Old Burswood Canal

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Statement of Significance

Old Burswood Canal, a section of a disused boat canal, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place is a remnant of one of the earliest public works projects carried out by the Stirling Administration and represents a commitment to supporting settlement in the Swan River Colony; • The place is a relic of Western Australia's transport history and demonstrates the importance of the Swan River as a transport route in the 1830s; • The place is indicative of the experimental nature of early public works in a new colony; and, • The place illustrates a way of life and mode of transport that is no longer practiced in this part of Western Australia.

Physical Description

This physical evidence assessment describes the section of the 1831 canal that is immediately southwest of the railway embankment in Goodwood Parade. The remaining portion of the 1831 canal is best viewed from the top of the railway embankment northwest of the Goodwood Parade boat ramp. From the railway embankment, looking south-west, one can see the canal that runs in a straight line, from north-east to south west, before it narrows and is obscured by vegetation. To the north-west one can see Belmont Park, and to the west the State Tennis Centre, the Burswood Park Golf Course and the city beyond. To the south is Swan Cement, and beyond is the Burswood Convention Centre and Burswood Superdome. By turning around and looking north-east, one sees, beyond Goodwood Parade, the foreshore and on the opposite side of the river, Maylands Public Golf Course. The 1831 canal is not visible from the Swan River foreshore and the only evidence of its existence is the culvert which drains water from the canal (and perhaps to the canal in high tide and flood conditions) under the railway embankment and Goodwood Parade, and onto a narrow beach where discharged water winds its way through the sand and into the river. The 1831 canal varies in width from about five metres to about one metre where it appears to have been terminated in recent times by an earthworks breach, the top of which is about the same level as the top of the banks of the canal. The depth of the canal varies from about two to three metres near the embankment to about half a metre at the breach. These dimensions appear to be in keeping with the Old Burswood Canal article on file which states that 'the entire length of the cut will be 275 yards, 180 of which will be 4 feet deep and the remaining 95 yards, will average at 8 feet deep. The breadth of the cut will be 12 feet in the centre at the bottom. There is little evidence of the 1831 canal ' as constructed'. There is however, evidence of modifications to a short limestone outcrop which is located on the north-eastern bank. The bank appears to have been both excavated to make way for the canal and also underpinned with limestone and concrete where it may have been in danger of collapsing. It is however difficult to date the work from physical remains. Typically, the banks of the canal are lined with grass, weeds, pampas grass, low shrubs and medium sized, sparsely distanced eucalypts. It is difficult to identify with any certainty the dykes constructed in 1834.

