House

Parent Place or Precinct

26002 Kershaw Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place has aesthetic significance as a particularly fine example of the architectural style typical of the area and period. It has historic significance reflecting the development and settlement of the area. The Kershaw Street Heritage Area is of cultural heritage significance within the City of Subiaco for the following reasons: • As an aesthetically pleasing streetscape with a strong heritage character, featuring a narrow avenue of mature street trees, which frame views of the largely intact Federation and early Inter-War vials. • For its retention of many good, representative examples of Federation Queen Anne villas (which collectively illustrate a gradual evolution in architectural detailing between 1904 and c.1918). • For the cohesive streetscape created by a limited palette of materials and styles. • As a representative collection of houses that illustrate the scale and standard of housing considered appropriate for the families of professional men, such as merchants, bankers and civil servants in the early twentieth century. • For the evidence it provides about the manner in which the residences of senior professional men and business owners existed side by side with the smaller residences of more junior employees in early twentieth century Subiaco. • For its association with the subdivision of this area by James Chesters, an investor from Melbourne, in 1892. In this context it also represents the status of Western Australia as a place of opportunity during the gold rush era of the late nineteenth century – attracting significant investment from the eastern states. • For its association with the efforts of James Chesters as a local land agent and property developer, following his move to Western Australia in 1905. • For its association with Joseph (Joe) Totterdell, who was responsible for the construction of many Subiaco houses (including some in Kershaw Street), and who, for a brief period (1916-17), lived at 25 Kershaw Street (one of his development properties).

Physical Description

25 Kershaw Street was designed as a single storey house with elements of the Queen Anne style (but with the detailing simplified in a manner consistent with the end of the Federation period). It has stretcher-bond, face-brick walls and a gabled-hipped, terracotta tiled roof. The roof extends in a broken-back alignment over the front verandah and streetscape views include two face-brick chimneys with moulded and rendered caps and terracotta pots. The main façade centres on a verandah that wraps around the south-east corner, and abuts projecting, gable-roofed wings at either end. Each of these gables has wide slatted eaves, and a roughcast render and half-timbered effect to the face, over an elongated triangular base-board. Below each of the gables, there is a shallow projecting window bay, each with two double-hung windows. Each pair of windows is set over a continuous moulded sill that caps a rock-faced sandstone base. The other feature of each of the gable wings is a raked awning, with flat terracotta shingle cladding and curved brackets. The main facades have tuck-pointed brickwork, with two plain rendered stringcourses, one at window sill height and the other at door head height. The return verandah features prominent, paired square timber posts, each pair framing simple valance and balustrade panels, and flanked by curved brackets. The elevated edge of the verandah has been fenced with a pipe rail and wire mesh balustrade. Splayed concrete steps lead up to the main entry at the centre of the west façade. This entry features a high waisted door with wide sidelights and highlights, all with stained-glass detailing – a variation that distinguishes this from the earlier Queen Anne style residences on Kershaw street, which generally have six panel doors and narrow sidelights. The house is set back approximately 6m from the boundary, which is defined by a low face-brick wall with tall brick piers (no infill panels). The front yard has been laid out with lawns, concrete paving and garden beds, while the side setback has been paved as a driveway to a rear garage. Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in good condition.

History

James Chesters, an investor from Melbourne, purchased Perth Suburban Lots 249 and 250 in 1891. In the following year he had this area laid out as a new residential estate (Deposited Plan 504), which included the creation of Part Lot 147 and Lot 148 (17 Kershaw Street). In 1915 Chesters sold Lots 417 and 418 to Joe Totterdell (a local builder), and Totterdall subsequently combined these with Lot 416 to create two, larger, building blocks. In June 1916 Totterdell was using 19 (sic) Keshaw street as his contact address in advertisements for new houses, confirming that he had built the house and lived there for a short period. For much of the twentieth century 25 Kershaw Street was occupied by Charles and Eveline Hill. Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1949 included: Joseph Totterdell (Builder)(later Mayor of Perth, 1946-1953, Knighted 1953) Randall W Fincham Charles Macquarie Freer Hill (Clerk/Civil Servant) Information in the Electoral Rolls indicates that Charles Hill was still living at this address in as late as 1980.

Integrity/Authenticity

The street facades retain a high degree of authenticity and the house is a good example of one of the later Federation Queen Anne villas built in the area.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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