House, 92 Bagot Rd, Subiaco

Parent Place or Precinct

27310 Park Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

For information on the significance of the Park Street Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

Architectural style
Typical of many modest but well built 2-3 bedroom suburban houses of the early twentieth century, 94 Bagot Road incorporated some restrained elements of the Federation Queen Anne style. It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as professional men, office workers, retail employees and skilled tradesmen.
Plan form at the street frontage
• Asymmetrical facade. This features a stepped frontage, with the first setback housing an entrance vestibule.
Roof form and materials
• Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.
• Prominent verge gable finished with a roughcast rendered face and timber battens (predominantly in a vertical format).
• Two chimneys, each with a mixture of smooth and roughcast rendered finishes.
• Bull-nosed roof over the front porch.
Wall materials and finishes to the main facade
• Painted brick walls (originally tuck pointed face-brick).
• Rendered string course at window sill height.
Other detailing to main facade
• Two narrow double hung windows to the front wall, set under a simple raked window hood and over scalloped rendered sills.
• 5-panel entrance door located at the first setback, featuring traditional moulded architraves, highlight, sidelights and leadlight glazing.
• Single window at the second setback.
• Turned timber verandah posts (some of these have been replaced, but a surviving original post attached to the wall indicates the original detailing).
• Parapet wall along the eastern boundary.
Streetscape setting
• House set back approximately 2.7m from the Bagot Road frontage.
• Lot width approximately 10.1m.
• Built up to the boundary on the eastern side. Setback of around 1.2m on the western side.
• Modern carport occupying the eastern side of the front yard.
This has a parapet wall along the eastern boundary and has been designed with a gable that matches the original gable to the house.
• Remainder of front yard enclosed by a high, painted brick fence, faced by a low clipped hedge.

History

Subiaco's population increased significantly in the 1890s due to an economic depression in the eastern states and the discovery of gold in Western Australia. During the 1890s property developers bought large landholdings for subdivision in the Perth metropolitan area. The original subdivisions in Subiaco were generally simple grid pattern developments with small lots suitable for occupancy by working families. However, the more elevated parts of the suburb, particularly towards Kings Park, also attracted business and professional men and some lots were later amalgamated to accommodate their larger homes and gardens. Mixed development occurred and within the Park Street Heritage Area this ranged from narrow, single storey terrace housing through to a large 2-storey house set in spacious grounds. The readily available evidence indicates that the number of houses within this area increased from around 24 in 1901 to 72 in 1906; 86 in 1910; 91 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 13 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949.
Perth Suburban Lots 218 and 219 had been subdivided as Deposited Plan 214 by the mid-1890s. This comprised 52 lots, including 24 lots with frontages to Ivy Street, which extended between Barker and Bagot Roads (renamed as part of Olive Street in c.1901). In late 1898, two lots at the southern end of Olive Street (Lots 12 and 13 on the western side) were re-subdivided to create 4 lots with frontages to Bagot Road. 92 Bagot Road was subsequently developed on Lot 4 of DP 930, with the side yard and garage on part Lot 38 of DP 1552.
Entries in the Rate Books show that Lot 4 had been purchased by Joseph Shonbrun by 1910-1911. Shonbrun (c.1866-1920) was Hungarian by birth, became a naturalised Australian in Victoria in 1902 and formally changed his family name to Joseph Shaw at around the time of WWI. He was listed as a tea merchant in the Electoral Rolls, but also undertook residential development. In the period c.1905-1915 he is known to have developed several houses in Subiaco, one of which appears to have been 92 Bagot Road.
The Rate Books identified a house on this site in 1915-1916, at which time the owner’s name was given as Joseph Shaw and the occupant as Martin Watts (dental operator). There was a high turn-over of occupants until c.1925, when it became the long-term home of the Metcalf family. George Abraham Metcalf (c.1870-1947) and Elizabeth Gourley Starrat (c.1872-1948) were married in Fremantle in c.1897 and had 2 children who survived childhood. At the time of his retirement in 1935 it was reported:
After nearly 40 years' service with the West Australian police force. Sergeant G. A. Metcalf will retire in September. At the end of this month he will relinquish his official duties and enter upon long service leave. For four years Sergeant Metcalf was in charge of the central police station, Perth, and he was stationed at various periods at Fremantle, Bulong, Kalgoorlie, Norseman and North Fremantle.
George and Elizabeth both remained at 92 Bagot Road until (or near) the time of their deaths.
An analysis of a historical Metropolitan Sewerage Plan (as updated 1955) and historical aerial photographs, shows that the site was subdivided and a new house built on the site of the former garage in the period c.1995-2000. A gable roofed carport has been constructed in front of the original house but the form of the house can still be readily identified.

Integrity/Authenticity

The authenticity of the house within its streetscape setting has been reduced by the painting of the main façade; the construction of a carport in the front yard; and the construction of a high masonry fence along the remainder of the front boundary.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the buildings appear to be in a good condition.

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.