House

Parent Place or Precinct

26001 Chesters Subdivision Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance:
• As a good representative example of a well designed and detailed “gentleman’s villa” of Subiaco dating from the early 20th century.
• For its aesthetic value as a good representative example of a well-designed Federation Queen Anne villa of the early 20th century, designed to a style and scale suited to the professional/business classes.
• For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses.
• For its association with the ongoing development of Subiaco in the early 20th century and prominent property developers, in this instance James Chesters who was very important to the development of this area of Subiaco.

Physical Description

• Single storey Federation Queen Anne style house.
• Asymmetric planform with projecting wing.
• Hipped and gabled roof, clad with corrugated metal sheeting, brick chimney.
• Brick construction which has been rendered and painted.
• Projecting wing contains gable with roughcast render detail, eaves brackets, cornice and triple casements with top-lights. A bullnose awning covers the window supported on timber brackets.
• Bullnose verandah across the remainder of the façade supported on turned timber posts.
• A further triple casement arrangement to the recessed section of the façade that projects slightly in the form of a bay with a smaller roughcast rendered gable above.
• The main entrance abuts the projecting wing and consists of timber and glazed panelled door, timber and glazed side panels and fanlight.
• The garden is enclosed by timber picket fence.

History

James Chesters, an investor from Melbourne, purchased Perth Suburban Lots 249 to
252 in October 1891. In the following year he commenced selling residential lots in a
newly subdivided estate laid out as Deposited Plan 504 (extending across Perth
Suburban Lots 249 and 250). However, it was over twenty years before any
development took place at this address.
A house was built at 211 Townshend Road in 1913 and offered for sale at the
beginning of 1914:
Beautiful Home, 6-roomed new Brick Villa, conveniences. 211
Townshend-road, £850; deposit £150 terms. Chesters, 176 Rokebyroad, Subiaco
As this is similar to the house built by Chesters on the adjacent site in c.1913 (211
Townshend Road) it seems possible that this was another of his speculative building
developments.
According to City of Subiaco Rate Book information (1913/14) the first owner of the
new house was Roy Bevan (plasterer). However, Bevan only lived here for about two
years and there were a further three relatively short occupancies through to 1926.
211 Townshend Road then became the long-term family home of brothers, Sydney
and Wilfred Gorton, who settled there with their mother, Sidney Constance Hooper
(whose first husband, Robert Gorton, had died in 1901). Wilfred died in 1938 and
Sidney in 1944, but the younger brother, Sydney Maurice Gorton, remained at this
address until at least the late 1970s.
A plan of the site prepared in the 1920s and reviewed in 1954 for the purpose of
planning sewerage and water supply services shows that the original footprint of the
residence has doubled.
Aerial photographs of the place since the mid 20th century indicate that the additions
to the rear of the residence occurred in stages. In the early 1990s a small addition
was undertaken which was enlarged in 2000. Since that time there have been no
significant alterations and the extent and form of the original residence are still
clearly evident.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High: the place remains in its original function as a residential dwelling
Authenticity - Moderate - High: The original external form is largely intact but the details have been changed, the render may be non original.

Condition

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