House

Statement of Significance

The two storeyed house at 140 Palmerston Street is a fine example of the Federation Queen Anne style. It is a notable place in a street of notable places, that demonstrates the prestige of Palmerston Street at the time it was developed. The place has associations with the private school of Miss Wilson known as Ormiston College which was to become Presbyterian Ladies’ College.

Physical Description

A substantial two storey residence with large verandahs at both levels, with filigree decoration. The building has a projecting bay window on two levels beneath a flying gable with a fretted bargeboard. The upper sashes of the double hung windows are multi-paned coloured glass. The verandahs are supported with stop chamfered posts with decorative timberwork balusters. A valance of turned spindles decorates each level of the verandah. Evidence suggests the verandah detailing is not original. The brick chimneys have a corbelled stucco trim. Setback behind a brick pillar and palisade fence in a garden setting. Verandah has been modified.

History

No. 140 Palmerston Street is situated on town Lot N76. It does not appear on the 1897 PWD sewerage plans but in the 1898 City of Perth rate books the place is shown as occupied by builder C.A. Chandler and owned by Mrs Alston. The substantial residence is one of several built in Palmerston Street at around this time. Wise's Post Office Directories for 1903 indicate that the place was occupied by Mr Hankin and 1905 by William Abbott. The City of Perth rate books indicate that in 1906 the owner was Miss Rostron and the occupier was Hetty Ryan. In that year the unimproved value was ₤200 and she paid just over ₤4 in annual rates. In 1910, the subject place was occupied by Ormiston College, a private girls' school run by the three Misses Wilson between 1907 and 1916. This school had been established by Miss C.E. Wilson (the headmistress) in 1907. It also had a kindergarten section which operated in the North Perth Presbyterian Church Hall. The sisters paid rents of ₤2 per week for No. 140 Palmerston Street and 10 shillings for the hall. By 1915 the school had 80 students on its roll, 13 of whom were boarders and it had moved to a large single-storey residence at 123 Palmerston Street, fronting Robertson Park. In 1916, Ormiston College was taken over by the Presbyterian Church in WA at a price of ₤250, which included a year's lease on the property. Miss Wilson stayed on as acting principal at ₤2.10.0 per week until someone suitable could be found to replace her. Meanwhile the name was changed to Presbyterian Ladies' College (PLC). It moved to premises in Cottesloe in 1917. According to the Directories Mrs Z. Voseda was the resident in 1925 and in 1949, the last year they were printed, Mrs May Lee ran a boarding house there. City of Perth records indicate some building work was carried out in 1951 and a swimming pool installed in 1979. In the late 1980s P.M. Damo used it as a meditation centre and in the 1990s Mr Ramsey used it for meditation classes and community projects.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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