HOUSE, 26 DOURO ROAD

Statement of Significance

House, 26 Douro Road is a typical weatherboard, brick and iron single storey house dating from 1897. The place has aesthetic value for its contribution to the streetscape and the surrounding area. It is representative of the typical workers' houses in the South Fremantle area.

Physical Description

House, 26 Douro Road is a single storey weatherboard, brick and iron cottage with significant modifications. The walls are painted horizontal weatherboards. The roof is gabled with no eaves and clad with corrugated iron. The verandah is under a separate corrugated iron roof with square brick piers that returns around the side of the building. A brick chimney is intact. There is a half height brick wall to the edge of the verandah which is also the front boundary line.

History

Between 1900 and 1930, Chesterfield was a separate suburb, focused around Douro Road. The street is named for the Duke of Wellington, who was also the Marquis of Douro, after the Battle of the passage of the Douro River in the Peninsular War. Douro Rd meets Marine Tce, which was formerly Wellington Tce. A 1908 PWD drawing shows a Church of England Sunday School on the south-west corner of Douro Road and Walker Streets, and shops to the street frontage on Douro Road on the corners of Thomas, Hulbert (Jane) and Chester streets. Large stables were also located on the south-east corner of Hulbert and Douro Road.
In 1897/98, a house and shop were built on Lot 59 of Subdivision 12 (later 26 Douro Road) for owner Thomas Kelso. The shop was occupied by Edinger and Sandeman, grocers. This remained the situation until 1901/02, when greengrocer George Taylor took over the shop.
In 1902/03, the house and shop were bought by Thomas Norman. George Edinger, grocer, re-established his business in the shop. Norman retained ownership until at least 1909 and a number of different grocers leased the shop during this time. In 1905, the property was listed as #38 Douro Road.
The property is shown on a 1908 sewerage diagram as a long thin weatherboard building set to the street frontage, with weatherboard additions/lean-tos at the rear. A large garden area with a well and galvanised iron and weatherboard stables was at the rear.
By 1929/30 the property was owned and occupied by Mercy Pressley and in 1935/36, the street number changed to #26. The Pressley family was still the owner and occupier in 1952.
This place was identified by the Fremantle Society in 1979/80 as being of cultural heritage significance. (Coded: Brown: "Positively contributing to the built environment") It was also included in the "Heritage Study South Fremantle", prepared by John Taylor Architects, for the City of Fremantle, June 1993.

Integrity/Authenticity

Low Integrity
Low Authenticity

Condition

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

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

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