House

Parent Place or Precinct

26002 Kershaw Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance:
• As a good representative example of the many 4-5 room brick homes which were built in Subiaco during the early twentieth century to meet the needs and aspirations of middle-class residents such as public servants, senior office workers, small business owners, skilled tradesmen and single/widowed women of private means.
• As a good representative example of the application of materials and detailing which were derived from the Federation Queen Anne style, but which were applied in a more restrained manner that suited the budgets and expectations of the middle classes in Subiaco during the early twentieth century.
• For a long association with teacher and sportsman William Rowlands (1904- 1984) who took a leading role in the playing and coaching mens and womens cricket in Western Australia.
• For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentiethcentury houses.

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

18 Kershaw Street was designed as a single storey house with elements of the Federation Arts and Craft style. It has stretcher-bond brickwork and a gabled-hipped, red Colorbond roof. The latter features three tall, tapering chimneys, two forming prominent streetscape elements along the northern side of the building. These have simple roughcast render and terracotta pots, and are the most conspicuous Arts and Crafts detailing of the place.
The roof has a small, roughcast rendered gable to the main roofline directly above the window bay to the front façade, timber gablet vents at the ridgelines, and a full gable end to another window bay to the south. It extends in a broken-back alignment over the front verandah.
The main facades (to the west and south) have tuck-pointed face-brickwork to shoulder height, a moulded timber strip and then roughcast render to eaves height. The front section features a boxed, triple casement window over raked, roughcast rendered base. Each of the main windows has a large bottom pane with two square, ripple-glass panes over, while the highlights each have 4 ripple-glass panes. On the southern half, the main facade steps back deeply under a return verandah. Within this area, the main entrance is located along the side wall, while a full height, double-hung window is located at the end of the verandah. The verandah, which is set back approximately 3m from the boundary, is a distinctive streetscape element, with paired square posts linked by a deep, triangular-profile valance, curving down at the junction with the posts.
The front yard has been laid out with modern cottage garden. Along the footpath there is a timber fence, with wide horizontal planks alternating on either side of timber posts, to create a solid screen.

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 Lot 173 (18 Kershaw Street). However, it was not until 1918, after the block was sold to Harding Withnell (a farmer), that the first person was listed in the Post Office Directories as living at this address. In c.1925 it was purchased by Henry Peel Willock (a bank officer), who appears to have lived there for just one year, before leasing it to various tenants. In 1939 it was again offered for sale, by the executors of Willcock’s estate:
McLEAN. CARMICHAEL. LIMITED, have been instructed by …. the Executors of the Will of the late HENRY PEEL WILLOCK to SELL by PUBLIC AUCTION as above: No. 18 KERSHAW-STREET. SUBIACO. LAND: Portion Perth Suburban Lot 249, Lot 1. Diagram 4528, frontage 60.1 links, depth 164 links to r.o.w. IMPROVEMENTS: Attractive Brick Residence. four rooms, kitchen, bathroom, verandahs, washhouse, c and t.'s, sew., el and gas, lawns, etc., large rooms.
Pleasing appearance, excellently situated in this most favoured suburb. An opportunity seldom occurring.
Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1949 included:
1918-1919 Robert Harding deWitt Withnell (station manager and farmer)
1920 Vacant
1921-1922 Henry Moor
1923-1924 Joseph Hicks
1925 Henry Peel Willcock (Bank Officer)
1926-1929 Various tenants including Joseph Hicks (1926-29); Solomon Baron (1930-33); Arthur Markham (1934-35) and Mary Ada Coalstad (1936-44).
1945-1949 William Trevor Rowlands (Schoolmaster)
William Rowlands (1904-1984) was a successful cricketer who had a first-class career playing for Western Australia in 1937-1939 (including a role as Captain). As part of his teaching career he was a master and sports coach at Hale School. In 1948 he was the coach of the State Women’s Cricket Team. Information in the Electoral Rolls indicates that William was the first long-term occupant of #18, living here with his wife, Dorothy, until the early 1980s.

Integrity/Authenticity

This place retains a high level of original external detailing and is a good example of the ongoing development of Kershaw Street in the period around World War One. The front fence is intrusive.

Condition

Good

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.