Local Government
Fremantle
Region
Metropolitan
31-35 Cliff St Fremantle
This place comprises the original Samson Cottage adjacent to the c.1899 Lionel Samson Building.
Samson Cottage
Fremantle
Metropolitan
Constructed from 1835, Constructed from 1895
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
Heritage List | YES | 08 Mar 2007 |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
---|---|---|---|
(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Category | ||||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 18 Sep 2000 | Level 1B | |
Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 01 Apr 1974 | ||
Register of the National Estate | Permanent | 21 Mar 1978 |
Lionel Samson Building is historically significant for associations with Lionel Samson who arrived in WA in 1829. The place is of historic significance as an example of a commercial building in the Old Port City of Fremantle dating from the gold boom period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The place is a highly decorative example of a commercial building in the Federation Free Classical style that remains substantially intact. The place is a significant landmark in the Old Port City of Fremantle. The place is of social significance as evidenced by its classification by the National Trust. Samson Cottage has considerable historic significance. It is one of the very few buildings dating from the first decade of white settlement in the Swan River colony. It is also significant for its association with Lionel Samson who arrived in 1829. It is a rare remnant building from the first phase of development in Fremantle. The place is of social significance as evidenced by its classification by the National Trust.
Lionel Samson Building is a three storey building with a basement, rendered and highly decorative building, adjoining Samson Cottage. The façade has a bracketed parapet featuring 'Lionel Samson & Son Pty .Ltd' in stucco beneath, 'Established 1889' appears in the highly decorative pediment. The windows and doors are flanked by engaged pilasters and surrounded by arched and highly decorative stucco above. Samson Cottage is a two storey rendered and unadorned building with a corrugated iron slightly pitched hipped roof, with zero setback from the pavement. It adjoins the Lionel Samson Building.
Lionel Samson came to Western Australia in 1829, and built a cottage in 1835 on lot 10. He returned to England in 1843 to be married. He and his wife, Fanny, then returned to Western Australia and took up residence in Perth until after the birth of their 6 children, when they moved to Fremantle in 1856. Cliff St in the 1850s was a busy thoroughfare connecting the sea front jetty with the river. Many businesses were located along the route. The street was paved in 1858 with hand-tolled Yorkshire flagstones by sappers of the Royal Engineers. The job was completed by private contract after the sappers were needed elsewhere. Apparently, convicts were not skilled enough for the job. To meet the expense, dog licences, poundage fees and fines were raised by the Town Trust. Samson Cottage (35 Cliff Street) was used as a warehouse in the 1870s for Lionel Samson & Son, the State's oldest company. After the death of Lionel Samson in 1878, his widow continued to live in the house until 1888. The house was then leased to a bank, and served as a commercial bank and residence. A stone building on Lot 9 was demolished in 1891, and a larger office building (Lionel Samson Building 31-33 Cliff Street) was built for the company on the site in 1892 by Sir J. Talbot Hobbs. The cottage, office building and warehouse were burnt in a fire in the 1890s and all were rebuilt. (The fire also engulfed the old Customs Store at No. 40 Cliff Street.) The new building for the Head Offices of Samson Co. was completed in 1898 under the supervision of F. W. Burwell. Samson Cottage was restored in 1978-79 for use as a museum. NB: The façade "Established 1829" refers to the business, not the building itself. The architect was Kim Stirling, and the work cost $30, 000. Works revealed that the limestone came from Arthur's Head and the bricks were French, used as ballast in the sailing ships. An unusual truss system roof, used in some houses at Rottnest Island, was also revealed. The museum was on the first floor and a cinema was installed on the ground floor for wine appreciation, in association with a cellar. The cinema featured old seats from His Majesty's Theatre, Perth. This place received a Fremantle Award.
Good.
Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
---|---|---|---|
Kim Stirling, 1979 conversion to museum | Architect | - | - |
Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
---|---|---|---|
998 | Interiors project: Lionel Sampson and Son Pty Ltd 31 Cliff St | Report | 1992 |
11848 | Conservation plan for Samson Buidings Fremantle Western Australia | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 2020 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Two storey residence |
Present Use | COMMERCIAL | Warehouse |
Present Use | EDUCATIONAL | Museum |
Other Use | COMMERCIAL | Insurance Building |
COMMERCIAL | Shop\Retail Store {single} | |
Original Use | COMMERCIAL | Shop\Retail Store {single} |
Other Use | OTHER | Other |
Present Use | COMMERCIAL | Other |
Original Use | COMMERCIAL | Office or Administration Bldg |
Style |
---|
Victorian Georgian |
Federation Free Classical |
Type | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Wall | RENDER | Smooth |
Wall | STONE | Limestone |
Wall | BRICK | Rendered Brick |
Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
General | Specific |
---|---|
PEOPLE | Famous & infamous people |
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Immigration, emigration & refugees |
OCCUPATIONS | Commercial & service industries |
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Land allocation & subdivision |
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.