West Subiaco Conservation Area

Child Places

• 27088 House
• 27091 House
• 27090 House
• 25983 Nurse Lloyd's Private Maternity Hospital (fmr)
• 27089 House
• 27092 House

Statement of Significance

Subiaco West, the area bounded by Nicholson Road, Railway Road, Barker Road, Rowland Street, Bagot Road, Hensman Road, Hamersley Road and the rear boundary of lots on the eastern side of Campbell Street and Coolgardie Streets, is significant as an area with a history of residential settlement dating back to the late nineteenth century. The area is significant for:
its associations with the Subiaco Industrial School, and subsequently with King Edward Memorial Hospital from 1916;
its role as one of the areas of residential development close to the Subiaco town centre on Rokeby Road from the early 1900s;
its concentration of intact residential buildings from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century;
its tree-lined streetscapes of substantial residential buildings from the early to mid twentieth century with established gardens;
its emergence as a prestigious residential area in the last two decades of the twentieth century resulting in examples of conservation of existing housing stock and the construction of contemporary infill development of considerable architectural quality.

Physical Description

The West Subiaco Conservation Area includes the area identified in City of Subiaco Town Planning Scheme as the West Subiaco Precinct. The area is bounded by Nicholson Road, Railway Road, Barker Road, Rowland Street, Bagot Road, Hensman Road, Hamersley Road and the rear boundary of lots on the eastern side of Campbell Street and Coolgardie Streets.
The area is subdivided on a rectangular grid of roads and lots. The southern boundary of the area is marked by Nicholson Road which has commercial development in the area around Derby Road. All other streets through the area are residential in character.
Generally roads are wide with grass verges and concrete slab pavements. There is regular planting of mature street trees of various species which contribute to the quality of the streetscapes. Houses are generally set back equally from the street but with sufficient area for front gardens. The majority of the area is served by back lanes which are commonly used for parking. Some houses however have garages and carports accessed from the street. Fences were traditionally low (900mm - 1200mm) post and woven wire, brick or pickets. Some more recent higher (1800mm) fences have been constructed.
The area contains a number of early homes although there have also been areas of recent redevelopment. Traditional houses are single storey masonry or rendered masonry construction with corrugated iron or tiled roofs, and porches or verandahs. Typically houses are of the Federation Bungalow or Queen Anne style with some more recent Inter-War Californian Bungalow style homes, particularly at the western end of the area. There are some timber framed weatherboard and iron houses in the area however they are generally interspersed with masonry homes.
There are narrow streets to the north of Bagot Road and to the east of King Edward Memorial Hospital which were traditionally characterized by small weatherboard and iron houses. These have generally been replaced by contemporary development.
SEE ALSO SEPARATE ENTRIES FOR PLACES WITHIN THIS CONSERVATION AREA.

History

The area of West Subiaco developed primarily as residential from the early 1900s. Most of the main roads were gazetted by 1883, but were unsealed until the 1900s. Derby Road was named after Lord Derby, Secretary for Colonies. Hensman Road was named after Mr A P Hensman, Judge and Attorney General. The first houses were established in streets closest to the commercial area along Hay Street and Rokeby Road, and the area west of the civic square, including Barker, Bagot, Hensman, Douglas, Lawler, Loretto, Raphael, Denis and Rowland Streets. Another early subdivision was located along Rokeby Road, and included Rawson, Campbell, Coolgardie, Duke, and Union Streets. Most of the West Subiaco precinct was developed by 1915, with the most recent houses to be built by c1925 in the south west corner. Two land releases, called Redfern Estates No. 1 and No. 2, were situated along the railway line opposite the new suburb of Daglish. Early public buildings in the West Subiaco precinct included the Industrial School on Barker Road (1897), later converted into King Edward Memorial Hospital in 1916.
(Sources: Wise's Post Office Directory 1905-1925; Real Estate Maps, Battye Library Collection; Spillman, Ken, Identity Prized: A History of Subiaco, City of Subiaco, UWA Press, 1985; Chate, A, H., History of Subiaco, c1952.)

Uses

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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.