House

Statement of Significance

The house at 125 Joel Terrace is a good example of the Federation Queen Anne style, with a high degree of integrity. It may have associations with the builder Roger Rogerson.

Physical Description

The house has a mildly assymmetrical plan with a central entry placed beside a projecting front room. It is constructed of face brickwork set on limestone foundations. The predominantly hipped roof has gambrel ridge ventilators, with a projecting half timbered gable over the window bay of the front room. The separate bullnose verandah spans the whole width of the principal façade. It is supported on four turned posts, with timber brackets, supporting a decorative valence with alternating hit and miss panels of diagonal beading. The face brickwork is banded at sill and door level. Windows are double hung sashes and the door has a leadlight panel and fanlight. The face brickwork chimney has a rendered corbelled head. The property is rundown. Comparatively unchanged.

History

Joel Terrace is part of the East Norwood Estate, which was developed in 1898, on part of Locations A4 and A5, on the eastern side of the Femantle-Guildford Railway line, in the East Perth/Mt Lawley area. The subdivision was carried out surveyors Crossland & Hardy on behalf of the Perth (WA) Estate Company Limited of No. 364 Hay Street, Perth. The strong demand for new housing was a result of the population boom created by the gold discoveries in the State. One member of the Perth (WA) Estate Company Limited was Zebina Lane, who was an engineer and mine owner at the Great Boulder mines, and one of a number of people who made money in gold mining and reinvested it in land developments during this period. The Company had previously developed the adjoining Westralia Estate on the west side of the railway line on Location A4. The estate was promoted as having 'splendid building lots', 'main roads' and 'river frontages'. In the latter case these were the lots along Joel Terrace, which were expected to attract the wealthier buyers. This block does not have river frontage, being on the western side of the street but in contrast to this and those blocks with river frontages were the cheaper ones where 'spec' housing was erected along the line for rental market. A number of these and a few of the blocks on the south side of Bramall Street and in Summers Street were the first to have houses erected on them. Nos. 123, 127 and 129 are known to have been built by Robert Rogerson who built nine houses in the street. No 125 is of similar design. In 1913, the subject place was listed in the Wise's Post Office Directories as being occupied by William H. McNamara, when this part of the street was allotted numbers for the first time. Prior to that William McNamara was listed as living in this part of the street (from 1911) between Pakenham and Leslie Streets on the western side as was the builder, Robert Rogerson. One earlier resident who lived in a street nearby remembered going down to the river from Joel Terrace as a young girl. While they enjoyed playing on the bank and in the water, it was very muddy and the mud was hard to wash it off their legs afterwards. They called it 'The Mucks' as did many of the other children from the area and further afield who walked or road their bicycles - often considerable distances - to play along the river's edge and swim in the river there.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to High

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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