Sherry's (fmr), 130-140 Victoria Street

Statement of Significance

Sherry's (fmr), 130-140 Victoria Street, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place has some aesthetic heritage value with the Inter-War period parapet and some shop entries positively contributing to the Victoria and Stirling Streets streetscapes. • The place is representative of the development of larger convenience stores during the Inter-War years. Its rapid development and ongoing modernisation reflected the economic success of the business. • The place is associated with prominent local identity Herbert Henry Sherry.

Physical Description

Sherry’s (fmr), 130-140 Victoria Street, is a single storey building comprising multiple shopfronts and designed in the Inter-War Free Classical style of architecture. The external facade is painted and rendered masonry with a section of exposed face brick to the corner. The building features a segmented parapet that extends along Victoria Street and part of Stirling Street. The Victoria Street parapet is divided into several sections stepping above each tenancy. The parapet is segmented by rendered pilasters with rendered coping that is painted green. The northern most segment has the word "SHERRY'S" inscribed within the stepped parapet. Behind tenancies 3 & 4 there is a gable roof evident with half timbering and compressed sheet to the gable end. The concealed roofing material is corrugated steel. There is a cantilevered boxed awning that extends along the front facade. The underside of the awning is lined with steel. The building has five ground level shopfronts, which have been considerably altered and modernised over time. Tenancy 1 has a timber shopfront frame and a recessed entry with double aluminum doors. Tenancy 2 has a full height, aluminum shopfront and a sliding aluminum door. Tenancy 3 (the Bank of Queensland) has a recessed single-entry door with aluminum framing. Tenancy 4 (“Soul Mode”) has a composite timber weatherboard shopfront with weatherboard to the base. It has door highlights and windows. Tenancy 5 addresses the corner and is occupied by a café. It features exposed face brick which appears to have had render or paint that has since been stripped. There is a splayed entry to the café and timber windows and doors. It extends down along Stirling Street. The Stirling Street elevation has a number of tenancies. The parapet mirrors the Victoria Street elevation, extending for three bays and then lowers for the rest of the elevation. The rest of the facade is painted and rendered masonry with a bullnosed awning on steel trusses. All shopfronts are aluminum framed and appear to date from the same period and were modified at the same time.

History

At the beginning of the 1890s, Bunbury had a population of only 572. By the end of that decade, the population had risen to 2,970 – reflecting the rate of increase experienced by the colony as a whole following the discovery of significant gold deposits. This was matched by improvements in infrastructure, including the opening of the Perth to Bunbury railway line in 1893 and significant development of the port. From this time on the town developed not only as an important regional centre, but also as a seaside tourist resort. Despite the adverse impact of war and depression, Bunbury continued to experience residential and business development during the Inter-War era, and the population reached around 6,000 in 1939. The ongoing development and consolidation of the town over time continues to be reflected in its local heritage places. One of the businessmen attracted to Bunbury during the Inter-War years was Herbert Henry Sherry (c.1896-1962). Sherry arrived in mid 1928, with the intention of opening a new ‘Cash and Carry’ grocery business. This appears to have been successful, as by 1931 he was able to purchase the site of Christie’s Bazaar on Victoria Street and redevelop this property with a large new grocery store: As a demonstration of his faith in the future progress and prosperity of Bunbury and district, Mr. H. H. Sherry, Grocer, of Victoria-street has spent in the vicinity of £3,000 in the erection of commodious business premises in Victoria-street, between Stephen and Stirling-streets. The new shop is a striking addition to the business centre, having. A frontage of 33 feet and a depth in the shop proper of 66 feet. The shop is very attractively finished and is built in such a manner as to ensure the greatest comfort to customers in their shopping. Note: It is possible that the first stage of Sherry’s development was at 130 Victoria Street (where his name is shown on the parapet). By 1938 Sherry was implementing plans for major extensions to his shop: The extension contemplated by Mr. Sherry will necessitate the expenditure of some £1200 and the contract is in the hands of Messrs J. G. Hough and Sons. Work will be commenced at the beginning of next week and when complete the entire building, measuring about 186ft. in length will be under one roof and will be served by the one floor. There will be no pillars supporting the roof and ceiling and the entire floor space will he available for the display of goods. The present shop will remain the same but an additional 18ft. will be added to the floor space in the depth of the building. The remainder of the 186 feet floor space will be taken up with the store room which will be the last word in equipment for the easy and quick despatch of goods. Note: It seems likely that the raised gabled hipped roof visible behind the parapet at 136 Victoria Street was constructed to cover the enlarged open floor area at this time. In the following year he also made major alterations to his shopfront: The decision to bring the front of the premises up to more modern standards was made by Mr. Sherry only after many months of investigation into the methods of window display in other countries …… The three small windows which have displaced the larger ones previously in existence allow of a more comprehensive display of either one line of a particular article or a composite display and can be more rapidly dressed and changed more readily …. Newspaper advertisements from the late Inter-War and early post-war era indicate that Sherry’s was located at the centre of his development (136 Victoria Street) with smaller premises leased to others at Nos 130, 132, 138 and 140. The latter, on the corner of Stirling Street, had been constructed for Sherry in 1934 and was occupied by the Divisional Returning Officer for the Forrest electorate until 1954 - when the electorate office relocated to new premises built by Sherry Pty Ltd on the adjacent section of Stirling Street.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High-Medium Authenticity: Medium Date of survey: 2/01/2022

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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