History

Old Burswood Canal was constructed across the Burswood peninsula, in 1831, to facilitate transport on the Swan River. It was augmented by dykes in 1834, and in 1839, was superseded by another channel, known as the Claisebrook Canal, on the northern side of the river. When the Swan River Colony was established in 1829, most land grants had river frontages. This not only gave the settlers access to water for domestic and agricultural use, but also access to transport because the lack of roads in the new colony meant that the rivers were the natural highways. The Swan River provided a transport route from the port at Fremantle to Perth, and on up through Guildford and the fertile Swan Valley area. The importance of river transport is illustrated by the fact that by January 1830, there were estimated to be 40 boats in the colony.1 But boating on the Swan River was not without its hazards. Loss of property, and drownings, were common as the colonists lacked experience with boats and few could swim. Many boats were of poor construction and navigation was difficult in places due to low water levels, the worst being around the Heirisson Islands, below the Burswood peninsula. The Burswood peninsula was part of Henry Camfield's grant and took its name from the Camfield family's English estate, Burswood (sic).2 Henry Camfield arrived in Western Australia on 12 October 1829, with his brother in-law, William Henty, on the Caroline. Camfield was disappointed with his first grants but succeeded in getting Surveyor General J. S. Roe to grant him 1,000 acres which included the peninsula, previously reserved for Crown purposes. In November 1829, Camfield wrote: Between Perth and my grant there is a mud flat of nearly one and a half mile in length. One which a boat must be tracked over even when empty. A flat boat only will carry goods...You must watch your opportunity to carry your things to Perth.3 George Fletcher Moore expressed similar sentiments. The expense and labour of conveying goods up river, at present is very great; boats in summer must be unloaded and dragged over the Flats...Every settler should have a boat and know how to manage it.4 The importance of the Swan River for transport in the new colony prompted Governor Stirling to ask the Civil Engineer, Henry Reveley, to remove the inconvenience of the Flats.5 The result was a call for tenders for the construction of a canal across Burswood peninsula. Sealed Tenders will be received at this office on the 15th March next for cutting through the neck of land which unites Mr. Camfield's grant with the main land, in order to form a canal of communication between the backwater on this side the Islands with the deep part of the river on the other. The entire length of the cut will be 275 Yards, 180 of which will be at four feet deep, and the remainder 95 Yards will average 8 feet deep. The breadth of the Cut will be 12 feet in the clear at the bottom. The land to be cut through consists of clay, the rest is sand. The Tenders may be either for the whole work complete, or by measurement. The Plan to be seen and all information to be obtained by application to the Civil Engineer, Perth.6 The work was to be done with shovels, the colony having no other equipment to do the job. The contract was awarded to John Crane, but on 4 June 1831, Crane notified Governor Stirling, through Reveley, that he and his workers intended to strike. 7 We, the undersigned, John Crane & Co., do humbly beg your Excellency to take into consideration the state of the case in which we have been deceived in the number of yards in cutting the canal. We have exerted ourselves to the uttermost of our powers and taken out more than the number of yards stated by the engineer and being seven poor men who hope your Excellency will give us satisfactory remuneration for the remainder of the work.8 The strike appears to have been settled quickly, if it went ahead at all. The estimated quantity of excavated soil was 3,000 cubic yards, but the actual amount came to 4,255 cubic yards. Governor Stirling allowed payment for the extra amount at two thirds the rate paid for the original work, ie 131/2 pence per cubic yard against 20 pence.9 This would make the original price £250 with some £70 for the extra work. Henry Reveley's report in August 1831, states: The canal measured, when complete, 834 ft long by an average top width of 26 ft and with a width of 12 ft at bottom; the depth varied from 2 ft 6 in. to 17 ft 4 in. The excavation amounted to 4255 cubic yards, and it took seven men 107 days to do the work.10 Old Burswood Canal effectively turned the Burswood peninsula into an island. While Old Burswood Canal cut off the 31/2 mile journey around the peninsula, it did little to improve boating conditions over the mudflats and, in May 1832, the Civil Engineer was again asked to make the Swan River more navigable through this area. Reveley's plan was to construct two parallel dykes, 200 feet apart, between Old Burswood Canal and Point Fraser to form a navigable channel. The estimated cost for this plan was £1,500 but, as this was beyond the means of the colony at the time, a temporary solution was proposed instead. This involved connecting the islands with short dykes to create a dam which would direct the tide, the result being that the 'rapid and direct flow of the tide both up and down' would scour out the shallows and Old Burswood Canal.11 The Perth Gazette reported that 'the inconvenience experienced by settlers during the summer render[ed] this an object of serious importance.'12 The dykes were finally constructed in 1834. They were '3 feet high, formed of a double stake-and-wattle fence filled in with clay.'13 The stronger current that resulted did not produce a channel through the mudflats, but did succeed in widening Old Burswood Canal, and its banks were 'partially secured and then flattened on one side to make a tow path.'14 The following year, a 'spade channel' was dug to assist the current through the flats, and a dyke was built along its length to further direct the flow through Old Burswood Canal.15 Nevertheless, in 1838, Civil Engineer Reveley reported that the flats had still not deepened and he suggested no further work be undertaken to redirect the river.16 However, the General Roads Trust, now the responsible body, wanted a permanent solution to the problem. The Trust had a new, deeper channel, known as Claisebrook Canal, cut across the lowland above Point Fraser on the northern bank of the Swan River.17 While this channel avoided the flats altogether, it also meant that boats had to take the longer route around Burswood Island again. The new channel proved successful and, with the building of larger vessels in the 1840s when river traffic expanded, Old Burswood Canal fell into disuse.18 Henry Camfield had been pleased when Old Burswood Canal was built. He wrote at the time: 'men employed by the Government are cutting a canal through it [Burswood] which if it answers (very doubtful) is much to improve Burrswood's [sic] value.'19 Camfield had insufficient funds to develop his grant and hoped to sell to new migrants, but a sale did not eventuate. In 1840, he married and, after a term as Postmaster General, went to Albany as Resident Magistrate (1848-1860) leaving Burswood tenanted. He never returned, developing two other properties in the Albany area instead, before selling Burswood in 1871. Burswood was gradually broken up and Old Burswood Canal became the dividing line between two land titles. Burswood Island itself was owned by Edmund Birch from 1871 to 1875, and by Francis Louis Von Bibra, from 1875 to 1885. The latter ran a dairy herd there before selling to developers for £2,000. Efforts to develop Burswood Island as a residential suburb failed and, from 1895, Burswood Island became, at various times, the site of a golf course, two racecourses (Belmont Park and Goodwood established by Albert Cockram, who owned Burswood Island from 1904 to 1943), a sewage disposal site (1906-1934), a Railways Department cinder dump, a cement works which dredged decayed shell from the bed of the Swan River, and a rubbish dump which operated from 1946 to 1985.20 The Western Australian Turf Club purchased Belmont and Goodwood after Albert Cockram's death. They kept Belmont Park, but sold the rest of the land to the State Government in 1950. During this time, changes were taking place in the shape of Burswood and adjacent islands. The Swan River Improvement Act, 1925 was passed to authorise the reclamation of land along the shores of the Swan River in the vicinity of East Perth, Maylands, Burswood Island, Victoria Park, and South Perth, the improvement of the river channel near such shores, and the construction of roads along the river fronts of such reclaimed land.21 The Public Works Department had kept its options open regarding the future of Old Burswood Canal. Early road and rail bridges had spanned the place, and the new road and rail bridges planned in 1927, and opened in the early 1930s, did the same.23 But when these bridges outlived their time they were not replaced and the upstream end of Old Burswood Canal was reduced to a culvert, possibly in the 1950s. Reclamation eventually cut Old Burswood Canal from the river at its Heirisson Island end, effectively making Burswood Island a peninsula once more.24 Between 1985 and 1987, the Burswood Casino and Resort was developed on 100 hectares of land at Burswood. The $350 million resort includes a casino, five-star hotel, convention centre and the Superdome sporting and exhibition centre. It is surrounded by the Burswood Park and Public Golf Course, administered by the Burswood Park Board. Development at Burswood has impacted adversely on Old Burswood Canal The redevelopment of the Swan Portland site, in connection with the Northbridge Tunnel and Burswood Bridge road constructions, threatens what little remains of Old Burswood Canal.25

Condition

Fair

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Edward Millen Home (fmr)

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Statement of Significance

Edward Millen Home (fmr), a complex of hospital buildings comprising the former Rotunda Hospital (1912), a brick and tile building in the Federation Queen Anne style, fumatory building (1921) and former ward block (1921; 1936), set in landscaped grounds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place has aesthetic value due to the relationships between the former Rotunda Hospital and former ward block and their formal landscaped setting, including the formal, tree-lined approach; • Through an understanding of the buildings and landscape elements, the place has the potential to illustrate various aspects of the development of health care in Western Australia from 1912 to 1997; • The place makes a contribution to the sense of place of those who have had associations with the place as a maternity hospital, sanatorium, psychiatric clinic and centre for autism; • The quality of the architectural detailing retained in the former Rotunda Hospital and in the former ward block is of value; • The former Rotunda Hospital is of aesthetic value as a fine example of Federation Queen Anne architecture, displaying internal and external detailing. It has landmark quality within in the site; • The Rotunda Hospital, established by midwife Elizabeth Baillie in 1912, provided women with an alternative to home birth. The Rotunda Hospital was established four years before King Edward Memorial Hospital, Western Australia’s first public hospital for women; • The site has value to the local community for the social amenity the park provides; • The Rotunda Hospital is a rare example of a hospital built in a residential style, located close to the city on a large site which has generally retained its original building and landscape qualities; and, • The place is representative of the type of rehabilitative care provided for ex-servicemen and tuberculosis in Western Australia. Due to the extent of original fabric remaining, the place is more authentic than other sites of a similar nature. • The Hillview Clinic (1968) and W E Robinson units (1983) were established to cater for the treatment and care of autistic children. These buildings contribute to understanding the development of the place as a health care site.

