Local Government
Subiaco
Region
Metropolitan
Location
16 Kershaw St Subiaco
Location Details
Part of P26002 Kershaw Street Heritage Area
Construction Date
Constructed from 1924
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
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| (no listings) |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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| (no listings) |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Description | ||||
| (no listings) |
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Parent Place or Precinct
Statement of Significance
The place has aesthetic significance as a particularly fine example of the architectural style typical of the area and period. It has historic significance reflecting the development and settlement of the area.
The Kershaw Street Heritage Area is of cultural heritage significance within the City of Subiaco for the following reasons:
• As an aesthetically pleasing streetscape with a strong heritage character, featuring a narrow avenue of mature street trees, which frame views of the largely intact Federation and early Inter-War vials.
• For its retention of many good, representative examples of Federation Queen Anne villas (which collectively illustrate a gradual evolution in architectural detailing between 1904 and c.1918).
• For the cohesive streetscape created by a limited palette of materials and styles.
• As a representative collection of houses that illustrate the scale and standard of housing considered appropriate for the families of professional men, such as merchants, bankers and civil servants in the early twentieth century.
• For the evidence it provides about the manner in which the residences of senior professional men and business owners existed side by side with the smaller residences of more junior employees in early twentieth century Subiaco.
• For its association with the subdivision of this area by James Chesters, an investor from Melbourne, in 1892. In this context it also represents the status of Western Australia as a place of opportunity during the gold rush era of the late nineteenth century – attracting significant investment from the eastern states.
• For its association with the efforts of James Chesters as a local land agent and property developer, following his move to Western Australia in 1905.
• For its association with Joseph (Joe) Totterdell, who was responsible for the construction of many Subiaco houses (including some in Kershaw Street), and who, for a brief period (1916-17), lived at 25 Kershaw Street (one of his development properties).
Physical Description
16 Kershaw Street was designed as a single storey Federation Bungalow constructed of stretcher-bond brickwork. The roof has prominent hipped forms with a continuous broken-back alignment over the front verandah. On the northern side of the main façade this is broken up with a swirl-rendered, ‘half-timbered’ gable end over the projecting wing. The roof also features curved terracotta finials and timber gablet vents. The single chimney that remains towards the rear of the house is roughcast rendered with terracotta pots.
The main facade steps back in three sections and features tuck-pointed brickwork with a plain rendered stringcourse at window sill height. Above door height the walls are roughcast rendered.
The front projecting wing has a boxed casement window, set in a shallow projecting bay under a tiled, raked awning. The window has three casements to the face, and single casements to either side of the bay. It is set over a raked, roughcast rendered, base.
South of the projecting wing, the verandah extends across the remainder of the façade, creating a deep shaded porch to the stepped frontage. This verandah has paired timber posts set on rock-faced sandstone piers at each corner, and a concrete floor.
The inter-war style entrance is set under the verandah, adjacent to the projecting northern wing. This door is high-waisted with 2 vertical panels below a square stained-glass panel. It is flanked by half height stained-glass sidelights and a stained-glass highlight. French doors open onto the verandah from the next setback.
On the southern side of the house a modern carport has been constructed to align with the front verandah. This has a tiled, gabled roof, timber posts and gable detailing similar to that of the house.
The house is set back approximately 4m from the boundary and the front yard has been laid out with lawn, brick paving and perimeter garden beds. Along the footpath there is a low, limestone block wall with tall square limestone posts. The high infill panels have simple slimline metal rods, a detail that continues for the gate across the side access drive.
History
James Chesters, an investor from Melbourne, purchased Perth Suburban Lots 249 and 250 in 1891. In the following year he had this area laid out as a new residential estate (Deposited Plan 504), which included the creation of Part Lot 171 and Lot 172 (16 Kershaw Street).
The enlarged block was transferred from James Chesters to Ella Miriam Armstrong Clayton in July 1917, but no residents were listed at this address in the Post Office Directories until 1925, by which time Sarah Breen had purchased the block.
Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1949 included:
1925-1928 Mrs Sarah Breen (Home Duties)
1929-1949 Donald Harrison Bantock (Accountant).
Donald and Rita Bantock lived here following their marriage in December 1928. By the mid 1950s they had moved to Nedlands.
Integrity/Authenticity
Note: This place retains a high level of original external detailing and is a good example of the houses built during last stages of residential development in Kershaw Street in the mid-1920s.
References
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kershaw Street Community Heritage Survey prepared by Greenward Consulting | City of Subiaco | September 2012 |
Other Keywords
Federation Bungalow
Note: while this post-dates the Federation period, the detailing is more consistent with a very simple Federation Bungalow, than the Inter-war California Bungalow. It also has some underlying detailing consistent with the earlier, modest, Federation Queen Anne style houses to the north along Kershaw Street.