Single brick and iron dwelling

Statement of Significance

The place has some historic value as one of the few surviving dwellings within the Town of Vincent which dated from 1884 prior to the Gold Boom Period of development; The place has some rarity value as it one of the few remaining dwellings built in 1884 located in the Town of Vincent; The Place has a high degree of integrity, retaining its original use as a residence.

Physical Description

The dwelling is a Federation Queen Anne Bungalow constructed from brick and red corrugated iron sheeting. It has a front facing gable with a small awning over the bay window. There are three sash windows located on the bay. This front section of the dwelling is an addition to the original rear part of the dwelling that was constructed c1884. A separate skillion verandah extends along the façade of the dwelling and is supported by turned timber posts. Two stucco bands situated at the top and bottom of the windows run along the façade. The front door is situated next to the bay window and two sash windows are located past the front door. Two brick chimneys are located in the rear section of the dwelling and have rendered corbelled and decorative elements. The dwelling has a hipped roof. The west wall is constructed using stretcher bond brickwork, the façade is Flemish bond brickwork and the east wall is constructed using a variation of Common bond brickwork. This bond style is also used in the east wall of the rear section of which is part of the original 1884 section of the dwelling. The west wall of the rear extension has been rendered. The front of the dwelling is built on limestone blocks. A wire mesh fence delineates the property from the street of which a concrete paved pathway leads to the front entrance of the dwelling. The front door opens into a passage which runs the length of the dwelling. The two front rooms located on either side of the passage are large; the room located to the east of the front door has a fireplace located in the corner of the room. The lounge on the west side of the passage has a rectangular ceiling rose and a circular ceiling rose is located in the passage. Near to the fireplace are two floorboards which are broken, creating a hole in a small section of the floor. The passage is divided by a set of timber stairs which follow the steep slope of the block. On the second level there are four rooms, two on each side of the passage. The doors to the rooms are staggered, not opening directly opposite each other. At this point of the passage there is an archway. The first two rooms on the second level are bedrooms and are smaller in dimension to the first two rooms of the dwelling. Beyond the two bedrooms are the kitchen and a storage room. The kitchen has a set of three casement windows. The front and middle part of the dwelling has wide timber floorboards throughout the rooms and passageway. There are high skirting boards located along the passage. The rear of the dwelling has a panelled door opening onto a skillion roofed extension. The door has a three paned fixed fanlight window above it. A brick and skillion roofed addition is located at the rear of the dwelling. The rear skillion has narrow floorboards and has been divided into two rooms, a bathroom and a storage room. This room has two sets of casement windows looking onto the rear of the property. A set of brick and concrete stairs are located outside the backdoor and lead to the backyard. A small brick building is located onto the rear of the dwelling, which is accessed from the ground level, via a timber door. A manhole is located under the skillion addition, allowing access under the dwelling. A corrugated sheeting shed is located a few metres behind the dwelling and a brick toilet is also located behind the dwelling, close to the property boundary with No. 48. Former Late Colonial Georgian style facade replaced with Federation Style facade

History

Cowle Street is located on the former Lake Henderson, which Roberston Park and beyond, and was farmed by European market gardeners. In the 1870s Charles Street became a major road in the area and settlers established dairy farms and market gardens along the lake's length, such as in the area along Cowle Street. The land of Lake Henderson was taken up quickly for market gardens, one area was bought by James Fox, at what is now Robertson Park. Perth town Lot Y207 was sold for 9 pounds in June 1870. The earliest dwelling to have been constructed in Cowle Street (and one of the five oldest remaining houses in the Town of Vincent) is No. 54. The land was purchased by market gardener Walter Edward Jospeh Gallop (Joseph) who also owned the adjacent lots, number Y219, 220 and 221, totaling about 16,000 sqaure metres (four acres). Gallop had arrived in Western Australia in 1829 with his brothers Edward and James, (the great great grandfather of the former WA Premier Geoff Gallop). Joseph Gallop died in the 1890s and the land was passed onto his two daughters. Gallop Street, located nearby, is named after him. Gallop constructed the house in 1884 and sold the property shortly afterwards. Mrs T.W Williams purchased the property in 1884 and then around 1887 sold it to George Bandy, a carrier and later Post Office official, and his wife Elizabeth is listed. The house was built in two stages, the first being a square cottage with verandahs at the front and rear, and a shingled roof. George Bandy applied for a building licence in 1904 and additions to the front which were more elaborate were carried out shortly afterwards. At some stage the original shingled roof was also replaced iwth corrugated iron. The City of Perth Metropolitan Sewerage Plan shows that No. 54 is different from most of the dwellings along the street due to this 1904 front extension. The front rooms of the dwelling were widened as compared to the rear and the bay window which projected from the facade was also a distinguishing feature. George Bandy was a keen gardener, and his orchard was well-known to the young lads of the area. To stop them stealing his fruit and mulberries, he planted a hedge of briar roses along the rear fence and set bee hives under the fruit trees. He also bred racing pigeons on the property and held several speed awards. In 1908 the property was re-numbered from No. 40 to No. 54 due to the increase in dwellings along the street. Between 1932 and 1935 there were short term residents living at the property. This reflects the transient nature of some people's lifestyle during the Depression era. In 1940 it was listed as vacant. In 1940/1941 the property was sold to Alfred R. Roworth , whom was already the owner of No. 40 since 1927. The 1949 Post Office Directory shows Arthur G. Chick as the resident. In 1936 the site of Dorrien Gardens was cleared and in the 1950s the Peth City Council established a soccer ground behind the dwellings on the north side of Cowle Street. In 1941 Alfred Roworth also purchased Nos. 44 and 54 in order to expand his nursery business which operated on reclaimed land at the rear of No. 40. The land at the rear of No. 54 was susequently used for seeding beds. In the 1940's the Perth City Council commenced discussions to further extend Dorrien Gardens. In a land transfer undertaken in the 1970's the land of which the subject place is located was purchased by the Perth City Council and transferred to Mr A. R. Roworth in exchange for land to the north of the subject property. Roworth gained as compensation Nos. 28 - 30, 32, 60 and 70A and 70B. Once transferred to the City of Perth the land north of the subject place was consolidated with the existing land that formed Dorrien Gardens. The same thing happened to part of the Mangan's property (No. 48) and, according to John Mangan his mother, Mrs A Mangan, had a written agreement with the Perth City Council that any unused land would be sold back to her. Unfortunately, this agreement only lasted while she lived and the land that was left over was sold to a neighbour rather than back to the Mangan family. In 2007 Alfred Roworth still owned Nos. 28-30, 32, 40, 44, 48, 54, 60, 62 and 70A and 70B. The City of Perth Metropolitan Sewerage Plan shows that No. 54 is different from most of the dwellings along the street due to the 1904 front extension. The front rooms of the dwelling are widened as compared to the rear and the bay window which projects from the façade is also a distinguishing feature .

Integrity/Authenticity

High

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.