Physical Description

The Edward Millen Hospital is a two storey building located within a large parkland, known as Edward Millen Reserve, and generously set back from Albany Highway. The building is accessed via a central bitumen driveway form the street. The driveway is lined with mature tree plantings. The building is constructed of red brick walls and a terracotta tile hip roof in the Federation Queen Anne architectural style. There are painted rendered archways and detailing to the front (north east) elevation. There is a return verandah to three sides of the main building with a balcony of similar scale above. The verandah is supported by painted steel columns and the balcony is supported by painted turned timber posts and a terracotta tile roof that extends from the main hip roof. There is a decorative iron balustrade and corner brackets to the balcony. There is a central tower above the main entry with painted timber frame arched windows and rendered sills. There are a series of later additions to the rear of the building that are constructed of red brick walls and corrugated steel roof. There is an electrical fence surrounding the building.

History

Elizabeth Baillie purchased Canning Location 2 in 1911. The site was approximately twice the size of the present site, extending from the present Albany Highway to Devenish Street and between Hill View Terrace and Baillie Avenue. She was already practising as a midwife in the area, and went on to have the new maternity hospital constructed on the site from May 1912, and probably completed early in the following year. It was called the Rotunda Hospital and was modelled on the maternity hospital of the same name in Dublin. It continued to function as a maternity hospital until 1919. Immediately after World War One ended in late 1918, an epidemic of pneumonic influenza, also known as Spanish influenza, swept the world. From 7 June 1919, when the Rotunda Hospital was opened to receive influenza patients, to 19 September 1919, when it was closed, 186 patients were treated at the place, with an average stay of 13 to 22 days, and of whom 170 were discharged and 16 died. It has not been possible to establish whether the place returned to use as a maternity hospital after it was closed to influenza cases. In 1920, the place was taken over by the Commonwealth Government on behalf of the Department of Repatriation, renamed the Edward Millen Home and was developed for use for tubercular care. New wards were developed for the patients and shortly after these were completed the Rotunda Hospital was converted to staff accommodation. The new works included wards, a fumitory, and orderly accommodation. In 1935, the land was divided in almost equal portions by the extension of Berwick Street from Baillie Avenue to Hill View Terrace. Further additions were made to the Rotunda Hospital at this time, and further wards added to the hospital section. The place remained in use for tubercular care until 1939. From 1939 to 1942, the place continued to operate under the management of the Repatriation Commission. The in 1942, management of the place was transferred to Perth Public Hospital (later to become Royal Perth Hospital). In the subsequent period to April 1949, both returned servicemen and civilians suffering from tuberculosis were admitted as patients at Edward Millen Home. Further works undertaken in this period included the night nurses’ quarters and the emergency operating theatre completed in 1942. The place was handed back to the Repatriation Commission in 1949 and remained with them until 1982, during which time a number of improvements were made to the property, but by 1961 it was no longer required for tubercular treatment and was changed to geriatric care. During this period, further additions were made to the place and additional structures located on the sire, including the psychiatric restorative unit. In 1982, the place was transferred from Repatriation to the State’s Mental Health Service and further upgrades of a minor nature were undertaken. The place was used for child and adolescent mental health purposes and was shared with facilities for autistic children, with Hillview Clinic serving the needs of the former and the Mildred Creak Centre the latter. By 1995, only the autism remained as other services were transferred to Bentley Hospital.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: Medium AUTHENTICITY: High

Condition

Good

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Kent Street Senior High School

Condition

Kent Street Senior High School is gnerally of fair condition. The internal finishes show considerable wear, particularly the wall finishes and floor coverings.

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Statement of Significance

Kent Street Senior High School, a complex of Inter-War Free Classical style brick and tile buildings and grounds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place was constructed in response to the increasing demand for post-primary facilities in metropolitan Perth in the 1930s. It was only the third secondary school facility in the State, and the first south of the Swan River in metropolitan Perth, to be built independent of an existing primary school; • The place, is a modest representative example of the design of government high schools by the Western Australian Public Works Department in the late inter-war period. The mature trees and expansive grassed playing fields around the site combine with the buildings to create pleasing environs that contribute to the streetscape; • The place is valued by the local community, and by the community of its former students, for providing educational facilities since 1940 that have been innovative, and responsive to community expectations, and in particular for a number of specialist programmes, including aviation, cricket and tennis studies and CISCO computer networking; • Through the establishment of formal pre-vocational training and an aeronautics course, the place provides evidence of State Government policy changes in the 1970s to address the increasing retention in the upper school of non-tertiary oriented students, an increase due largely to reduced employment prospects for school leavers; and • The school’s former students include prominent figures in Australian society such as Michael Jeffrey (Governor of Western Australia 1993-2000 and Governor-General 2003 to the present in 2005), and former Test Cricketer, Rod Marsh.

Physical Description

Kent Street High School can be accessed along a driveway through an avenue of peppermint trees. The school is a complex with buildings of different building styles around a large area of playing fields. Along Rathay Street there is a long double row of pine trees that stand out prominently on the skyline. The original group of buildings have a predominant red-brown face brick dado below the window sill, and rendered and painted wall from window sill to the underside of the eaves. There are 12 light double hung timber windows. The roofs are moderately pitched and hipped with terracotta brown 'marseille' tiles. The entry porticos have a definite 'Art Deco' feel, with horizontal banding at the gutter line, a capped parapet hiding the roof, and a slight taper towards the top of the parapet. The theme of the earlier buildings, with a red base and painted above, has been carried through into the later buildings, so, even though the styles are quite different, there is a cohesiveness to the whole complex.

