House

Parent Place or Precinct

26077 Salisbury and Rupert Street 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 Inter War Period.
• For its aesthetic value as a good representative example of a well-designed Inter War Californian Bungalow villa of the Inter War period, designed to a style and scale suited to the professional/business classes.
• For its association with prominent businessman and community member William Christie and his family.
• For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses.
• For its association with the rapid development of Subiaco in the Inter War period.

Physical Description

• Asymmetrical stepped facade designed to address both street frontages.
• Verandah extending across the full width of the northern (Heytesbury Road) facade and returning along the eastern (Salisbury Road) facade to abut a projecting wing. The verandah originally also returned along the western side of the house, but this area now has a timber-framed infill.
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with terracotta tiles.
• Multiple gables creating a prominent and picturesque roofscape. The northern facade features 3 stepped gables. The smaller, front, gable rises above the verandah roof, over a rectangular window bay. This has a panelled face set with vertical timber battens, and features a terracotta ball finial at the apex. This detailing is repeated to the larger gable over the main northern wall, but with the addition of a louvered vent panel to the upper section. The third gable, which sits directly behind the main gable, has a shingle pattern
boarded finish. The eastern facade features 2 gables. One of these is a flying gable, which is set over a rectangular window bay, while the other forms an entrance porch at the southern end of the return verandah. Each of these has a panelled face, vertical timber battens and a terracotta ball finial.
• Verandah roof extending in a continuous alignment from the main roof and wrapping across the base of two of the north gables.
• Two rough-cast rendered chimneys with flat caps, the taller of which has a tapered form.
• Exposed rafters to the verandah and eaves.
• Wall materials and finishes to the main façade
• Roughcast rendered finish to the masonry walls.
• Rock-faced stone foundations.
• Prominent return verandah with a gabled entry; stepped and capped balustrade wall; robust timber posts; and distinctive semi-circular timber brackets.
• Entrance door facing Salisbury Street at the southern end of the return verandah, with a single square window adjacent.
• Diamond pattern leadlight windows in varied combinations of 2, 3 and 4 casements to the main facades.
• Simple raked window sills.
• Tiled awning with robust curved brackets to the east-facing window bay.
• Nameplate with the word ‘Perthshire’ attached to the northern facade.
• House set back approximately 4m from Heytesbury Road.
• Double block with a frontage of approximately 21.5m to Heytesbury Road.
• Front and side yard enclosed by a low rock-faced stone wall, with tall rockfaced piers and vertical metal spear infill panels.

History

No development took place in the vicinity of this site until late 1891, when Lots 278,
279, 280 & 281 were subdivided as Deposited Plan 353 (later referred to as DP 2808).
This subdivision included 138 building lots, with frontages to Heytesbury Road,
Thomas Street, Nicholson Road, Rokeby Road, Mackay Street (later renamed as part
of Rupert Street), Paterson Street (later renamed as part of Salisbury Street) and
Finlayson Street. These lots were progressively sold from December 1891 (many to
eastern states investors), but construction on these sites was initially slow. A plan
dated c.1902 shows that, while the Rokeby Road frontage had been largely
developed by that time, only about 15 buildings had been erected along the other
frontages.
William Christie was identified as the owner Lots 44 & 45 in the Subiaco Rates Books
of 1915/16, but the Post Office Directories did not identify him as the occupant of a
house at this address until 1920. The readily available information suggests that his
new house was the property referred to in a call for tenders dated July 1918 (noting
that all of the other corners of this intersection had been developed prior to 1916):
TENDERS invited, returnable noon August 6, for ERECTION of
RESIDENCE on the corner of Heytesbury-road and Salisbury-street,
Subiaco. No tender necessarily accepted. Plans and specifications
obtainable at our offices. WRIGHT, POWELL and CAMERON,
M.W.A.I.A.
William Christie (c.1880-1945) had married Annie Louisa Mead (c.1869-1965) in Perth
in 1905 and this couple had at least 4 children: Thomas Forrester; Marjorie; William
Clarence; and Christina Mavis. Members of the Christie family lived at 111 Hamersley
Road in c.1909-1918, before settling at 35 Heytesbury Road in c.1919-1920.
In family notices placed in newspapers of the 1920s and 1930s, this house was
referred to as ‘Perthshire’. At the time of William’s death in August 1945 it was
reported:
Mr William Christie, JP, master printer, had a heart attack at his
office yesterday and died at a private hospital in the afternoon. He
was born in Perth, Scotland, 65 years ago and came to WA with
his parents when he was five years of age .....The late Mr Christie
was president of the WA Bowling Association, a member of the
Master Printers' Association, the Perth Rotary Club, the WA
Justices' Association, the Commercial Travellers' Association and
Club, and the councils of the Scotch College and the Presbyterian
Ladies' College. He was the general treasurer and acting general
secretary of the Presbyterian Church in WA for a number of years
and was active in all branches of Presbyterian Church work.
Annie was still listed at this address in the Electoral Rolls of 1963. An analysis of the
readily available information suggests that the primary occupants of the property
from its time of construction until the mid 1960s included:
• c.1920-1945 William Christie (manufacturer and master printer) and Annie
Louisa Christie (home duties)
• c.1945-mid 1960s Annie Louisa Christie (widow)
Note: In the Electoral Rolls of 1949, Annie’s daughter, Christina Mavis Woodbridge,
and her husband, Frederick Albert Woodbridge (civil servant) were also listed at this
address. By the early 1950s they had moved to Wembley.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High: The place continues to be used as a private residence.
Authenticity - High: The original external form and detailing of the building is largely intact.

Condition

Good

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.