House, 183 Barker 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

Note: Views to the main façade are restricted by the high courtyard wall across both street frontages. The following description is based elements that can be seen above the height of the wall.
Architectural style
This house does not clearly illustrate any of the major architectural styles of the Federation or early Inter-War periods.
It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as office workers, retail employees and skilled tradesmen.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Asymmetrical façade designed to address the intersection, with the entrance facing Barker Road, a verandah facing Townshend Road and large verge gables to both frontages.
Roof form and materials
• Return gable roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
• Full width gable to the Townshend Road frontage, finished with roughcast render and slender vertical battens. Prominent modern gable capping.
• Smaller matching gable near the eastern end of the original Barker Road frontage.
• Face brick chimney with restrained rendered detailing.
• Raked verandah along the Townshend Road façade (matching the 1955 site plan, above).
• Raked porch in front of the entry (not shown on the 1955 site plan).
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Rendered facade.
Other detailing to main facade
• Slightly recessed entrance facing Barker Road, half-way along the northern elevation of the original house. This has a high-waisted door, sidelights and highlight (consistent with detailing of the early inter-war era).
• Double hung window to the north-facing gable.
• What appear to be two sets of French doors opening onto the west-facing verandah (not fully visible from the street).
• Chamfered square timber verandah posts. These are set in pairs (consistent with detailing of the early inter-war era)
• Carved verandah brackets, featuring a solid face with a small 4-petal flower cut-out (consistent with detailing of the early inter-war era).
Streetscape setting
Lot width approximately 11.1m to the Townshend Road frontage and 37m to the Barker Road frontage.
• Set back of approximately 2.4m from the Townshend Road frontage and 1m from the Barker Road frontage.
• Front yard enclosed by a high painted brick wall along both street boundaries.

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.
In the Subiaco Rate Book of 1903 the owner of Lot 7 (183 Barker) was identified as E J Thompson and the occupant as J Filewood (John Robert Filewood, miner). As J R Filewood was listed as the only resident along the southern side of this section of Barker Road in the Post Office Directory of 1901, it seems likely that the site had been developed by the beginning of the century. It appears to have been used as a rental property until the mid-1920 and had a high turn-over of occupants during this period. However, an advertisement to let in 1909 described 183 Barker Road as including “3 rooms”- which suggests a more modest structure than the original section of the current house.
The property was not listed in the Post Office Directory in 1925. While properties were occasionally omitted for no apparent reason, it is possible that the house was extensively altered or fully redeveloped at this time – which would be consistent with some of the current detailing.
The first long-term owner/occupants were members of the Donaldson family, who lived here in c.1925-1945. Charlotte Falais (c.1869-1954) and William Rhem Donaldson (c.1864-1945) were married in Victoria in c.1890, and this couple had at least 11 children in the period c.1891-1913, 7 of whom survived infancy. Charlotte and William (a plasterer) had settled in Subiaco by 1903, living at 134 Park Street prior to their move to Barker Road. During their time in Barker Road they continued to share their house with at least some of their children. In c.1948 Charlotte moved to Victoria Park.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (dated 1927, updated 1955) and historical aerial photographs indicates that major two-storey rear additions were constructed in 2016. The footprint of the original section of the house is still clearly recognisable.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium: the place appears to have undergone some alterations, including to the north facing verandah/porch.
The traditional presentation of the house to the street has also been diminished by the construction of a high masonry wall along the street boundaries and the prominent mounting of solar panels on the roof.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears 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.