History

Kent Street Senior High School comprises a number of buildings set in the school grounds: Classroom Block (1939), Classroom Block (1943), Girls’ Shelter Shed (1940, 1979, 1982), Boys’ Shelter Shed (1940, 1953), Girls’ Toilets (1940), Boys’ Toilets (1940, 1965), Manual Training building (1940, 1943), Domestic Science building (1940, 1963), new Manual Training building (1954, 1955, 1965), Home Economics building (1955), Classroom and Administration Block, with Canteen (1963), Science Building (1966), Library (1969- 70), Faculty Building (1973), Pre-Vocational Centre (1979), Gymnasium/Hall (1979), Drama/Media Centre (1982), Aircraft Studies Building (1989, 1993-94), and new Administration Building (1996). The area in which Kent Street Senior High School is now located was, in the early part of the twentieth century, an undeveloped tract of land on the western boundary of Victoria Park. By 1897, Victoria Park had been declared a Municipality and by the following year, had a population of 1,197 people. By 1906, the year after a tram service from the city opened, the population had grown to 1,500. In 1917, when the population of Victoria Park was 5,000, ratepayers voted for the Municipality to amalgamate with the City of Perth.1 A map from 1911 shows the present school site as part of Reserve Lot 3694, itself adjacent to a 1,000 acre tract of land consisting of the South Perth Park Lands (Reserve Lot 5988) and the Victoria Park Park Lands (Reserve Lot 5987).2 While the population of the area south of the Swan River had grown substantially by the late 1920s, post-primary school students still had to travel to Perth for their education. Although community representatives requested the State Government to provide a local secondary school, a lack of available funds prevented this from being considered at the time.3 During the economic difficulties of the 1930s, there was also a decline in the size of the school population, due to a lower birth rate and the cessation of immigration.4 There was, however, a growing need to increase the facilities available for post-primary education in Western Australia. In 1925, 3902 post primary pupils attended Central and Primary schools; in 1930 this number had increased to 5406; and, in 1940, to 6114.5 In 1932, the Director of Education, Wallace Clubb, had ordered a survey, which showed that 410 post primary students, residing in suburbs south of the river, had to travel to Perth for their education. On 22 June 1932, local residents met with the Minister for Education, T.A.L. Daly, to stress the need for a high school in Victoria Park. This meeting set in train planning for the acquisition of a 15-acre portion of Reserve Lot 3694. By 1938, when resumption of a school site was almost complete, opposition from Perth City Council resulted in the chosen site being reduced to 10 acres.6 The main reason why the provision of new facilities for post-primary students in the metropolitan area had been neglected, in spite of a demonstrated need, was because an inequitable State electoral system strongly favoured rural voters. While a Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly investigated state education in 1938, its members were preoccupied with the grievances of the disproportionately large number of country Members.7 There had been five year high schools opened at Eastern Goldfields (1916), Northam (1921), Bunbury (1923) and Albany (1926), while in the whole of the metropolitan area there was only one such high school, Perth Modern, opened in 1911. The next city secondary school- which did not become a High School until 1946- to be completed was Perth Girls’ School, at East Perth, in 1936. However, another nonmetropolitan five year high school was opened at Geraldton in 1939.8 On 2 February 1939, the State Government approved the building of a central school for post-primary students in the southern suburbs of Perth at Kent Street, Victoria Park, at a cost of 15,000 pounds. In the same announcement, the Minister of Education, F.J.S. Wise, also announced expansion of the Perth and Fremantle Technical Colleges, to meet some of the lack of facilities for technical secondary students.9 The amount spent on the Kent Street High School compares unfavourably with the expenditure on country high schools, built to accommodate fewer students. Bunbury, which provided facilities for 240 pupils, was completed in 1923 for 24,500 pounds, while Albany, which also catered for a smaller number of students than Kent Street, was built in 1924-25 for 19,000 pounds.10 Plans of Kent Street Central School at the time of construction showed a school consisting of a single storey brick building of eight classrooms, with administrative areas and latrines.11 While the building work was in progress, approval was received in November 1939 for the additional construction of domestic science and manual training areas (at a cost of 3,550 pounds), caretaker’s quarters (600 pounds), and installation of school equipment and furniture (746 pounds).12 Kent Street Central School commenced operation at the beginning of the 1940 school year, with 354 pupils. Kent Street School was then only the third secondary school in the State- after Perth Modern School (1911) and Perth Girls’ School (1936)- to not be built as an extension of an existing primary school.13 The school, in its foundation year, was for Year 7 students only.14 Parents were unhappy with this limitation- brought about due to the Government budgeting for only eight rooms instead of the twelve required as year eight students would still need to travel to the City for their education. Parents also objected to the School’s situation only 300 metres from a Perth City Council sanitary depot, from which emanated unpleasant odours.15 As the feeder areas for the new school included the suburbs of Applecross, Canning Bridge and South Perth, and as there was no direct transport from these places to Kent Street Central School, the families of the children so affected had to be advised as to which existing bus services would need to be accessed each day in order to get to school. Residents in close proximity to the South Perth ferries also would have preferred their children to continue attending City schools. In this matter, however, they had to comply with Government directives.16 At the time that Kent Street Central School opened, there were only eight main classrooms completed. The domestic science and manual training centres were not finished until 20 March 1940, while the caretaker’s quarters were finished a week later. At the opening of the new school, there were eleven permanent staff members; a Head Teacher, a First Male and a First Female Assistant, five Assistants, two Temporary Assistants, and a Monitor.17

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: High AUTHENTICITY: Medium

Condition

Good

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Windmill & Wishing Well

Uses

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Statement of Significance

Windmill and Wishing Well, a model windmill and wishing well in a parkland setting has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: The place has a picturesque landmark quality at the corner of Albany Highway, Shepperton Road, and Asquith Street, at the entry to the Town of Victoria Park, and the Causeway, a principal entry to the City of Perth; The place is significant in the diversity of cultural features of the State, as one of the very few surviving and most complete outdoor product display centres built by H. L. Brisbane and Wunderlich Ltd.; The place is a fine example of an ornamental windmill and wishing well, in a park setting, which draw on traditional design motifs, giving rise to intrinsic picturesque qualities; The place is valued by the community of the Town of Victoria Park, and the wider community of Western Australia, for aesthetic reasons and its landmark qualities, which contribute to the community’s sense of place; and, The place demonstrates the creative and design skill of prominent architect Marshall Clifton, who designed the product display for H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. The present landscaping immediately surrounding the two built elements partly obscures the original intention and has low significance.

