House, 101 Townshend 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

Architectural style
101 Townshend Road does not clearly represent any of the major architectural styles of the 1920s, but does include restrained elements of the Inter-War California Bungalow style.
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 facade. This features a stepped façade with a corner verandah on the northern side.
Roof form and materials
• Gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
This features a full gable over the front wall, a part gable over the first setback and a third gable facing north (over the rear portion of the house).
• The gables have a smooth rendered faces set with slender vertical timber battens. The main (front) gable retains traditional shaped gable boards, but the gable capping has been replaced in a modern style.
• Shallow hipped roof over the verandah that wraps around the north-east corner.
• No extant chimneys.
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Painted brick (originally tuck-pointed brick) up to about 1.8m. Rough cast render above a projecting brick stringcourse.
Other detailing to main facade
• Triple casement window to the front wall. This is set under a raked awning with simple timber brackets; and over a raked, rendered sill. Each window is divided into 8 rectangular panes by slender timber mullions.
• Main entrance located at the first setback, which forms a small entry vestibule under the corner verandah.
• Entrance door framed by a highlights and half-height sidelights with leadlight glazing.
• French doors opening onto the verandah from the second setback. Each leaf divided into rectangular panes by slender timber mullions.
• Verandah supported on paired square posts set on rendered piers. Paired posts linked at the top by a row of vertical square balusters and framed by curved brackets.
Note: the verandah detailing is similar to that used for 115 Townshend Road.
Streetscape setting
• House set back approximately 4.3m from the Townshend Road frontage.
• Lot width approximately 10.1m.
• Narrow side setbacks of approximately 600-800mm.
• Front yard enclosed by a scalloped timber picket fence, backed by a clipped hedge.
• Hard-stand parking bay on the southern side of the main frontage.

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 221 was subdivided as Deposited Plan 1535 in 1896 and advertised as the “Salisbury Estate”. This comprised 42 lots, including 14 lots along the western side of Townshend Road between Barker and Bagot Road. An analysis of the readily available evidence suggests that a house had been built on Lot 9 by 1903, but the site was redeveloped in c.1926 when the Post Office Directory listed it as ‘New House’. The first recorded resident of the house was Edward Hymus, who was listed here in c.1927.
101 Townshend Road had a high turn-over of occupants until at least the mid-twentieth century. A review of the Post Office Directories at 5-yearly intervals (together with reference to contemporary Electoral Rolls) indicates that some of the primary residents included:
 1930 & 1935: Thomas Henry Bath (WA Wheat Pool trustee and farmer) (former state politician, 1902-1914)
This was the Bath family’s city residence in c.1928-1936, during which time they also had a farm near Bungulla in the Kellerberrin district. In the Electoral Rolls of 1928 the residents were listed as Thomas Bath’s wife, Elizabeth Maria Bath (c.1879-1931), and two of their children, Hazel and John.
 1940: Neal Lockwood (electrician)
 1945: John Newton Turner (retired railways employee)
John lived here from c.1941 until his death in September 1947, aged 80 years. As the Sharp sisters were listed here in the Electoral Rolls from as early as 1943 it is possible that they were sharing this address throughout this time.
 1949: Jessie Sharp and Isabella Sharp
Members of the Sharp family lived in Subiaco on and off from c.1906. Two of the children of this family, Jessie (c.1867-1956) and Isabella (c.1872-1968) were listed at 101 Townshend Road in the Electoral Rolls of 1943 and were still listed here in 1954. Isabella had moved away by the late 1950s.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (dated 1927, updated 1955) and historical aerial photographs indicates that this house has been enlarged with rear additions in at least 2 stages and that the roof cladding was replaced in c.2008. However, the footprint of the front portion of the house has remained relatively unchanged.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium: The authenticity of the house within its streetscape setting has been reduced by the painting of the original tuck-pointed brick and the use of modern gable capping when the roof sheeting was replaced. Other than the above, the original external detailing and form of the building (as viewed from the street) appears to be largely intact and/or sympathetically restored/renovated.

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.