Local Government
Augusta/Margaret River
Region
South West
147 Bussell Hwy Margaret River
Nixon's Shop and House (fmr)
Tuck Shop
Augusta/Margaret River
South West
Constructed from 1960, Constructed from 1937
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 29 Jul 2005 |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 01 Jul 2012 | Some Significance | |
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 17 Jun 1996 | Criterion 6 | |
The Tuck Shop is of significance: • As a local landmark and meeting place for the school students of Margaret River from the 1950s. • For its historical association with J.M. Nixon who lived and operated a shop here, and also supplied electricity for the town from an adjacent site from 1937-1948.
The shop and attached former residence both have frontages to the main street, with the shop set slightly forward to the alignment of the footpath. The shop is a utilitarian, painted, face-brick structure with unpainted cream brick to the side alley. There is a flat parapet to all visible facades, concealing a low-pitched, flat pan roof. The shop front has a central entry with plain display windows and plain highlights set in square profile, timber frames. A mini-orb corrugated panel has been added as a feature below the windows. A modern bull-nosed corrugated awning extends over the footpath.The adjacent former residence has an enclosed verandah to the street frontage, with concertina windows over a mini-orb corrugated panel. The roof is gabled hip with a central brick chimney, and extends as a broken-back pitch over the verandah.Internally the verandah and front of the house have been modified and adapted as the public seating area for the café.
The Margaret River ‘Tuck Shop’ was originally Mr J M Nixon’s Shop and Residence. In 1937 Mr Nixon signed an agreement with the Augusta Margaret River Roads Board to supply electricity to the Margaret River town site. He bought two lots – one for the power station and the other (next door) for a residence and shop. The shop, which was at the front of his house, sold electrical goods and bicycle parts.In 1948 the government (State Energy Commission) took over the supply of electricity, although Nixon remained the local supervisor until 1956/57. After that time the district was connected to the Comprehensive South West Power Supply and a new substation was erected on the eastern outskirts of town. Nixon left Margaret River for Augusta and his shop was sold in the late 1950s. It then became the ‘Tuck Shop’, which serviced the school as well as the broader community and remained a meeting place for local school children for the rest of the twentieth century. The place underwent structural modifications in c. 2001 and has been adapted as a coffee lounge. As at 2012, the place is still operating as a café under the name ‘The Tuck Shop’.
Medium: The use has been altered, but the original use is still clearly evident through interpretation of the fabric. Medium: The place has had some alterations, but the original intent/character is still clearly evident.
Good *Assessed from streetscape survey only
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cresswell, Gail J,The Light of Leeuwin:the Augusta/Margaret River Shire History | Augusta/Margaret River Shire History Group | 1989 | |
| Municipal Heritage Inventory | 1996 |
| Ref Number | Description |
|---|---|
| MR(T)-19 | MI Place No. |
| A51 | LGA Site No. |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | COMMERCIAL | Shop\Retail Store {single} |
| Present Use | COMMERCIAL | Shop\Retail Store {single} |
| Style |
|---|
| Late 20th-Century Ecclesiastical |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
| Wall | TIMBER | Other Timber |
| Roof | METAL | Corrugated Iron |
| Other | ASBESTOS | Other Asbestos |
| Wall | EARTH | Pise {Rammed Earth} |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| OCCUPATIONS | Commercial & service industries |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.