Physical Description

Windmill and Wishing Well comprises a model windmill and wishing well in a park land setting, designed by Architect Marshall Clifton as a display for H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. Windmill and Wishing Well is located on a roughly triangular shaped piece of land on the south eastern approach to the Causeway in Victoria Park. The busy Shepperton Road runs along its northern side, the closed off section of the Albany Highway to the south, and Asquith Street along its eastern side. The edges of the park have concrete barrier kerbs, and there is a bitumen path along the southern side and a concrete path along the eastern side, together with a small section of concrete path on the northern side. None of these treatments are part of the original concept. The eastern edge has a line of four Peppermint or Lace trees (Agonis flexuosa) and a further row of the same species set on an angle to the present kerb line is a reminder of the time when the road alignments were slightly different to those of today. The southern boundary has a pair of Queensland Box trees (Lophostorum conferta). The major part of the park setting around the Windmill and Wishing Well is grassed with couch grass. Windmill and Wishing Well are set towards the south-east corner of the site, with the windmill at the western end of this arrangement and the model wishing well at the eastern end. The two built elements are almost surrounded by dense mixed planting. Once visible from all sides, the planting has matured and all but obscured the wishing well from view. The planting around the model windmill is lower and this low planting combined with the raised platform on which the windmill stands allows the windmill to retain its landmark quality. Windmill The model windmill is set on a raised area, which is retained by coffee rock pitching, and the immediate ground around the building is planted out with plumbago (Plumbago carpensis). Planting hangs over the shallow pitch brick steps that lead up to the windmill’s door. The windmill itself is a stylised model of the type found in Suffolk and Norfolk. It has a face brick base on an octagonal plan and stud framed upper walls, which have a bell house shape at the timber and brickwork junction. The sides are clad with rusticated weatherboards. The eaves corbel out from the walls and then the roof takes a mansard form in two section of about 78 and 30 degrees respectively. The roof is covered with plain natural terracotta clay tiles, laid on timber battens. The windmill sail, a replacement for the original, is a four part element made up of timber sections and the sail is set into the roofed section. The roof and sail are fixed so that neither rotates. There are four pane fixed windows, though the window at the lower level has been broken and the opening boarded up. The front door is ledged and boarded with decorative wrought hinges. The cavity brick plinth does not use squint bricks, so that the junction of the octagonal planes of brickwork are crude straight joints, which is somewhat ironic for a company who specialised in making bricks, leaving the joints to be of such a primitive finish. Maintenance on the exterior fabric has not been systematic and elements such as the weatherboards, windows, plain tiles and door are in urgent need of attention. The interior of the windmill simply reveals the framing to the structure. It comprises timber studs, cross bracing, wire ties, the back faces of weatherboards, and tile battens. Though the floor structure is in place and appears to be quite sound, the floorboards are missing and have been replaced with weldmesh as a temporary repair strategy. There is no obvious physical evidence of change, other than deterioration and repair work. The condition of the exterior is fair to poor and the interior is in fair condition. Wishing Well The wishing well is set on the edge of the grassed area and is surrounded on thee sides by a garden bed. The planting encroaches on the wishing well and a Wisteria (Wisteria spp.) has been trained up over it. There is evidence to suggest that the wisteria is causing damage to the plain tile roof and the timber work, in addition to the fact that the creeper is visually overwhelming the structure. The wishing well comprises a brick paved floor, the wishing well and a timber framed steeply pitched roof shelter. Stretcher bond brick paving with header course edges make up the finishes of the low plinth on which the wishing well is centred. The well itself comprises a low brick circular plinth with arched decorative wrought iron work over the mock well shaft. The well wall uses standard brick in combination with tapestry textured bricks and panels of other Wunderlich products as decorative elements. Pieces of tile and over-burnt bricks or clinkers are used in abstract patterns on four sides of the well. The interior of the well is rendered out. The wrought iron work over the well is simply treated with decorative elements applied to the main structural elements. A bucket hook is located at the junction of the supporting members. Some of the decorative elements have been broken off and are missing. The shelter structure comprises a timber frame and plain tile roof. Column members are 8” (200mm) square with a 6” (150mm) x 3” (75mm) perimeter roof beam, 4” (100mm) x 2” (50mm) shaped rafters and tile batters and a covering of natural terracotta plain tiles. The ends of the rafters are decoratively carved and the deep barge board is treated with the same decorative treatment. A decorative knee brace connects each column to the edge beam at the gable ends. Further, the gables are braced with a timber cross brace and the top of the gable decoratively treated with vertical timbering. The roof form is a striking feature with the steeply pitched gable form belling out at the eaves and the sculpted rafter ends providing visual support to the roof. The plain tiles are well suited to the scale of the building and demonstrate their flexibility in sculpting roofscapes. Maintenance on the fabric has not been systematic and elements such as plain tiles and timber components are in urgent need of attention. Consideration should be given to removing or controlling the wisteria, which obscures the building and is the source of some of the building defects. There is no obvious physical evidence of change, other than deterioration and repair work. The condition of the exterior is fair to poor and the interior is in fair condition.

