House

Parent Place or Precinct

26335 Hamersley Road Group Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The Hamersley Road Group heritage area is of: Aesthetic Value • As an aesthetically pleasing streetscape with a strong identifiable character, featuring an avenue of mature street trees, which frame views of the largely intact Federation and Inter War residences. • For its collection of many good, representative examples of Federation and Inter War cottages and villas which collectively illustrate a range and evolution of detailing between the 1890s and the 1940s. • For the cohesive streetscape created by a limited palette of materials and styles. Historic Value • As a representative collection of houses that illustrate the scale and standard of housing for the homes of unskilled workers to semi-professional and tradespeople, in the early twentieth century. • For the evidence it provides about the manner in which the residence of semi-professional and tradespeople existed alongside the residences of working people and employees. • For its association with the subdivision and rapid settlement of the area from the 1890s to the 1920s which demonstrates the rapid change of the district in the gold boom period and shortly thereafter. Representativeness • As a good representative collection of early twentieth century housing developed within walking distance of transport and services. Physical Form in the Public Realm • The houses, which (with the exception of two modern dwellings) were developed predominantly in the period 1898 to 1921, (and one in 1946) have largely retained their original external detailing and form. The defined period and nature of development has resulted in a consistent palette of materials and form, enlivened by diversity of individual details, with a cohesive streetscape.

Physical Description

Very little of the house can be seen from the street due to the high, impenetrable boundary wall. The limited visual access confirms that the place is a Californian style bungalow, of brick and terracotta tiled construction. The brick has tuckpoint finish to the lower sections of the elevations and rendered upper sections. A large gable extends across the property with roughcast and timber detailing. A corner verandah is located to the south east corner of the façade, the canopy appears to be a continuation of the main roof, supported on timber posts sand masonry columns. The projecting gable is positioned in the centre of the façade with casement windows and a tiled canopy.

History

The plan for the subdivision of this portion of Hamersley Road was formally approved by the Department of Lands and Surveys in 1891. However the lots were not taken up rapidly. In 1898, Lots in Hamersley Road were advertised for £35. Rate Book research indicates that this place was constructed sometime between 1919 and 1929, there are no rate books available for this period. It first appears in the 1926 PO Directories so it was likely constructed c1925. Certificates of Title information shows this lot was purchased by local builder Harold Norman Oglesby in January 1923. He also purchased the adjacent two lots to the east (lot 79 and 80). Oglesby was a Subiaco resident who is noted in the local press for undertaking many projects in Subiaco during the 1920s. It was not uncommon for builders to take on small speculative projects within a relatively confined district. It is probable that he oversaw the construction of the three properties at 238, 240, and 242 Hamersley Road. This property was transferred to Subiaco Railway Officer Thomas Christie in March 1924. Christie subsequently offered the place for sale the following year. Subiaco: Exceptionally Well Built Tiled Roof Residence, 5 rooms, vestibule, all conveniences. 242 Hamersley Rd. In 1926, the property was transferred to auditor, Albert Edward Jacobs (1873-1934). An obituary in the local press for Albert Jacobs on his death in 1934 notes that he was an accountant for a mining company. He was originally from London and had travelled to Australia in 1889 and settled in Western Australia in 1918. He had a wife and two children and the property was transferred to his son in 1934. The PO Directories list the following occupants: • 1926 Christie, Thos • 1927 – 1935/36 Jacobs Albert • 1937/38 Patterson • 1939/40 Creagh Jno • 1940/41 Dyke Lewis • 1942/43 – 1949 Mrs Olive Wilson An aerial photograph of the property in 1964 shows the symmetrical form of the original residence. The rear of the lot includes the original WC and a shed/garage. The place has not changed significantly in form or extent since that time.

Integrity/Authenticity

The property appears to be largely intact but due to the presence of the high masonry boundary wall, the contribution the place makes to the heritage area is reduced.

Condition

Fair

Creation Date

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