House

Parent Place or Precinct

26002 Kershaw Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

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

22 Kershaw Street is a single storey house constructed of stretcher-bond brickwork, with a gabled-hipped, corrugated metal roof. The latter extends in a broken-back alignment to form a raked front verandah, which projects well forward of the adjacent side wing (although it is still set back approximately 6m from the street frontage). A tall, roughcast rendered chimney with brick capping and terracotta pot remains along the northern elevation.
The main façade was constructed with face-brick to window-head height and roughcast render over – all now painted in a uniform colour.
The projecting wing on the northern side of the main façade has a simple, roughcast rendered gable with wide slatted eaves. The only detailing to the gable end is a set of six brick vents within a moulded brick panel at the apex. The front window to this wing has four casements, a raked awning on plain brackets and a simple bull-nosed brick sill. A similar gable end is located near the front of the southern façade.
The main entrance is under the verandah, adjacent to the projecting wing. This has a single door with a half-height sidelight one side, and no highlight. The only other opening onto the wide front verandah is a single round, stained-glass window with a wide rendered surround, which is located asymmetrically along a slightly projecting bay at the southern end.
The property has a high rendered brick fence to the front facade broken by a sliding driveway gate and matching pedestrian gate, with vertical metal, spear-capped rods. The front yard was under reconstruction at the time of inspection.
The detailing of this house is unusual and it is not clear to what extent it may have been altered over time. Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in good condition.

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 175 and Lot 176 (22 Kershaw Street). However the site was not developed for another 35 years.
In c.1926 Part Lot 175 and Lot 176 were purchased by George Baden Lathlain (a retail manager) and he was the first person listed in the Post Office Directories as living at this address (in that year).
This therefore appears to have been the last block developed in Kershaw Street during the initial development phase (1904 to 1926).
Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1949 included:
1926-1929
Baden Lathlain (Departmental Manager, Economic Stores)
Note: George Baden Lathlain was the son of Sir William Lathlain, Lord Mayor of Perth, 1918-1923, and proprietor of the Economic Stores.
1930-1936 Olive Lathlain (Widow)
1937-1939 Herbert Wallace Hogg (Bank Manager)
1939-1949 Charles Alfred Hine (Electrical Engineer)
Information in the Electoral Rolls indicates that Charles lived here with his, wife, Violet, until at least the mid-1950s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Aesthetically, the painting of the lower section of the façade has had an intrusive impact on the distinctive face-brick aesthetic of the traditional streetscape. The solid brick sections of the front fence are also intrusive on streetscape views.

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.