House

Parent Place or Precinct

25912 Kings Road Heritage Area, Subiaco

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance: • As a good representative example of the many 4-5 room brick homes which were built in Subiaco during the early twentieth century to meet the needs and aspirations of middle-class residents such as public servants, senior office workers, small business owners, skilled tradesmen and single/widowed women of private means. • As a good representative example of the application of materials and detailing which were derived from the Federation Queen Anne style, but which were applied in a more restrained manner that suited the budgets and expectations of the middle classes in Subiaco during the early twentieth century. • For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses. Kings Road is of cultural heritage significance within the City of Subiaco for the following reasons: • The existing development along Kings Road continues to represent the rapid development of the higher parts of Subiaco (near Kings Park) with good quality Federation Queen Anne houses during the early the twentieth century (with a particular focus on the c.1901-1914 period). • The defined period and nature of development along Kings Road resulted in a complementary palette of materials and design idioms, enlivened by a diversity of individual details. Unlike many other local streets, the majority of the properties have retained a medium to high level of authenticity. Collectively they provide a good representative collection of middle-class Subiaco houses dating from the early twentieth century (extending from c.1901-1923). • The character of the Kings Road streetscape epitomizes the general character of what is now known as the City of Subiaco’s Triangle Precinct. • The history of the houses along Kings Road helps to demonstrate the original settlement of this part of Subiaco as a solid middle class area, in which the family residences of more senior white-collar workers existed side by side with the smaller, but still well-built, houses of more junior white-collar workers, retail employees and tradespeople. • The history of the subdivision and early sale of residential lots along Kings Road helps to illustrate the status of Western Australia as a place of opportunity during the gold rush era of the late nineteenth century – attracting significant interest and investment from the eastern states.

Physical Description

Architectural style • Federation Queen Anne. This is of a scale and form typical of a well-built (but not ornate) suburban villa of the era. Plan form at the street frontage • Symmetrical façade with a full width verandah. Roof form and materials • Hipped roof with a short north-south ridgeline at the apex (flanked by louvered gablets). • Corrugated metal cladding. • Decorative gable over the front entrance. • Painted brick (originally face-brick) chimney with a contrasting, bulbous panel (finished with textured render) and plain cap. Wall materials and finishes to the main façade • Painted brick (originally face-brick) walls with two contrasting rendered stringcourses, one at window sill height and one at window head height. Detailing of main façade • Decorative gable over the front entry, divided into 5 panels by timber battens. The panels are finished with decorative detailing in two styles, the 3 triangular panels having a simplified floral motif and the 2 square panels featuring fluer-de-lis in a central cross pattern, plus a web pattern at each corner. • Central entrance door with traditional moulded architraves; highlights; narrow sidelights; and stained glass detailing. • Two individual double hung windows to each of the front rooms, each pair sharing a continuous, rendered, rectangular window sill and a curved, rendered, under-sill panel. • Turned timber posts and lace-work brackets and frieze to the verandah. Streetscape setting • Front verandah set back approximately 3m from the front boundary. • Front boundary defined by a modern painted brick fence, with a low base, tall piers and fluer-de-lis capped metal bar infill panels.

