House

Parent Place or Precinct

25912 Kings Road Heritage Area, Subiaco

Statement of Significance

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 • Asymmetrical facade. This is essentially an “L” shape with a deep setback along the northern side to the wider rear portion of the house. The front section has a slightly projecting rectangular bay across the northern half. The verandah extends across the full width of the front façade and returns along the side setback. Roof form and materials • Gable-hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting. This has a small louvered gablet facing the street at the apex; a large gable over the street front (west-facing) window bay; and a second (north-facing) gable at the rear of the return verandah. • Turned timber finials to the main gables. • Dropped bullnose verandah roof. • Two painted brick (originally face-brick) chimneys with bulbous roughcast rendered caps. Wall materials and finishes to the main facade • Painted brick (originally tuck-pointed face-brick) walls. • Rendered stringcourse at window sill height. • Roughcast rendered eaves panel. Detailing of main façade • Flush panel finish to the gables with small cover battens. This would have originally featured a more highly detailed finish, possibly featuring roughcast render and a decorative pattern of robust timber battens. Some evidence of the original detailing/finishes may remain behind the later cladding. • Main entrance set at the rear of the side verandah (facing north). This has a highlight and single sidelight. • Triple casement window to the slightly projecting bay of the front façade. These windows have square highlights; a projecting rendered sill; and a curved, rendered under-sill panel. • Full-height double-hung window to the recessed section of the front façade. • Full-height double-hung window at the rear of the return verandah (facing west). • Turned timber posts and carved brackets to the verandah. Streetscape setting • Front verandah set back approximately 3.5m from the front boundary. • Front boundary defined by a modern rendered brick fence, with a low base, tall piers and 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 the Rate Books shows that, in the early twentieth century, Lots 91, 92 and 93 of DP 352 were all owned by Matthew Garraway, a New Zealand engineer. In 1913/14 it appears that two houses were built for Garraway on a re-subdivision of these lots, being #18 (on lot 91 & part 92) and #20 (on part lot 92 & lot 93). However, at that time no occupants were listed for either of these houses. 20 Kings Road was then purchased by Albert Long, a bank teller. Various members of the Long family lived at 20 Kings Road until the early 1950s, with the principal occupant in the early years being identified as Charles Long (who was the accountant for the West Australian Trotting Association from c.1916 until his retirement in c.1928). Information from online family trees and newspaper notices suggests that Charles Long (c.1856-1930) had married Alithea Ann Mander (c.1865-1945) in Victoria in c.1893 and that they had at least 8 children including Lillah (born c.1887), Albert “Jack” (1889), Millian (1891), Charles, jnr (1893)(died in active service 1917), Florence (1895, died in early childhood), Marion “Molly” (c.1897), Euphemia “Effie” (c.1902) and Walter (c.1906). Based on the readily available information it therefore seems likely that the owner of the property was Charles and Alithea’s eldest son, Albert Frank Long (c.1889-1965). However, Albert did not live here for any significant period, as by 1920 he had taken up the position of manager of the Commercial Bank in Bridgetown, and subsequently moved to other regional and metropolitan postings with that bank. 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 alterations 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.1952 included: 1915-1930 Charles Long, accountant, and Alithea Long, home duties 1915: Plus Albert Frank Long, clerk, Charles Percy Long, under-graduate, Lillah Victoria Long, clerk, and Millian Alithea Long, home duties 1916: Plus Albert Frank Long, clerk, Charles Percy Long, under graduate, and Lillah Victoria Long, clerk 1931-1945 Mrs Alithea Long, home duties, 1930: Plus Lillah Victoria Long, clerk and Effie Constance Long, teacher 1943: Plus Effie Constance Long, teacher 1946-c.1952 Miss Effie Constance Long, teacher (elocution) 1952 Walter Alexander Long Youngest child of Charles and Alithea. Died at 20 Kings Road in August 1952

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium authenticity The authenticity of the house has been diminished by the painting of the original tuck-pointed face brickwork and changes to the detailing of the gable ends.

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update