House

Parent Place or Precinct

25912 Kings Road Heritage Area, Subiaco

Statement of Significance

Kings Road is of cultural heritage significance within the City of Subiaco for the following reasons:
• The existing development along Kings Road continues to represent the rapid development of the higher parts of Subiaco (near Kings Park) with good quality Federation Queen Anne houses during the early the twentieth century (with a particular focus on the c.1901-1914 period).
• The defined period and nature of development along Kings Road resulted in a complementary palette of materials and design idioms, enlivened by a diversity of individual details. Unlike many other local streets, the majority of the properties have retained a medium to high level of authenticity. Collectively they provide a good representative collection of middle-class Subiaco houses dating from the early twentieth century (extending from c.1901-1923).
• The character of the Kings Road streetscape epitomizes the general character of what is now known as the City of Subiaco’s Triangle Precinct.
• The history of the houses along Kings Road helps to demonstrate the original settlement of this part of Subiaco as a solid middle class area, in which the family residences of more senior white-collar workers existed side by side with the smaller, but still well-built, houses of more junior white-collar workers, retail employees and tradespeople.
• The history of the subdivision and early sale of residential lots along Kings Road helps to illustrate the status of Western Australia as a place of opportunity during the gold rush era of the late nineteenth century – attracting significant interest and investment from the eastern states.

Physical Description

Architectural style
• Federation Queen Anne.
This is of a scale and form typical of a well-built (but not ornate) suburban villa of the era.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Asymmetrical façade with a projecting wing at the southern end of the Kings Road frontage.
• “L” shaped verandah.
This abuts the projecting wing, extends across the remainder of the front façade and returns along the northern side of the house to abut the wider rear section.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
This has a louvered gablet facing the street at the apex; a prominent gable over the projecting front wing; and a secondary gable over a side (north-facing) wing at the rear of the return verandah.
• Dropped, raked verandah roof.
• Painted brick (originally face-brick) chimney with a bulbous roughcast rendered cap.
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Tuck-pointed face-brick walls.
• Two rendered string-courses, one at door head height and the other at window sill height.
• Roughcast rendered eaves panel.
Detailing of main façade
• Prominent front gable with roughcast render corner panels framing a rectangular set of 6 timber-framed flush panels.
• Turned timber finials to the gablet and gables.
• Shallow rectangular window bay to the projecting wing.
• Triple casement windows to the projecting wing.
These have square highlights; a moulded projecting sill; and curved, rendered under-sill panel. They are shaded by a raked window hood with curved timber brackets and timber end panels.
• Main entrance set in a recessed arched bay under the verandah (abutting the projecting wing).
This has traditional moulded timber architraves; a 5-panel door; highlights; narrow sidelights; and stained glass panels with floral motifs.
• Modern French doors opening onto the front verandah.
• Traditional French doors at the rear of the return verandah (facing west).
• Turned timber posts and small curved brackets to the verandah.
Streetscape setting
• Main façade set back approximately 3.5m from the front boundary.
• Front boundary defined by a modern timber picket fence.

