House

Parent Place or Precinct

25376 Duke Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The Duke Street Heritage Area is of: Aesthetic Value • Duke Street has a distinctive urban character that has been primarily created by the local road closure and public landscaping of the late twentieth century. • Within this setting the heritage character is derived from the modest, single, storey suburban houses dating from the Federation and early Inter-War era (c.1902-1924). Only one of these houses has been replaced (#3, c.1980s) and the defined period and nature of development has resulted in a complementary palette of materials and design idioms. Historic Value • The subdivision of this area was undertaken by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company of Sydney. This represents part of a much wider role that this company took in the development of Subiaco in the 1890s and early 1900s. • The collection of houses in the study area helps to demonstrate the scale and standard of houses built and occupied by people such as small business owners, clerks and tradesmen in the early twentieth century. • The study area was generally the place of residence for people who left only a small mark on the written records. However, it also accommodated at least two men who were prominent in the local community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid twentieth century (see Associations - Residents, below). Representativeness • The study area includes a good representative collection of modest early twentieth century brick and timber housing developed in close proximity to the Rokeby Road tramway.

Physical Description

7 Duke Street was designed as a modest timber cottage with no overt architectural style. Key elements include: • Symmetrical façade. • Simple hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting. • Face brick chimneys with simple corbelled detailing (set behind the alignment of the main ridgeline). • Rusticated weatherboards to the main façade and plain square edged weatherboards to the side walls. • Raked verandah roof extending across the full width of the main façade. This is supported on chamfered square posts, with simple timber ‘capitals’ and carved timber brackets. • Central entrance door flanked by a single sidelight, with highlights over – all framed with moulded timber architraves. • A single double hung window with moulded timber architraves to each of the front rooms The house is set back approximately 3m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low timber framed and crimped-wire panel fence. Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be generally in good condition, although the cladding on the western side is showing some signs of deterioration.

History

A Certificate of Title for Perth Suburban Lot 277 and part Perth Suburban Lot 276 (totalling 5 acres and 18 perches) was issued in the name of The Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd on 18 September 1901. This area was subsequently laid out as a new subdivision, including ten building allotments facing Duke Street (Lots 13 to 17 and 18 to 22 of Plan 2352). On 17 November 1903, Lot 20 was transferred to Helen Priestly and in that year the Subiaco Rates Books listed F.W. Priestly (plumber) as the owner/occupier of a house on this site. Francis Priestly and his wife, Helen, lived here until about 1905/06 when the property was sold to Arthur Lightfoot (electrician), who then lived in the house for a couple of years before renting it out in c.1909. The first longer term resident was Samuel Taylor (cook), who lived at 7 Duke Street from 1912 with his wife, Clara (who died in 1916) and at least two of their children - Clara Theresa Taylor (nurse) and William Maurice Taylor (clerk). After the Taylors moved away in c.1919, 7 Duke Street was occupied by Walter Grier (clerk) and his wife, Florence until 1927. The Grier’s then moved to 11 Duke Street (c.1928-1932) and 8 Duke street (c.1933-1949) – which suggests that they were tenants rather than owner/occupiers. During at least part of this time Walter and Florence Grier would have shared these houses with their children Gwen, Walter (born 1912), Joyce (1915), Sylvia (1920) and Norma. After at least five more relatively short-term occupants in the period 1928-1939, the Vawser family lived here until c.1945 (before moving across the road to 6 Duke Street). Harold Vawser, snr, was a specialist tradesman who was operating his own business in the early to mid 1940s under the name “H.L.Vawser and Sons, Surgical Instrument Manufacturers” (with business premises at 129 Murray Street ). The last occupants for the first half of the twentieth century were a couple who had retired from a farm in Woodanilling – Douglas Wilson (who died in 1949) and his wife Elizabeth Ann Wilson (who died in 1951). Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1951 included: 1903-1906 Francis Wheman Priestly, plumber 1907-1908 Arthur Allan Lightfoot, electrical engineer/manager 1909 Miss Mabel Adelaide Ilbery 1910-1911 ? 1912-1919 Samuel William Taylor, cook 1919-1927 Walter Adam Grier, clerk 1928-1929 Arthur Berry, engine driver 1930-c.1932 Mrs Nellie Armstrong 1932 Gerald Blaney-Murphy 1933-1936 Francis Perrier Bell, mariner 1936-1938 Albert Wheaton Manning, draper 1939-1945 Harold Lyall Vawser, surgical instrument maker 1946-1949 Douglas Wilson (a retired farmer, formerly of Woodanilling) 1949-1951 Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Wilson, widow

Integrity/Authenticity

The external character, finishes and detailing of this place appear to be largely consistent with its original design.

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

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