House, 15 Forster St, Bunbury

Statement of Significance

Residential dwelling, 15 Forster Street, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• The place demonstrates the turn-of-the-century expansion of Bunbury, following the gradual subdivision of the historic Stirling estate (Location 26);
• The place is a representative example of a Federation Bungalow style residence that contributes to the overall streetscape, being the only remaining early residence on Forster Street.

Physical Description

A rendered double brick single story residence in the Federation Bungalow style (c1902/03), which is set back on a large block surrounded by gardens with many mature plantings. The original house has been extended with the addition of an art studio in 1978. Most of the interior detailing is original and includes double sash windows, fireplaces, lead lights, ceiling roses and moulded ceilings. Internal rooms include a library, music room, and attic. The kitchen has been modernised, and extended. The house contains a large library collection, as well as collections of agricultural tools, artworks, photographs and historical artefacts and records, amongst other things.
It is the only house remaining from this era in Forster Street, the majority being of contemporary construction.

History

The first land grants at Bunbury were taken up in 1830 when an expedition navigated the Collie River to the Darling Range in search of fertile property. Governor James Stirling became the largest landowner in the area, when he was granted more than 20,000 acres of fertile land. Settlement of the region began in 1838, when John Scott was brought out to farm Stirling's land to fulfil the conditions of the land grant. In 1852, Stirling sold a half share of his holdings in his Leschenault Estate (Location 26) and the land was gradually subdivided and sold off.

The townsite of Bunbury was surveyed and gazetted in 1841. It remained a small town until the arrival of the gold boom in the 1890s and the growth of the timber industry. This saw the emergence of Bunbury as a seaside health resort, nicknamed ‘the Brighton of the Colony’. The population of the town grew in this time from 572 to 2970 residents.

House, 15 Forster Street, Bunbury was built for James Villers Parkes, a self taught geologist who had come to Bunbury after resigning his position of Inspector of Mines and Warden of the Goldfields in South Australia. The property was constructed on part of the original Leschenault Loc.26, on a 38-acre lot and operated as a farmstead. After failing to win a seat on the Bunbury Town Council, Parkes left for South Perth, and the property changed hands on a number of occasions over the years.

In 1961, the land was subdivided to include 11 residential lots, public open space, and light industrial zoning. Lot 36 had numerous owners until December 1975 when it was transferred to Bernhard and Robyn Bischoff as joint owners, and then to the current owner Bernhard Bischoff as sole proprietor in 1988.

Bernhard Bischoff, was born in Munich in 1938, and migrated to Australia in 1969 to work as a geologist in Queensland and South Australia before settling in Bunbury. Bernhard was a Bunbury City Councillor from 1985 to 1987, and has served on many boards and committees including heritage and environmental advisory groups. With a passion for history and the environment, Bernhard amassed a large private collection of historical documents and artefacts relating to the Bunbury area. Other collections include a large library collection, agricultural tools, artworks, photographs, rocks/minerals and historical artefacts, which are housed at House, 15 Forster Street, Bunbury.

The original house was extended c1978 to include the addition of an art studio named Palmstudio, where the owners produced and sold pottery, paintings and photographs. Other works at this time included the modernisation of the kitchen area to connect it to the main house, as it was previously only accessible from the verandah. The extensions used long structural beams that had been salvaged from the old Bunbury Jetty. The garden, which had previously comprised only sparse lawn was gradually planted with many trees and shrubs and is now a dense mature garden.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: Medium
Date of survey: 29/07/2022

Management Category 2

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

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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.