Perth Railway Precinct

Child Places

• 02153 Horseshoe Bridge
• 02153 Horseshoe Bridge

Statement of Significance

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The following statement, is taken from the gazetted permanent State Register Entry for the place, as the reasons for its cultural heritage signficance: Perth Railway Precinct, consisting of the Perth Railway Station (1894) building, a two storey load bearing brick structure in Victorian Free Classical Style; the Barrack Street Bridge (1908), a five span steel and concrete structure, with a north-south axis; the Horseshoe Bridge (1904), a multi-span steel and breeze concrete structure crossing the rail track in a north-south direction in Federation Free Classical Style; and the Western Footbridge (1898), a timber construction; has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: + the place marks the development of the Fremantle to Guildford Railway in 1881 and the subsequent development of the State’s rail network, the major communication link within Western Australia from that time until the latter part of the twentieth century; + constructed in 1894, the Perth Station Building is one of the oldest surviving principal city stations in Australia; + the intactness and quality of the architecture of the Railway Station building, Horseshoe Bridge and, to a lesser degree, Barrack Street Bridge contribute significant aesthetic value to the streetscape of Wellington Street; + the place is significant for its association with significant Western Australian Government Architects and Engineers, including James Thomas, John A. Wright, Richard Roach Jewell, George Temple Poole and C.Y. O’Connor; + the Perth Station Building is a particularly well-articulated example of a building in the Victorian Free Classical Style and as such provides an important termination at the northern end of Forrest Place, the main civic plaza in the City of Perth; + the Horseshoe Bridge represents an innovative solution to the problem of bridging a railway in a confined site in the days of horsedrawn transport. The detailing of the bridge façade is of a high quality of design. Perth Station demonstrates excellence in design and detailing; and + the place contains a site which is of significance to the Nyungar Aboriginal people for hunting and mythology reasons and is listed under the Aboriginal Heritage Act. The precinct also includes: a multi-storey precast concrete carpark (1988); three pedestrian access bridges, the two southern bridges being of steel and concrete construction, while the northern bridge is precast concrete; and a steel space frame canopy over the station platforms (1986). The bridges are deemed to hold little cultural heritage significance, while the carpark structure is assessed as being an intrusive element.

Physical Description

Perth Station building is a two storey building with the second storey used for railway administrative staff. Its a good example of the Victorian Free Classical style.

History

Perth Railway Station was constructed in several stages but an intended additional floor and central tower were never commenced. The original Perth Railway Station was built in 1881 when the line connecting Fremantle and Guildford was opened. The central section of the present building was finished in 1884, the west wing being added in 1896 and the east wing completing the structure in 1897. Refer to documentation of places for entry into the Heritage Council register of heritage places.

Integrity/Authenticity

High level of integrity. High level of authenticity.

Condition

Fair

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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