sac extension east of Hensman Road was named Cecelia Street until c.1925 and later extended through to Union Street. The whole street was renumbered at this time to incorporate Cecelia Street. What had been 7 Gloster Street became 29 Gloster Street.
A c.1903 plan shows no buildings on Gloster or Cecelia Streets. Residents are first listed at Gloster Street in 1905, with six names given for Gloster Street and three forCecelia Street. Development then continued relatively steadily over the next 20 years with a total of around 26 houses listed in 1910, 44 in 1915, 68 in 1920, 91 in 1925 and 125 (most of the available lots) in 1930.
Four adjacent houses at 1,3,5 and 7 Gloster Street are first listed in Post Office Directories in 1918. They may have been built together by a single developer the previous year. The first occupant listed for 7 Gloster Street (later 29) was Thomas Pridham, who remained until 1926.
A sewerage plan from 1927 shows a brick residence with a verandah across the whole front (north) elevation. A rear portion is marked as brick and timber and may originally have been a rear verandah, since enclosed. A smaller rear verandah is centrally placed in the rear (south) elevation. The size of the main brick portion of the house suggests it may originally have been a two-room cottage with wide verandahs front and back. The residence depicted matches the extant building, with substantial extensions to the rear.
From 1927 to the end of the 1940s, occupancy changed many times, including:
• 1928: James Allan
• 1930: Mrs Wilson
• 1935, 1936: William Gifford
• 1937: Norm C. Deans
• 1940: Jack Legge
• 1945: Mrs Alice Gough
• 1949: Arthur C. Hewitt
Arthur Charles Hewitt continued to live at 29 Gloster Street in 1954 but had moved on by 1958.
Aerial photographs from 1948 to 1989 show the place little changed from the 1927 plan. By 1995, a large rear extension had been built.
The c.1992-95 two-storey addition to the rear completely altered the original roof line. In addition to the roof, a number of aesthetic and structural changes were undertaken including painting the front façade, altering the front verandah and removing the chimney.
In 2015-2016, following the property’s purchase in 2007, the owners undertook a number of restoration works in an attempt to restore the dwelling to its original condition. The works primarily removed the 1990’s extension and restored the original roof line. In addition to the roof restoration, the works included stripping the paint to restore the front tuckpointing, restoring the chimney, replacing the front door and recreating the front verandah. The rear of the property was significantly extended utilising the roof line to maintain the single-storey streetscape appearance.
The name Davui was given to the property by the current owners in c.2015. The name originates from the Fijian word for the conch shell and holds personal significance to the current owners.
29 Gloster Street is listed as having changed hands in 1986, 1992 and 2007. During that time its value increased from $72,000 to $1,225,000.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - high
Authenticity - Medium

Uses

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.