South Perth Historic Village Precinct

Child Places

• 02391 South Perth Post Office
• 02390 South Perth Police Station (fmr)
• 02388 Chemist's Shop
• 02393 Old Council Offices
• 04689 Stidworthy Residence (fmr)
• 02389 Old Mill Theatre
• 03324 Perth Zoo
• 02392 Windsor Hotel

Statement of Significance

• The Mends Street precinct has some aesthetic value for its avenue of mature trees and regular set backs to the building stock.
• The southern end of the Mends Street precinct has aesthetic value for its collection of brick Federation public buildings which illustrate the style and detail of the period.
• The Mends Street Precinct has historic value for its association with the settlement and development of South Perth in the late 19th century to the Inter War period.
• The Mends Street Precinct has historic value for its demonstration of the provision of services by the government and by private owners as the community in South Perth was established.
• The public buildings within the Mends Street Precinct; Post Office, Police Station, Roads Board Office and Mechanics Institute are a good representative example of clustering of services in a small community.
• The physical form of the public buildings within the Mends Street Precinct; Post Office, Police Station, Roads Board Office and Mechanics Institute were built within a defined period and has resulted in a consistent palette of materials and form, enlivened by diversity of individual details.

Physical Description

The aesthetic qualities of Mends Street have altered substantially in the last few decades. Original building stock has been demolished and redeveloped replacing single houses with multi-storey mixed use developments. A cluster of original buildings remain around the Mends Street-Mill Point Road intersection which provide some indication of what the area once looked like. Extant buildings date from the early 1900s and vary from the majestic two storey Windsor Hotel to the domestic scale South Perth Post Office. The collection of buildings including the post office, Roads Board and Mechanics’ Institute created an early civic centre for South Perth. This was supplemented by the recreational uses of parks, Perth Zoo and the pub. Mends Street was an important hub of activity in early South Perth.
The north-eastern section of Mends Street provides for long views along the road, from the intersection with Mill Point Road to the jetty on the foreshore. The road is tree lined which adds to the suburban character seen throughout South Perth. The road is narrow and with the replacement of single storey buildings with multi-storey developments, the road is becoming more enclosed.

The intersection of Mends Street with Mill Point Road is a wide open junction that affords longs views in various directions but lacks the intimacy of the northern end of Mends Street. The Windsor Hotel, Roads Board building and South Perth Post Office mark three of the four corners of the intersection – the service station does not contribute to their historic aesthetic. Mends Street continues over the intersection, terminating at Labouchere Road. This section of Mends Street creates a complete contrast to the northern end. A large development site to the rear of the Post Office will change the overall character that currently presents. This section of Mends Street is currently sparsely developed and includes the aforementioned Post Office and Roads Board, supplemented with the former Mechanic’s Institute and the Police Station at the end of Mends Street overlooking Labouchere Road. The Bowling Club creates a wide open space at the Labouchere Road end and landscaping around the Roads Board and Mechanic’s Institute softens the hard suburban landscape.

The Perth Zoo forms part of the Mends Street Precinct and is a site of intrigue. The zoo is a large public space densely populated with trees and successfully hides all evidence of animal habitation behind. The boundary trees along Mill Point Road and Labouchere Road form an important element of the locality and act as a reminder that a markedly different use to the usual residential, office and food uses also comfortably exists in the area.

Whilst Mends Street does not present with a high integrity or authenticity in terms of built form, the role the road played in the social history of South Perth and the immediate vicinity is important. Although buildings have been lost, evidence of earlier uses still remains extant which provides an understanding of how the place functioned. The jetty was at the northern end of the Mends Street and visitors to the area were channeled up the narrow road. The jetty and ferry still operates and people still travel the same path to the Perth Zoo.

History

The Mends Street Precinct developed as the South Perth civic and commercial hub from the mid 1890s. The large lots originally surveyed in South Perth were allocated for farming purposes as the low lying swampy lands adjacent to the river were ideal for market gardens and dairying. It is probable that the designation of a village green in 1886 on what is now Windsor Park provided grazing for animals for the farmers of the area in addition to a recreational space. Produce from the farms were taken across the river to Perth and until the construction of the Mends Street jetty in 1894, boats would pull up at different sites along the foreshore.

The construction of the jetty was an initiative of the South Perth Roads Board formed in 1892. The site of the jetty was an obvious choice as the rough track, Mends Street, had been surveyed in 1858. Mends Street was named for William Fisher Mends (1808-1860) who arrived in Perth in 1851, and was later appointed Assistant Commissary-General of the Colonial Government. Mends lived with his wife Isabella at 'Strawberry Hill' on the foreshore. This house was later occupied by Chinese gardeners until demolished in the 1950s.

It was the opening of the Perth Zoological Gardens in 1898 that made a significant impact on the development of South Perth and Mends Street specifically. Visitors would take a ferry ride to the jetty then walk to the Zoo along Mends Street which became the obvious location for the establishment of commercial premises such as the Windsor Hotel (1898). Tea houses serving refreshments were quickly established on Mends Street but most have since been demolished. The Stidworthy Residence (1900) served teas and refreshments on what was then known as Suburban Road (Mill Point Road). This place had a close connection to the Zoo as Frederick Stidworthy (c1858-1918) designed and built all the early stonework at the zoo, as well as constructing his own home.
It was around the turn of the century that many of the civic functions of South Perth were established on Mends Street; including the Mechanic's Institute Hall (1899), Post Office (1900) and later the Police Station and Quarters (1908). In addition to the visitors to the district, South Perth became progressively sub-divided for residential occupation between 1886 and 1904. Consequently demands for goods and services grew and the retail premises at 11-15 Mends Street represent this type of development. The shops and their residences behind were first built c1904 and added to in 1912, and for many years were occupied by a bootmaker and grocer.
As the community grew, recreational facilities were established and in 1916 the South Perth Bowling Club built a small club rooms and established a green on the site of the current grounds. The club has remained at this location and built a new premises in 1958.
The next most significant phase of development was during the Inter War period when further residential development created a demand for more retail services. The shops located at 16-20 Mends Street built c1924 are associated with this period and for many years were occupied by a tea rooms and a draper. Between 1922 and 1950, a tram service operated in South Perth and the route to Mends Street Jetty down Mends Street was well patronised. A regular ferry service from Mends Street Jetty has operated since c1897.
The buildings within Mends Street have undergone significant change from the mid 20th century. All the buildings north of 20 Mends Street on the eastern side, and north of 15 Mends Street on the western side have been constructed in this later period and have no relationship with the earlier structures on the street.
Places in the public domain have also undergone change and redevelopment; Windsor Park was redeveloped c2004 and the Mends Street Jetty was rebuilt in 1975 and its surrounds underwent major redevelopment in the 1990s.
In recent years the City of South Perth acquired the land designated as the 'Civic Triangle' bound by Mends Street, Mill Point Road and Labouchere Road except for the South Perth Post Office site. The purchase enabled the land to be bundled for sale as a development site. Finbar Group Ltd, purchased the Civic Triangle and the Post Office site and have developed a proposal for the site which retains the two heritage-listed buildings, South Perth Police Station and Quarters (Fmr) and South Perth Post Office.

Integrity/Authenticity

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Condition

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Uses

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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.