House

Parent Place or Precinct

25394 Union and Redfern Heritage Area

Physical Description

Historical aerial photographs suggest that 108 Heytesbury Road was designed with a simple symmetrical façade, a ‘U’ shaped hipped roof and a verandah extending across the Heytesbury Road frontage.
The symmetrical form of the main façade has been retained, but the roofline has been raised and reconfigured to accommodate a second floor, with prominent gable dormers facing west, south and east.
The external walls are fully rendered and the modern verandah returns along the western side of the house. This verandah has traditional detailing with a curved battened valance and chamfered posts.
The main façade has an early twentieth century style central entrance door, flanked by sidelights and highlights (all with stained glass detailing). To either side of the entrance there is a pair of traditional, full-height double hung windows with moulded timber kick panels.
The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low timber picket fence with capped posts and scalloped panels.
Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in very good condition.

History

Building Company Ltd of Sydney in August 1890. Two years later it was transferred to James Chesters of 155 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, estate agent. By 1894 Chesters had subdivided this land as Deposited Plan 899, with 42 lots laid out around Queen Street (soon renamed Union Street).
Lots 20 & 21, with frontages to Heytesbury Road, were transferred from James Chesters to John George Schnitzler on 16 July 1901. John Schnitzler had married Isabella Broadbent in Victoria in 1888 and they moved to Western Australia in c.1900, with their three children, Norman (born 1899), Frank (1891) and Mary (1894). A fourth child, John William, was born in 1905.
The 1902 Post Office Directory gave J. G. Schnitzler’s address as Irvine Street, Subiaco, but by 1903 the family had moved into their new house at 108 Heytesbury Road (which was one of the first two houses constructed in Chesters’ subdivision, together with 104 Heytesbury Road, since demolished).
Schnitzler established the Commonwealth Trading Company in c.1904 and in 1910 it was announced:
Some six years back the Commonwealth Trading Company set up business in Perth, and yearly their turn over has increased. Last year's business improved to that extent that eventually larger premises had to be secured. With the new address, the management decided to alter the name of the firm, which will in future be known as the Commonwealth West End Tailors. The new premises are situated at 843 Hay-street (three doors west of His Majesty's Theatre).
At the beginning of 1917 the Schnitzler family changed their surname by deed poll to Thornton - probably in response to community feelings about Germanic names. The notice of this change of name stressed that Schnitzler was: a natural born British subject, having been born at Inglewood, in the State of Victoria.
Isabella Thornton died in March 1919 and John Thornton had remarried and moved to Nedlands by 1924. He continued to manage Commonwealth West End Tailors until his death in 1940.
The next owners were John Tyson Jones and his wife Bridget. In the late 19th century, Bridget Coleman (a widow with 6 children) was the owner of the Federal Hotel, Collie. By the early 20th century John Jones (a widower with at least one child) had taken over as the licensee, and it was about this time that the couple married. In c.1924 they retired to Subiaco, sharing 108 Heytesbury Road at various times with members of the blended family, including one of Bridget’s daughters, Nora Josephine Coleman, and John’s son, John Neville Jones.
In the mid 1930s Bridget moved to West Subiaco to live with her son, Edward Coleman, while John moved to Wembley to live with his son, John, jnr. The next occupant was a Martha Euphemia Jones (wife of Charles Edwin Jones, prospector), but it is not known if the two Jones families were related.
The next longer term occupants were John Joseph Hamilton (a retired machinist) and his wife, Cecelia, who were listed at this address from 1942 until the mid-1950s.
Historical aerial photographs indicate that a former tiled roof was replaced in corrugated metal sheeting in the period 1985-1995. The roof structure was fully removed and reconfigured as part of major alterations/extensions undertaken in 2008.

Integrity/Authenticity

The major alterations and additions undertaken since the 1980s have largely obscured the original design and detailing of this house.
Only the doors and windows to the front façade and the verandah detailing still reflect/interpret the detailing of a traditional early twentieth century house.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in a good condition.

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.