History

Windmill and Wishing Well comprises a wishing well and model windmill (1939-40). They were designed by Architect Marshall Clifton, as a display for Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd.1 Windmill and Wishing Well were constructed of brick and timber for the company in 1939-40, by Ernie Banks.2 The Western Australian Gold Boom of the 1890s, led to the suburbanization of Perth in the last decade of the late nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, including the area known as Victoria Park. The Municipality of Victoria Park was gazetted in 1897.3 In the first decade of the twentieth century, Victoria Park grew rapidly as a suburb of Perth, from a population of 546, and 335 houses in 1901, to a population of 2,267, and 546 houses in 1911.4 The majority of the population was working class from New South Wales and Victoria.5 In 1917, under the City of Perth Act of 1914 amended, Victoria Park joined the Perth City Council.6 By 1920, the Albany Road, the future Albany Highway, was a major road to the Causeway and thence to the city, with much of the development in Victoria Park centred on the road.7 The Council considered the possibility of purchasing the triangular block of land at Victoria Park bounded by Albany Highway, Ascot Road (later Great Eastern Highway), and Asquith Street, which was a portion of Lot 1x of Swan Location 36.8 In November 1920, the Mayor reported: This block is just across the Causeway and faces the visitor as he enters the suburb of Victoria Park. This is low lying land, and it was considered that it would be well to acquire it for the City, and lay it out for recreation purposes. The land was eventually submitted to auction, and fetched a higher figure than was anticipated by the Council, consequently the purchase on behalf of the City was allowed to lapse.9 In 1929, Piercy and Pitman sold their company, Westralian Potteries, founded in 1905, to H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd., who subsequently began to expand the facilities with the construction of new kilns at the works in Grandstand Road, Belmont.10 There was fierce competition in Western Australia between H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd. and Wunderlich Ltd, and in the period following the Great Depression, as the building industry revived, there was a price war on tiles.11 Wunderlich Ltd. had been formed in 1908, with the amalgamation of W. H. Rocke & Co. and Wunderlich Patent Ceiling & Roofing Co. Ltd.12 From 1910, the company produced terracotta products at their own works at Brunswick, Melbourne, and also continued to import Marseilles tiles.13 The company expanded and opened branches in all the Australian States and New Zealand.14 In the early 1930s, on a residential lot leased for the purpose in Stirling Highway, Claremont, not far from Lance Brisbane's family residence, H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd. built the first landscaped outdoor display area in Perth, to exhibit the company's products.15 It featured a large waterwheel.16 Over the next twenty years, numerous display parks were developed in the Perth metropolitan area.They were generally on small plots of land which were too small for other purposes, leased from a local authority and maintained at the company's expense, located alongside major traffic arteries, and near to developing residential areas.17 In February 1936, H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd. proposed to the Belmont Park Roads Board that some land in the district 'be put aside for ornamental and display purposes, as had been undertaken by various companies in the Victoria Park locality.'18 The Roads Board agreed to lease the company an area of land at Reserve 20562 Swan Location 3275, along Ascot Road (now Great Eastern Highway), where the company built a small display house featuring the company's products in 1937.19 On 8 January 1936, the City of Perth became the sole proprietor of a portion of Lot 1x of Swan Location 36, three roods and 38 and three tenths perches in area (4,002 square metres), bounded by the PerthAlbany Road and Asquith Road.20 On 10 July 1936, the Government Gazette advised the land was compulsorily acquired from John Park Armour, and 'set apart for the purpose of the following public work namely: Road Widening - Albany road and Asquith street, Victoria Park.'21 On 5 July 1937, Perth City Council passed a motion that, subject to the approval of the Finance Committee, the City Engineer should be authorised 'to proceed with the construction of the roadway along the new frontage of the owner's remaining land, at an estimated cost of £350, in accordance with the terms of the settlement of the claim for compensation' of the triangular piece of land resumed at the corner of Asquith Street and Albany Road.22 In 1937, the Tile Producers' Association was formed to stabilise tile prices.23 In November 1937, the Daily News reported that Victoria Park was 'steadily growing', and that 'Notable for its steady expansion and progressiveness, Victoria Park is one of the most popular suburbs of the City of Perth.'24 The newspaper reported that provision had been made for 'the connection of Albanyroad with Shepperton-road.’25 By late 1937, H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd. 'had the Western Australian market sewn up for clay -products industry.'26 In May 1938, a plan showing the Causeway with recent reclamation along of the Swan River, shows the future site of Windmill and Wishing Well as a triangular piece of land bounded by Ascot Road, Albany Road, and Asquith Street, with the electric tram way routed across the Causeway and along Albany Road.27 On 3 June 1938, part of the land reserved at Lot 1x portion of Swan Location 36 was declared a public highway: All that portion of Lot 1X of Swan Location 36 bounded by lines commencing on its south-eastern boundary 3 chains 56.7 links from its south corner and extending south-westward 2 chains 10.9 links along part of the north-western side of Asquith street; thence by a circular convex arc 94.7 links long; thence 272 deg. 22 min. 1 chain 65 links; thence by a circular convex arc 1 chain 30.8 links to the northeastern side of Albany road; thence north-westward 5 chains 76.1 links along the north-eastern side of Albany road; thence 118 deg. 43 min. 93.1 links, 111 deg. 11 min. 93.2 links, 103 deg. 39 min. 93.2 links, 96 deg. 8 min. 93.1 links, 92 deg. 22 min. 3 chains 99.5 links and a circular convex arc having a length of 62.3 links to the starting point.28 In July 1938, Alfred Wunderlich approached Lance Brisbane with the suggestion that H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd. amalgamate with Wunderlich's operations in Western Australia.29 On 12 September 1938, the agreement to amalgamate was adopted formally by the Board of Directors of H. L. Brisbane and Company Ltd.30 On 29 September, a special general meeting of shareholders approved the change in name to H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd.31 In April 1939, H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. applied to the Perth City Council for a lease of the triangular strip of land fronting Albany Road, Asquith Street and Shepperton Road, Victoria Park, in order that same may be laid out as a public garden and used as an advertisement for their tile products.32 The Council passed a motion that, subject to the approval of the Governor, a ten year lease be granted 'on the lines suggested in the correspondence', without rental. 