Dwelling

Statement of Significance

The house at No. 11 Knutsford Street is a fine and delightful example of the Federation Queen Anne style, constructed in weatherboard, that has been refurbished to a high level of integrity.

Physical Description

The house is constructed of weatherboard, painted, with a predominantly hipped roof with gambrel roof ventilators. The symmetrical frontage is given emphasis by the decorative gablets above the symmetrical window bays to each of the front rooms. The separate skillion verandah is supported by six turned timber posts, with brackets supporting a decorative fretwork valence. The five bays of the verandah emphasise the central front door and align with the geometry of the bay windows. One chimney survives aligned with the right hand gable. A street facing house with a narrow front garden, fully developed in a cottage style, behind a replacement timber and picket front fence.

History

Knutsford Street was originally part of a separate subdivision, almost a triangular shape of some 127 larger lots (now mostly subdivided), bounded by Norham, Namur, Walcott and Blake streets. The cross streets were imaginatively named First Avenue (changed to Namur Street in 1916), Second Avenue (changed to Ruby Street in 1904), Third Avenue (changed to Mabel Street in 1904) and Fourth Avenue (changed to Blake Street in 1916). The narrow laneways in between named No 1, No 2 and No 3 Street. Two of these have since been renamed Nova Lane (between Ruby and Mabel Streets) and Fiore Lane (between Ruby and Namur Streets). The area was known as Woodville initially and in 1899 it was offically designaged as North Perth with the formation of a local roads board (North Perth Roads Board) and in October 1901, it was reclassified as the North Perth Municipality. No. 11 is a weatherboard house according to the MWSSDD sewerage plans of the 1930s. Most of the approximately 20 houses in the street at this time were of weatherboard construction and there were only a few vacant lots. The lot for No. 11 was created by subdividing Lots 47 and 48 of the original subdivision into three. No. 11 ocupied the centre of the centre of these three lots. There were no houses listed for the street in the Wise's Post Office Directories from 1903 (when the street was first listed) until 1905. In 1906 there were two listed and six were listed for 1915. In 1916 street numbers were introduced for the first time but not for all the houses in the street. No. 11 was listed and its occupant at that time was John G. Drake. By this time there were 14 houses in the street but this was the first time his name had appeared on the list. In 1930 No. 11 was occupied by George Henry Jennings and in 1949, the last year of the Directories, by Mrs Mary Crawley. One of the attractions of Knutsford Street was Woodville Reserve at its southern end. As early as 1910 the North Perth Bowling Club was established there and the tennis courts followed in 1915, and the Woodville Cricket Club in 192. The park is still used for tennis, lawn bowls and cricket and soccer and volleyball are also currently played there (2008). The part is also a dog exercise area and there is playground equipment, barbecues, public toilets and a pavilion, where groups such as the Swiss Club meet on a regular basis. The subject place has been delighfully restored in recent years.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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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.