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 in the Inter War period 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 Inter War Californian Bungalow style, but which were applied in a more restrained manner that suited the budgets and expectations of the middle classes in Subiaco during the Inter War period. • For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses. • For its association with the rapid development of Subiaco in the early 20th century and the small scale development by local builders, in this instance Robert Grant. 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 • Inter-war suburban house This house does not represent any of the key Architectural styles of the Inter-War era, but displays some influence of the California Bungalow style in the form of the roof gables. Plan form at the street frontage • Asymmetrical design, with a projecting front wing flanked by a verandah entry along the northern side and a longer, narrow, open setback along the southern side. Roof form and materials • Gable-hipped roof, clad with terracotta tiles. This has a large centrally positioned gable aligning with the main entrance, and a smaller offset gable over the projecting wing. Over the wider rear portion of the house this extends out as a hipped roof. • Rams-horn terracotta finial to the front gable. • Deeply notched geometric pattern to the projecting ends of the gable rafters. • Verandah roof extending in a slightly broken-back, raked alignment from the gable roof of the projecting wing. • Rendered chimney with a plain face-brick cap. Wall materials and finishes to the main facade • Roughcast rendered finish to the face of the front gable, extending to window head height as a deep eaves panel. • Tuck-pointed face-brick below window head height. Detailing of main façade • Modern flush panel and batten finish to the rear gable. • Contrasting set of 4 terracotta brick vents forming a simple pattern at the apex of the rough-cast rendered front gable. • Prominent rectangular window bay at the centre of the projecting front wing. This has a hipped tiled roof; three 6-pane casement windows to the front face; single 6-pane casement windows on either side; timber mullions; square textured glass highlights; a projecting rendered sill; and a painted rock-faced stone plinth. • Main entrance at the rear of the side verandah (facing west). This has a high-waisted door with a leadlight glazed panel over two vertically proportioned timber panels, and high-waisted sidelights. • Double hung window with a raked awning at the rear of the setback along the southern side of the front wing (facing west). • Low rendered masonry verandah piers with slab caps, supporting plain, paired timber posts. • Shallow arched, solid timber verandah valance. Streetscape setting • Main facade set back approximately 6m from the front boundary. • Front boundary defined by a modern timber picket fence.

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 indicates that 22 & 24 Kings Road were still undeveloped in 1918/19, when the owner of Lots 94 and 95 was entered as a Mr Allanson, contractor, of 44 Barker Road, Subiaco. Various newspaper advertisements (dating from the early to mid twentieth century) indicate that Allanson specialised in carpentry, joinery and cabinet making, and it has not been determined if he also worked as a house builder. Robert Grant appears to have subsequently purchased both lots as he placed the following advertisement for #24 in January 1923 and was living at #22 by 1924: I Hereby withdraw the Sale of my Property 24 King's-rd., Subiaco, from all Agents, same having been sold by McNess and Holland Royal Arcade. Perth. ROBT. H. GRANT. The first entry for 24 Kings Road was included in the Post Office Directory of 1923, when Ernest Ward was listed as the primary occupant. However, Miss Lavinia Inez Adams (c.1886-1967) had settled here by 1924. By 1943 her older brother, Arthur Reginald Adams, a retired medical practitioner, was also living at 24 Kings Road, remaining until around the time of his death in 1951. At some stage between 1958 and 1963 Lavinia Adams moved to Swanbourne. 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 major additions were undertaken at the rear in 2010.

Integrity/Authenticity

High to medium authenticity Alterations to the finish of the rear gable have impacted on the authenticity of this house.

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

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