Local Government
East Pilbara
Region
Pilbara
50 Augusta St Marble Bar
CWA Centre
G J W G Miles House
East Pilbara
Pilbara
Constructed from 1909, Constructed from 1908
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Register | Registered | 17 Nov 2006 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 27 Aug 1999 | ||
| Restrictive Covenant | YES | |||
| Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place | |||
| Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 03 Sep 1984 | ||
| Register of the National Estate | Nominated | 19 Apr 1985 | ||
Poinciana House has aesthetic, historic, and social qualities valued by the community and has significant heritage value. The house is significant not just for its solid construction and gracious appearance . but also for its association with George Miles who was a Member of the Legislative Council representing the North Province. Poinciana House has been classified by the National Trust, and is on the Register of the National Estate.
Poinciana House stands on the corner of two streets with wide verges. The terrain in the immediate vicinity is flat but further afield it is undulating to hilly. The surrounding residences are mainly framed and fibro cottages. The building is not part of a historic precinct and the general condition of the building is sound. The walls are rough dressed granite, lime mortar with rough lime mortar pointing, lined in random block pattern with indented lines originally painted black. Window surrounds are dressed with cement rendered quoins. The hipped tin roof extends out over the wide cement verandahs and is supported by steel upright posts. The house has rural colonial features: single storey, wide verandah protecting all walls, iron roof with simplistic lines.
Poinciana House was built between 1908-09 for George James Gallop Warden Miles, the work being done by day labour. It is one of the few masonry buildings in Marble Bar, most of the structures in the town being of frame and sheet clad construction. The stonework was constructed by a craftsman called Jerred. Mrs Miles appreciated her beautifully built home and planted a garden of poinciana trees and lawn around the house. The house was described as "a beauty spot and an oasis in the hot town of Marble Bar". (Gold Dust & Iron Mountains, p. 15.) A letter written to the CWA in 1980 by the daughter of Mr and Mrs Miles, Mrs Valentine, gives a beautiful picture of her life experiences in Poinciana House (p. 154 of Gold Dust and Iron Mountains). The house is associated with George Miles, who was an astute businessman, owning stores and hotels across the Pilbara. His businesses were taken over by his son, George Miles Jnr. In the 1960s Miles sold Poinciana House to the Johnson family. Soon after, in 1967, the CWA acquired it and ran their Association from the premises for nearly 20 years. In July 1935, 17 ladies had gathered at the house of Mrs Claude Martin to form the Marble Bar CWA branch (then the most northerly in WA). The CWA work included fiindraising for a rest house in Port Hedland for Marble Bar pregnant ladies, waiting to have their babies in the Port Hedland Hospital. Donations also went to the Flying Doctor Service and the Red Cross. In the 1940s the CWA first rented, then bought the home of Thomas Byass, and in 1967 bought Poinciana House. Peter and Jean Glover bought the house in 1991 and appear to have retained the historical name 'Poinciana House', though new poinciana trees had to be planted as the old ones were eaten by white ants. A restoration plan has been drawn up.
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Miles | Architect | 1908 | 1909 |
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| H Edwards; "Gold Dust and Iron Mountains". p.15 &154 | 1993 | ||
| Architectural Evaluation for the WA Heritage Committee | 1987 | ||
| Royal Aust. Institute of Arch. Advisory Service |
| Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7206 | CWA House (former G,J,G.W. Miles house) : Architectural evaluation for the Western Australian Heritage Committee. | Heritage Study {Other} | 1987 |
| 7211 | Images CD No. 36 : assessment images : Church of St Mary Star of the Sea Group, Carnarvon; Poinciana House, Marble Bar; Corunna Downs Station & Wartime Airbase; Gascoyne Research Station, Carnarvon. | C D Rom | 2004 |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Single storey residence |
| Other Use | SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL | CWA Hall |
| Present Use | RESIDENTIAL | Single storey residence |
| Style |
|---|
| Federation Bungalow |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
| Wall | STONE | Local Stone |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| OCCUPATIONS | Domestic activities |
| PEOPLE | Local heroes & battlers |
| SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Institutions |
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.