House

Parent Place or Precinct

25394 Union and Redfern Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The Union and Redfern Street Heritage is of significance for: Aesthetic Value: The area contains aesthetically pleasing streetscapes with a strong heritage character. In particular, cohesive streetscapes have been created by a limited palette of materials and styles. The area contains many good, representative, suburban examples of Federation Queen Anne houses and Federation Bungalows. These include both gentlemen’s villas and modest suburban houses, and collectively illustrate a gradual evolution in architectural detailing of these places between 1899 and the early Inter-war years. Historic Value: The residential subdivision of this area represents the early development activities of Sydney and Melbourne based real estate agents and property developers. In this context it 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. The collection of houses in the heritage area helps to demonstrate the manner in which the family residences of professional men and business owners (such as senior civil servants and merchants) existed side by side with the smaller houses of semi-professional and tradespeople. The collection of houses in the heritage area helps to illustrate the scale and standard of housing considered appropriate for these families in the early twentieth century. The area was a place of residence for a number of people who were prominent in the local business community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid-twentieth century.

Physical Description

Single storey house of rendered brick and iron construction. Symmetrical façade with twin gable features above 3-section casement windows. The window frames are stained timber rather than painted. Twin string courses extend across the façade, the lower string course being in line with the window sills and the upper one in line with the top of the casement section of the windows and continues around the window arch. The door is recessed in the centre of the façade. The verandah extends across the full width of the front elevation with the bullnose canopy supported on turned timber columns. The tall hipped roof has vented gablets to the east and west of the ridge and two tall painted brick chimneys, with the paint showing signs of wearing off. The tiled garden path continues up two steps to the front door. A low masonry wall with railing infill panels and tall piers enclose the garden.

History

In June 1903, Sydney accountants William James Douglas and Frank Dyson purchased PSL 254 and portion of PSL 253. The land was subdivided into 36 lots and in August 1903, the pair divided the ownership of the lots evenly. Each owned half of the properties facing Rawson Street, Hamersley Road and Heytesbury Road. The lots were sold from 1904 onwards and the first home on Rawson Street, the subject area, was built by 1904. From the available evidence Douglas and Dyson never visited the properties in Subiaco and the sale of the land was managed by local land agents, Ebernezer Allen & Co. This house was constructed for Alfred G Hawkesford (despatch clerk) in 1908. Hawkesford and his wife Adelaide nee Wildy had married in 1901 and had three children. The couple had two children whilst living at the house and then relocated to Browne Street in Subiaco. In 1912 the house was sold to Edward W Arundel (salesman) who named the house ‘Eulalie’. In August 1913 an advertisement was placed in The West Australian for a girl to mind a baby and help with housework, indicating that the Arundel family had a young family. In 1916, Mrs Eva Broad owned the house and from that time it was rented to several occupants. Occupants 1908-1912 Alfred G and Adelaide Sarah Hawkesford 1913-1917 Edward and Adelaide Arundel 1918-1923 Mrs Eva Broad 1924-1933 Josiah Miller 1934-1937 Frank Tyler 1938-1939 Edward Saggers 1940-1941 Edward James 1942-1944 J Heggie 1945-1946 Mrs James 1947-1949 Robert Howe

Integrity/Authenticity

Note: This place retains a high level of original external detailing and is a good example of the development of Rawson Street in the 1910s. The open railing of the front fence enables the house to be viewed and to contribute to the streetscape.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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