History

This part of Subiaco had been laid out as a residential subdivision by September 1891, but there was only one resident listed along the street in the Western Australian Post Office Directory of 1901 (referring to Park Street) and 2 in 1905 (referring to King’s Road). This was followed by a rapid period of development and by 1910 there were 14 houses within the Study Area, being 73 Bagot Road (now known as 3 Kings Road), #s 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21 Kings Road, 12 Hamersley Road (now 28 Kings Road) & 14 Hamersley Road (now 25 Kings Road). Steady infill continued after that time and the street was fully developed by the mid 1920s. An analysis of information in the Rate Books, Western Australian Post Office Directories and Electoral Rolls indicates that 8 Kings Road was developed by William and Margaret Northam in c.1906. Online family trees and newspaper notices suggest that William (c.1873-1925) had married Margaret Turner (?-1921) in Queensland in c.1893 and that they had two children, Ivy Maude Northam (born c.1895) and Henry Barton Northam (born c.1901). The Northam family were listed as the primary occupants in the Post Office Directories through until 1926, but newspaper advertisements and Rate Book entries confirm that the house was let to tenants for a significant part of this time. For example, 8 Kings Road was advertised as a furnished 4-room house to let in December 1909, March 1910, December 1912 and November 1913. In 1913/14 the Rate Books identified Ludwig Glanert, lecturer, as the occupant, changing to Robert Burton, land agent, in 1914/15 to 1917/18. During this period the Electoral Rolls listed William and Margaret Northam as residents of Cottesloe. The Northam family were once again in residence at 8 Kings Road in 1918/19 (when William was described as a wood machinist) and were still living here in 1921 when the death of Margaret Elizabeth Northam (wife of William and mother of “Barry” and Maude) was announced in the newspapers. William, who then remained at 8 Kings Road, remarried in c.1925 but died in August 1926 (leaving a widow, Emily, and infant daughter, Thelma, as well as his two adult children by his first marriage). At that time it was stated that he had been an employee of Millars timber company. In 1927 the house was offered for sale: UNDER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR, HENRY B. T. NORTHAM, Esq., in the ESTATE of the Late WILLIAM HENRY NORTHAM. BRICK RESIDENCE, No. 8 KING’S-ROAD, SUBIACO … to SELL by PUBLIC AUCTION …. Portion of Perth Sub. Lots 244 and 245, being Lot 86 on Deposited Plan 852 ….. having a frontage of 50 links to King’s road by a depth of 174 links to a r.o.w. The improvements include, a faithfully built Brick Residence, containing four main rooms, kitchen, pantry, bathroom, laundry, front and back verandahs, and the usual conveniences. The position is select and elevated. Charles Zeck was identified as the owner in the Rate Books of 1929/30 and he retained 8 Kings Road as a rental property until the time of his death in January 1943. TO BE SOLD BY PUBLIC AUCTION [under instructions from] THE WEST AUSTRALIAN TRUSTEE and Mrs E. A. ZECK, trustees of estate Charles Zeck (deceased) …. NO 8 KING’S-RD. SUBIACO. Land: Portion of Perth Suburban Lots 244 and 245, Lot 86 on Plan 352 …. Improvements: Brick Villa, 3 rooms, kitchen, passage, bathroom, washhouse, c and t’s, sewered, el, gas. Lawns and gardens well situated convenient Hamersley-rd, Thomas-st junction. Let to weekly tenant. Subsequent occupancy information suggests that it may have continued to be used as a rental property until at least the mid-twentieth century. Reference to an inter-war era Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Department plan, plus a review of historical aerial photographs dating from 1964 and 2016, indicates that the building envelope of the front part of the house has remained largely unchanged, although there have been some modifications and additions at the rear. An analysis of the readily available information suggests that the primary occupants of the property from its time of construction until c.1950 included: 1907-c.1909 William Henry Northam, labourer, and Margaret Elizabeth Northam, married woman c.1909-1914 As noted above, the property appears to have been rented out to various tenants during this period c.1914-1917 Robert Rickarton Burton, land agent, and Mary Burton, home duties 1918-1921 William Henry Northam, wood machinist, and Margaret Elizabeth Northam, married woman 1922-1926 William Henry Northam, wood machinist, and, for part of this period, his second wife, Emily Blanche Northam, home duties 1927 Mrs Blanche Northam, widow 1928 Mrs Elizabeth Searle 1928-1929 Frederick Treadwell King, traveller, and Ida Marie King, home duties 1930-1932 Mrs Hilda Galloway 1933-1936 Thomas Oliver 1936-1946 John William McNair Wallace, teacher, and Jane Ann Wallace, home duties 1947-1949 Robert George Waymouth Hancock, dairyman, and his wife, Henrietta Jean Hancock, photographer

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium to high authenticity The authenticity of the main facade has been diminished by the painting of the original face brickwork.

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update