Taxi Rank & Women's Rest Room

Parent Place or Precinct

14922 Stirling Terrace Precinct, Albany

Statement of Significance

Taxi Rank and Women’s Rest Room
The Taxi Rank and Women’s Rest Room, a single storeyed, timber framed building with shingle roof has aesthetic, historic, social and rarity cultural heritage significance for the following reasons;
The place was made possible through a donation of funds by Mr and Mrs F R Dymes, Mr Dymes a well-known local solicitor and public figure in Albany and Mrs Dymes a member of the prominent Hassell family.
The place demonstrates a continuing provision of public amenities, for local travellers who originally utilised horse drawn cabs and now use taxis.
The place illustrates a civic concern for cabmen and women travellers.
The place is a recognised tourist attraction owing to its mock tudor architecture and siting, is an Albany landmark.
The place makes an important contribution to the streetscape of Stirling Terrace and is one of a group of heritage places.

Stirling Terrace Precinct:
Stirling Terrace Precinct, a predominantly late Victorian and Federation period townscape set along a segmented crescent plan overlooking Princess Royal Harbour, Albany and containing a diverse range of building types and styles, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• the historic precinct is a fine and relatively intact example of a late nineteenth century and early twentieth century townscape, dating primarily from 1867 to 1915, demonstrating a range of activities and support infrastructure associated with the foundation and development of a prominent nineteenth century town;
• the historic precinct is rare as a prominently located townscape with a town plan dating from the foundation of the settlement with a set of finely designed Victorian and Federation period buildings;
• as the original commercial heart of the town, the historic precinct was an important part of the development of the region and the State to varying degrees from the 1830s until World War One when Albany was a prominent town in the Colony and Australia, due to its role as the Colony’s coal depot for the international mail and passenger service, which linked Europe to the eastern colonies. This role was expanded with the addition of regional railways and interstate telegraph links;
• viewed from the harbour and from the western approaches to the town, the historic precinct as a whole is a landmark, strengthened by the strong vertical accents of the Royal George Hotel and the former Post Office;
• the historic precinct is highly valued by the local community for its aesthetic values and historic associations and, along with the defining topography of the Princess Royal Harbour, Mount Melville and Mount Clarence, is as one of the elements that contributes to the local community’s sense of place and to the identity of Albany;
• within the precinct, G.T. Poole’s designs for the Post Office and Court House demonstrate creative excellence and J.T. Hobbs’ design for the Sandover & Co store, which later became Drew Robinson & Co.’s store, at 108-110 Stirling Terrace makes innovative use of large plate glass windows; and
• the historic precinct includes buildings designed by prominent architects James Manning, Lt. General Sir J. T. Hobbs, J. Herbert Eales, and George T. Poole, and was historically the location of businesses founded and run by significant Albany and regional identities including Thomas Sherratt, Alexander Moir, John Robinson, Charles Drew, Frank Dymes, Edward Barnett, J.F.T. Hassell, and E.G. Everett.

Physical Description

The Taxi Rank and Women’s Rest Room is located at the intersection of York Street and Stirling Terrace close to the centre of the Albany town centre and the former railway station. It is a single storeyed timber framed building with a shingle roof.

The Cabmen’s Shelter (1909) was a single room which providing shelter for cab drivers. Today the room is used to receive telephone bookings for taxis and relay then information to cab drivers by radio. The original building is in a Federation Queen Anne style; the main indicators being the lead light over the entrance, which has a rising sun motif and an organic, curvilinear surround. Internally the walls are lined with jarrah boards to dado height, with a plaster finish above. Externally the building has half timbered wall with a smoother textured render.

The addition of the Women’s Rest Room in 1926 has a less organic quality in the detailing. The window panes do not have the curved decorative lead work of the earlier building and the gable details are simpler. The addition, being about six times the area of the original shelter is in good condition with few modifications. The extension consists of a hallway, a small office, a large room formerly the rest room which now serves as a meeting room and to the left of this room is a kitchen and a small verandah and yard. The 1926 addition has a similar construction to the original, with the exception that the external half-timbered walls have a rough cast finish.

The 1976 addition consists of a women’s toilet and a baby feeding area located near the principal room and kitchen. Men’s toilets were added in 1995 by altering the layout of the women’s toilets, extending the building southwards and providing a third gabled entrance to the north-west. The construction of the 1975 and 1996 extensions consists of smooth textured external walls, probably consisting of compressed cement sheets, plaster walls internally and concrete floors.

Refer also to: Considine & Griffiths Architects in association with Kris Bizzaca, Stirling Terrace, Albany, Conservation Plan, October 2000.

History

Taxi Rank and Women’s Rest Room
In 1902, Albany Town Council recognised that a convenience was needed to provide cabmen and their horses with shelter. Funds were unavailable for the task at that time and it was not until 1908 when Mr and Mrs F R Dymes donated funds so that the construction of the cabmen’s shelter could begin. Mr Dymes was a local solicitor and public figure and Mrs Dymes was a member of the prominent Hassell family. The total cost of the shelter was £125, of which Mr Dymes contributed £75 and the Albany Town Council the remaining £50.
On 28 April 1909, the Cabmen’s Shelter was formally donated to the Town of Albany. Mr Dymes handed over the key to Acting Mayor Mawson, who declared the building open for public purposes.
In 1919, local Albany ladies’ societies held the first of many bazaars to raise funds for a Women’s Rest Room and a meeting room. Over a period of some years they raised the sum of £760. It was decided to extend the Cabmen’s shelter for the purpose of the Women’s rest room and on 30 October 1926 the extension was officially opened. A memorial tablet was laid by Mayor Mr P Lambert, who declared it open for public convenience, for the benefit of mothers visiting from out of town, or travelling on the railway. The Women’s Committee were left to raise £200 to furnish the Rest Room.

In 1976, the building was extended to provide additional facilities and the roof was re-shingled.
The place was for many years the administrative room for Amity taxis in Albany. Currently it continues to be used as the Women’s Rest Centre, and the offices of the Citizens Advice Bureau, and also as a public convenience.

Stirling Terrace Precinct
Stirling Terrace is one of the City of Albany’s most significant heritage assets, both as a streetscape and as a collection of Victorian and Federation period buildings overlooking Princess Royal Harbour. Stirling Terrace is located in visually striking topography and its segmented crescent plan form remains basically as it was when first recorded by Surveyor Hillman in 1835. The mature trees and the harmonious architectural composition of diverse building types and styles provide additional visual interest.


Stirling Terrace was developed from the 1830s following the establishment of Albany as part of the Swan River colony, and was an important part of the development of the region and the State to varying degrees from the 1830s until World War One. The 1835 Hillman survey plan set the scene for the emergence of Stirling Terrace as the prime location in the town, with a rich variety of social, commercial, leisure, institutional and service functions. The majority of the built fabric which remains today was completed in the period 1867 to 1915. The buildings were designed by some of the State’s most eminent architects and many were built for prominent citizens and institutions.

Over the years the commercial focus of Albany has moved to York Street, with many institutions, such as banks and the post office relocating there. Free of substantial development pressure at a critical time, Stirling Terrace has managed to retain many of its historic structures and features. Viewed from the harbour, and from the western approach to the town, Stirling Terrace has a landmark quality as a whole.

Refer also to: Considine & Griffiths Architects in association with Kris Bizzaca, Stirling Terrace, Albany, Conservation Plan, October 2000.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: High

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.