'The ground to be laid out and maintained by and at the expense of the Company to the satisfaction of the City Gardener.'33 Further, 'No building, hoarding or advertising device' was to be erected or maintained on the ground without the approval of the Council.34 Circa 1939, H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. commissioned Architect Marshall Clifton to design a display centre for the site at Lot 1x, portion of Swan Location 36.35 The site's prominent location bounded by the Perth Albany Road, Shepperton Road and Asquith Street, ensured many people would see the display. The commission was in keeping with the established practices of both Wunderlich Ltd., which had strongly promoted their company during the company's expansion in the 1920s, with catalogues and brochures designed by artists and designers, including William Dobell, and H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd., which had been building landscaped outdoor display parks in Perth from the early 1930s.36 Marshall Clifton (1903-75) completed his Articles of Cadetship with the P.W.D. in Western Australia in October 1926.37 Elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of Architects of Western Australia, he received the Institute's bronze medal for 1925-26.38 Appointed Assistant Architect, he worked for the P.W.D. to October 1929, followed by a period working with Architect George Herbert Parry, prior to going to England to widen his knowledge and experience in mid 1930.39 Clifton obtained a position with E. Vincent Harris, one of London's leading architects, and studied at the School of Architecture at the Royal Academy.40 After travelling in Europe in 1932, he returned to Western Australia, where he joined George Herbert Parry in partnership to 1937.41 Well-known buildings from this partnership include the Captain Stirling Hotel (1935), the Inglewood Hotel (1935), and the Big Bell Hotel (1936).42 Windmill and Wishing Well was designed in the early years of Marshall Clifton's practice, in which many of his independent commissions were for houses, for which he gained a reputation as 'a competent and empathetic designer.'43 In the period 1937- 1942, Clifton established his architectural reputation in Western Australia, in particular as the architect of a number of projects designed in "the Spanish style".44 Key works constructed in the period include his own home (1937) at 70 Johnston Street, Mosman Park, the Day house (1939) at 166 Victoria Avenue, Claremont, and the Burnell house (1940) at 52 Alexander Road, Dalkeith.45 In 1939-40, Windmill and Wishing Well was built by Ernie Banks, an Englishman, who had worked in Canada, U. S. A., Mexico and Argentina, prior to coming to Australia.46 Banks had been contracted originally to build kilns for H. L. Brisbane & Co.; however, he remained to become a permanent employee, and built each of the special display centres for the company.47 Windmill and Wishing Well comprised an ornamental windmill constructed of timber weatherboards, on a red brick base, with timber sails, and a tile roof, with red brick steps leading to the door of the windmill; and a wishing well constructed of brick and tiles, on a brick base, with an ornamental wrought iron frame, and covered by a timber structure with an open gable tiled roof. The bricks and tiles utilised in the display were from the current range of products manufactured by H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. Windmill and Wishing Well became a well recognised landmark at the exit from the Causeway and at the entry to Victoria Park. On 4 October 1940, the Government Gazette announced that the Albany main road 'from the eastern end of the Causeway at Perth to its junction with York street (sic) at Albany' was named 'Albany highway' (sic) from 2 October.48 In December 1940, Perth City Council adopted the Estimates for expenditure in 1941, including the sum of £149 for path and improvements for the land at the corner of Asquith Street and Albany Highway, less £30 paid by H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd.49 In 1941, Shepperton Road was extended northwards towards the Causeway, and Windmill and Wishing Well was henceforth bounded also by Shepperton Road.50 On 29 September 1941, a meeting of Perth City Council considered a letter from H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd., and the report by the City Engineer, which recommended that, subject to reference to the Finance Committee a concrete slab path be constructed around their display park bounded by Albany Road, Shepperton Road, and Asquith Street, at an estimated cost of £110, on the basis of the company contributing £30 towards the cost.51 A motion to that effect was duly carried.52 On 31 October 1941, in the City Gardener's Report, H. N. Braithwaite reported regarding the display park at 'the corner of Albany Highway and Shepperton Road': Last year this land was leased to Messrs. H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd., and it has been converted at their own cost into an attractive display park. A concrete slab path has now been laid on all frontages, and trees planted, the Company paying portion of the cost.53 In 1945, the Perth City Council resumed portion of Lot 1x Swan Location 36, bounded by Albany Highway, Great Eastern Highway (formerly Ascot Road) and Asquith Street for recreation ground and road purposes from F. J. Deacon at a cost of £3,600.54 On 23 May 1975, the Government Gazette gave notice of the intention to resume portion of Lot 1x of Swan Location 36, the site of Windmill and Wishing Well, for widening of Albany Highway.55 Circa 1989, the blades of the windmill of Windmill and Wishing Well had to be replaced.56 Replica blades were made, and the work implemented under the direction of the City of Perth, as Victoria Park was part of the City at that date.57 In 1993, the Towns of Victoria Park, Vincent, and Cambridge were separated from the City of Perth, to become separate municipalities. The Town of Victoria Park has had responsibility for the place since the separation. In 1997, Windmill and Wishing Well was reported to be 'in the process of being upgraded by Midland Brick in conjunction with the Council.'58 No details of the proposed work and whether it was implemented have been located. There appears to have been no work implemented and it would have been somewhat inconsistent for Midland Brick to carry out work on a rival company’s original promotional display. In May 1998, Windmill and Wishing Well was listed in the Draft Municipal Heritage Inventory for the Town of Victoria Park, with the Category B.59 Category B recommends a high level of protection, the encouragement of conservation and the preparation of a more detailed assessment. The historical information recorded the date of construction as 'around 1938', and the stated that the park in which the place stands 'was commonly known as Asquith Park'; however, this name does not appear on plans of the locality.60 Further, that a sculpture of a lion had been on display at the site until damaged by vandals, 'who frequently placed a bottle of beer between its paws'; and that consequently the sculpture had been removed.61 The Draft Municipal Heritage Inventory Statement of Significance stated that the place 'has aesthetic and historic significance', it was in good condition, and its integrity was good.62 It was noted that Windmill and Wishing Well was one of the few H. L. Brisbane & Wunderlich Ltd. displays extant in the Perth metropolitan area, and was representative of 'a particular era of commercial advertising.'63 On 23 June 1998, the Council of the Town of Victoria Park considered correspondence from the Heritage Council of Western Australia regarding the referral of Windmill and Wishing Well under Section 9 of the Heritage Act of Western Australia, and a memorandum from the Acting Manager Environmental Health and Building Services, Ron Hurdle, regarding the condition of the place, following inspection of the place by Council's Land and Building Officer, R. Grickage, with a subcontractor, B. Clynk.64 The place was 'currently in a state of disrepair.'65 It was estimated that a professional assessment of the costs to make the windmill structurally sound would cost $5,000, and the estimated cost of remedial works to the windmill to make it structurally sound either in its present location or to reconstruct it in an alternative location would be $20,000.66 The Council resolved to support the listing of the place on the State Register of Heritage Places, and to 'allocate $5,000 in the Draft Budget for 1998/99 for investigations by a structural engineer into the options of restoration or relocation of the windmill to a more visually prominent position'.67 On 25 June 1998, John Bonker was directed to make the windmill safe and to do some cosmetic repairs to the place.68 In 1998-99, steel bracing was inserted inside the windmill as a temporary measure to ensure the safety of the place.69 In early 2000, Windmill and Wishing Wellremains in its location at the corner of Albany Highway, Shepperton Road, and Asquith Street, Victoria Park. The place is less visible than in its earlier years as it is somewhat obscured by the growth of the tree plantings in the surrounding park. Nonetheless, it remains a significant landmark in Albany Highway, at the northern gate way to the Town of Victoria Park, and is highly valued by the community for its aesthetic characteristics.70