History

This part of Subiaco had been laid out as a residential subdivision by September 1891, but there was only one resident listed along the street in the Western Australian Post Office Directory of 1901 (referring to Park Street) and 2 in 1905 (referring to King’s Road). This was followed by a rapid period of development and by 1910 there were 14 houses within the Study Area, being 73 Bagot Road (now known as 3 Kings Road), #s 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21 Kings Road, 12 Hamersley Road (now 28 Kings Road) & 14 Hamersley Road (now 25 Kings Road). Steady infill continued after that time and the street was fully developed by the mid 1920s.
An analysis of the Rate Books shows that, in the early twentieth century, Lots 91, 92 and 93 of DP 352 were all owned by Matthew Garraway, a New Zealand engineer. In 1913/14 it appears that two houses were built for Garraway on a re-subdivision of these lots, being #18 (on lot 91 & part 92) and #20 (on part lot 92 & lot 93). However, at that time no occupants were listed for either of these houses.
18 Kings Road was then purchased by James Cox Innes, accountant (later brewery manager), who lived here until c.1919, after which it was transferred to the next short-term owner/occupier, Herbert G Edwards (who was also described as a “manager”).
John and Hettie Smith settled here in 1925 and in the Rate Books of 1929/30, a Mrs Ellen Smith was described as the owner. At the time of her death in 1935, Ellen “Nellie” Smith was described as the widow of Harold (c.1854-1921), and mother of three adult children: Mrs Constance Askew, Mrs Nesta Young, and Barbara Smith. It has not been determined if she was also related to John and Hettie Smith.
After this time, 18 Kings Road appears to have been subdivided into separate tenancies for about 15 years, with one primary occupant – Miss V Davies. Various advertisements for these “bed-sits” were placed during this period. For example:
 LARGE Bed-Sitting Room, kitchenette, sleep out, gas. 18 King's-rd., Subiaco (The West Australian 4 June 1938 p 28)
 TWO Furn Rooms and kitchenette, to let. 18 King's-rd. Subiaco. (The West Australian 26 August 1942 p 6)
 VACANT Furnished Double Bed-sitting Room, sleep-out and kitchenette, 18 King's-rd. Subiaco. (The West Australian 21 January 1944 p 8)
The next long-term occupant was Audrey Buckenara, who lived at 18 Kings Road from c.1949 until at least 1980. Online family trees suggest that Audrey Mary Watson (c.1919-2008) had married Francis Verdun Buckenara (c.1916-1944) in c.1939. Francis lost his life when he was serving as an engineer on the Merchant Navy vessel, the s.s. Ascot, which was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine en-route to Madagascar in 1944 (with only 8 survivors). As a means of supporting her family, his widow subsequently advertised as a dressmaker:
DRESSMAKER, Mrs. A. M. Buckenara wishes to notify clients that she has resumed business at 18 King's-rd., Subiaco.
It seems likely that Audrey Buckenara purchased the house at around that time as, in August 1949, it was reported that she had won £1,000 as her share of a winning lottery ticket, and that she intended to use her share to “try to find a home for herself and her small daughter”.
Reference to an inter-war era Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Department plan, plus a review of historical aerial photographs dating from 1964 and 2016, indicates that the building envelope of the front part of the house has remained largely unchanged, although major additions were undertaken at the rear in 2015.
An analysis of the readily available information suggests that the primary occupants of the property from its time of construction until c.1980 included:
1915-1919 James Cox Innes, accountant, and Nance Innes, home duties
1920-1922 Herbert G Edwards, manager
1923-1925 Alan Joseph Love, accountant, and Edith Louise Love, home duties
1926-1929 John Frederick Smith, butcher, and Hettie Smith, home duties
1930-1932 Ellen Jane Smith, home duties, Barbara Dale Smith, home duties, and Mrs Nesta Young
1933 Harold Smith & Mr Henry Bardwell
1934 Ellen Jane Smith, home duties, Barbara Dale Smith, home duties & Mrs Fanny Bardwell
1935 Ellen “Nellie” Jane Smith, home duties
1936-1949 Miss V Davies
During this period Miss Davies shared the house with a number of other people, including:
 Mrs Blanche Emma Barrington, home duties (c.1937-1938)
 Arthur Alston, labourer (c.1937-1938)
 Mrs Elsie Violet Muriel Alston, home duties (c.1937-1942)
 Mrs E Stowe (c.1937-1942)
 Francis Woodman (c.1939-1940)
 Mrs Dorothy Rogers (c.1943-1947)
 Mrs Joan McNeice (c.1943-1947)
 James George Crombie, storehand (c.1943-1947)
 Mrs Stella Mercy Crombie, home duties & (c.1943-1949)
c.1949-post 1980 Audrey Mary Buckenara, dressmaker

Integrity/Authenticity

High authenticity

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.