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 middle-class suburban villa of the era, with well executed picturesque detailing.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Generally symmetrical façade (offset by the verandah return along the northern side.
This features a projecting window bay at the centre of the main facade.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
This has a short north-south ridgeline at the apex (flanked by small louvered gablets) and a prominent gable over the central window bay.
• Battened eaves.
• Dropped bullnose verandah roof.
• Two face-brick chimneys with small tuck pointed brick panels framed by smooth rendered edging and projecting rendered caps.
Wall materials and finishes to the main façade
• Rusticated jarrah weatherboards (which have a flat face to the lower section and curved face to the under-lapping upper section).
Detailing of main façade
• Decorative front gable finished with a projecting apex panel (aligning with the gable boards), above a horizontally proportioned roughcast rendered panel.
The former has simple fretwork detailing flanking a (truncated) timber finial.
The latter is divided into smaller panels by vertical and curved timber battens.
• Small curved eaves brackets along the base of the gable.
• Two individual double hung windows to the main face of the central window bay and narrow double hung windows to either side.
• Additional single double hung windows opening onto the verandah from the areas on either side of the central bay.
• Main entrance and additional windows set under the verandah along the side (north-facing) façade.
• Turned timber verandah posts.
• Wide arched valances with square balustrettes.
• Timber verandah balustrade, with square balusters linked by alternating horizontal struts.
Streetscape setting
• Front verandah set back approximately 5.5m from the front boundary.
• Front boundary defined by a simple timber picket fence with triangular heads.

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 information in the Rate Books, Western Australian Post Office Directories and Electoral Rolls indicates that this site was developed in c.1905 by Hans Christian Beck, civil servant (Hansard staff), and his wife, Minnie Marguerite Beck.
In the closing years of the 1890s, Hans Christian Beck had been employed as private secretary to Charles Gibson Millar, who owned a number of businesses which, in 1902, were amalgamated as the Millars’ Timber Trading Company. In 1901 Beck accepted an appointment on Hansard, returned for a while as secretary for Millars from 1903, then worked in the office of the Perth City Council before returning to Hansard for the remainder of his working life from c.1914. At the time of his death in 1950 Hans Christian Beck was noted for his command of at least six languages and as an expert shorthand writer.
When the Beck family left Kings Road in c.1911, the house was purchased and occupied by Thomas James Hardwick, traveller, and his wife, Annie. However, they only lived here for a few years and when Annie Hardwick died in November 1914 (aged 57 years), both 6 and 15 Kings Road were offered for sale as part of her estate:
ROBERTSON BROS. have been favoured with instructions from the executors in the Estate of the late Annie Hardwick to SELL, as above-
A.—Lots 70 and 71 of Perth Sub. Lot 244, having a frontage of, 66ft. to King’s-rd, by a depth of 115ft. to a right-of-way, upon which is erected a residence substantially constructed of jarrah, lined with lath and plaster, containing entrance hall and passage; drawing-room, 18 x 14; dining room; 21 x 14ft. 6in.; bedroom, 18 x 18; 2 other good bedrooms, bathroom, vestibule, maid’s room, kitchen, pantry, etc., with 7ft. verandah along the whole of the front and one side; also back verandah; detached wash-house, with copper and troughs fitted and workshop; electric light, gas, and telephone installed. The ground is nicely laid out with lawns, graveled paths, trellis of vines, and fruit trees. This house, which is particularly well built and finished off, is in a delightful residential locality, being inly five minutes’ walk from King’s Park or the Hay-st. tram.
The next owner/occupier was Hugh Llewellyn Gill (c.1857-1929), an inspector of machinery in the Mines Department. Hugh’s wife, Catherine, died in August 1917, after which he continued to live here with Henrietta Townsend Gill, spinster, and Ruth Ellis Smith Gill, spinster (also described as a surgery assistant).
At the time of his death in 1929 it was reported that:
The late Mr. Gill was 72 years of age. He was born in the Isle of Man, and came to this State from Victoria 33 years ago as the Coolgardie representative of an engineering firm. A few years later he was appointed chief engineer in the Associated Gold Mine, and subsequently he joined the inspector-of-machinery branch of the Mines Department, from which he retired about three years ago.
Henrietta Gill (c.1874-1956) and Ruth Gill (c.1876-1964) remained at 15 Kings Road until c.1950. Note: Death records state that Henrietta and Ruth Gill’s father’s name was Ralph and their relationship to Hugh Gill has not been determined.
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. Major additions were made at the rear of the house in the period c.1985-1995.
An analysis of the readily available information suggests that the primary occupants of the property from its time of construction until c.1950 included:
1906-1911 Hans Christian Beck, civil servant (Hansard staff), and Minnie Marguerite Beck, married woman
1912-1915 Thomas James Hardwick, traveller, and Annie Hardwick, married woman
1916-1929 Hugh Llewellyn Gill (c.1857-1929), inspector of machinery in the Mines Department, and (at the beginning of this period) his wife, Catherine Ancrum Gill (who died in August 1917)
1930-c.1950 Henrietta Townsend Gill, spinster and Ruth Ellis Smith Gill, spinster (also sometimes described as a surgery assistant)

Integrity/Authenticity

High authenticity

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.