House, 9 Halsey Street, Bunbury

Statement of Significance

House, 9 Halsey Street, a single storey timber and iron house has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
the place is an example of a residential bungalow constructed in the Inter War period with some Federation Arts and Crafts detailing;
the place has landmark qualities and contributes to the streetscape and the community's sense of place.

Physical Description

House, 9 Halsey Street is a single storey timber and iron house constructed in the Inter War period with some Federation arts and Crafts detailing.

The walls are timber framed and clad with timber weatherboards to dado height and fibre cement sheeting above. The roof is hipped and gabled and clad with corrugated iron. The gable ends have decorative timber features. The verandah is under a broken back corrugated iron roof supported by timber posts with decorative timber brackets and timber balustrade. The verandah extends around the side of the house to another side entrance door. The front façade has a front door with sidelights with decorative timber framing, flanked on either side by timber windows with decorative timber framing. There are two rendered chimneys evident.

The house is situated at street level. There is a modern garage addition at the side of the house. There is a timber picket fence to the front boundary. The pickets to the fence have been replaced and are not the original material or design of the original fence. The entrance gate has a pergola with scalloped detail which is part of the original fence. Again the pickets have been replaced.There is a colourbond/lattice high level fence along part of the front and the side boundary line. It is likely that some decorative features of this house are not original.

Previous Description notes:
The interior features decorative timber work, influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which also reflects the availability of timber construction materials at that time.

History

House, 9 Halsey Street was built by Robert W Gregory in 1936.

Gregory had bought the land and several nearby lots from Ava Money, a major landowner in the area, in 1928.

According to Gregory’s son, Keith, the house was built in 1936.

Gregory contracted carpenters to build a timber frame at a cost of £500 and completed the building himself. Gregory also built a painted timber fence across the front of the property using square vertical posts, 1.3 metres in height with rectangular top and bottom rails and alternating plain and decorative (scallop motif) pickets. The centrepiece of the fence was a gateway with a double gate faced with narrow pickets topped by a pergola on eight posts. The fence pickets matched the verandah balustrade.

Robert Gregory died in 1956 and title passed to Keith Gregory. Keith undertook extensive alterations to the house and many of the original elements were altered, removed or replaced. The house remained in the Gregory family until 1997.

Robert Gregory had lived on the corner of Hasley Street and Minningup Road for many years and the nearby Gregory Street was named after him in 1947. The street was gazetted in 1952. Gregory was also responsible for building the Calvary Wayside Shrine for the Sisters of St Elizabeth of Hungary on the corner of Clarke and Spencer Streets (now located at St Boniface Cathedral).

By 2000, a double garage had been built to the side of the house, necessitating removal of part of the fence. It was recorded (2001 MHI) that the remainder of the fence was in deteriorating condition. Many of the pickets were missing while others, including the double gates, were in poor condition. The verandah balustrade had also been removed. By 2010 the entire original fence had been removed.

This history is largely based on the Documentary Evidence in Heritage Council of Western Australia, ‘Register Entry: Below Threshold – 9 Halsey Street’, prepared by Natasha Georgiou, 1998.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium degree of integrity (original intent partially clear, current use compatible, high long term sustainability).
Medium degree of authenticity - alterations but with much original fabric remaining
(These statements based on street survey only).
Largely remaining in original form and fabric, although verandah posts and facade have been altered and the addition of a modern garage to the western side of the building.

Condition

Condition assessed as good (assessed from streetscape survey only).

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.