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: Medium AUTHENTICITY: High

Condition

Good

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Victoria Park Primary School

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Statement of Significance

The Victoria Park Primary School has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place is closely associated with the establishment, growth and consolidation of the Victoria Park area; • The place has a strong aesthetic value through the unifying use of similar materials and embellishing details which create an architectural harmony; • The place demonstrates the changes in both teaching methods and school architecture over a period of forty years; • The place is representative of suburban school buildings designed by the Public Works Department in the 1890s - 1930s, and includes a rare example of a two storey suburban school building; and • The place has considerable social value to both past pupils and present residents of Victoria Park as a place associated with the continuity of the suburb and as a venue for community activities.

Physical Description

Victoria Park Primary School is located within a commercial and residential precinct, at the northern end of the commercial zone along Albany Highway. It marks the northern boundary of the residential precinct located behind Albany Highway. There are nine buildings on the site which make up Victoria Park Primary School. They form a unified collection of buildings, constructed at different times, and display a range of building styles that were common, not only to education facilities developed in Western Australia in the early - mid twentieth century, but also to other public buildings. The school buildings are located on the northern and western perimeters of the site, with a large open playing area on the south western perimeter. The site also has a number a mature trees, peppermints, lombardy poplars and several species of gum trees. Old School Building (Building A) The Old School Building is comprised of clusters of rooms added over the period 1894 to 1913. It is a single storey brick building with a hip and gable roof covered with corrugated galvanised iron. The building has retained five chimney stacks which have rendered mouldings at the top and bottom of the stack. The building sits on a brick plinth at the northern end of the western elevation and on the northern elevation (1913 addition). The northern elevation has a formal brick porch with recessed brick quoins. The eaves are open slatted and are supported on the western side with heavy wooden brackets. The gable ends feature semi-circular timber, slatted ventilators. The western portion of the roof is carried down over the double hung sash windows to form a pair of awnings which are decorated with a sawtoothed valance. The hopper windows on the gable end of the eastern wing are protected by an awning which is supported by turned timber brackets and decorated with a scalloped valance. The northern section of the eastern elevation is clad with zincalume sheeting. A weatherboard store-room is attached to the south side of Room 1. The external face of the north wall of Room 4 has been rendered. The building has a 'L' shaped plan. The southern end has four rooms laid out around a central corridor, while the northern extension has rooms on one side of a corridor. The level of the building changes at the point where the corridor was extended to the north and access to the northern end of the corridor is via two steps. Encapsulated within the building is the earliest school room; however the exact location of this room is unclear. Rooms 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 have had their common walls removed to create two large classrooms. The interior walls are all covered with plaster and painted white. The floors are covered with carpet, except room 7a which has exposed timber floor boards. The coved ceilings in rooms 1 and 2 and the southern section of the corridor are tongued and grooved boards. The remaining rooms have fibrous plaster ceilings. Rooms 1, 2, 3 and 4 have metal tie-rods running across the centre of the room at top-plate height. Exterior windows are double-hung with the exception of hopper windows in Rooms 3 and 4. Rooms 1, 2, 3 and 4 have windows opening onto the corridor. These double windows pivot open from a central hinge. All the classrooms have fireplaces. None have mantle pieces and the fireboxes have been bricked up. The windows to Rooms 1, 2, 7 and 8 have had sun screens installed. In 1929, the shingle roof was replaced with corrugated galvanised iron. In 1993, the northern wall of Room 3 was re-built and rendered due to instability. Infants School (Building B) The Infants School is a single storey brick building with corrugated galvanised iron gable roof and a verandah on the western side. The verandah has been enclosed with fibrous cement sheeting. The verandah has timber floor boards. The interior has rendered walls, a vermiculite finish to the ceiling in what was formerly Room 5 and plaster ceiling to Room 6 (staff room), double hung windows and a mixture of joinery styles for door architraves. Both fireplaces have been bricked in. In 1919, the Senior School was added to the northern side of the Infants School. This section is discussed below. In the 1980s, Rooms 5 and 6 and the adjacent corridor ceased to be used as classrooms and became the administration centre of the school. The partition wall between Rooms 5a and 5b was removed together with the northern wall of Room 5 and new walls were inserted to create the Principal's Office, outer Office, Sick Room and photocopy area. Room 6 became the Staff Room. Senior School (Building C) The Senior School Building is a two storey brick addition with an entry porch to the Infants School. It is of a similar style to the earlier building. The first stage was constructed, in 1919, and consisted of Rooms 10 and 11. In 1924, Rooms 12, 15 and the stairwell were added, and in 1925, Rooms 13 and 14 were constructed. The gable roof is clad with corrugated galvanised iron and the eaves are open slatted. The lintels and string courses are cement render. Unlike the Old School building, the chimney stacks have no rendered mouldings; however, the plain brickwork is embellished with a brick string course and corbelling to the top of the stack. Classrooms on the ground and first floors open onto a verandah area. The floor of the verandah at ground level is cement, while that on the first floor is timber tongued and grooved boards. Hopper windows are used in the classrooms, while double-hung sash windows are used in the stairwell and in the first floor store room. There is a modern concrete fire escape stair on the western exterior side of the verandah. This was added to the building in 1966. The original internal stair access at the northern end of the building remains together with the original wooden staircase. The interior finish in all the classrooms is the same: rendered walls painted white. The ceilings are plaster sheets with cover battens. The floors are carpeted. Pre-Primary Building (Building D) The Pre-Primary Building is a timber framed building clad with weatherboard and fibrous cement sheets. The gable roof is clad with corrugated galvanised iron. The roof line extends down on the northern side to form the verandah roof. The eaves are open slated over the gable end. The interior walls are clad with fibrous plaster. The coved ceiling is clad with timber boards. The timber floor is partially covered with carpet and vinyl sheet. The building has been extended at the eastern end; construction of this section is the same as the rest of the building. The verandah roof has been extended on the western side to the roof line of Building H (toilet block). The pre-primary building and play area is surrounded by a cyclone fence. The building was erected in 1917, and originally had sliding canvas shutters for windows. At some time the original shutters have been removed and the roof-line extended to form a verandah. In 1982, the building was re-located to its present position. In 1993, the building was extended at the eastern end. Manual Training Centre (Building E) The Manual Training Centre is a timber framed building clad with weatherboards. The gable roof is clad with corrugated galvanised iron. The building was erected in 1935. On the north west corner is a leanto section clad with fibrous cement sheeting. This section replaces the original weatherboard lean-to which was damaged by fire in 1974. The interior walls are clad with timber boards and the ceiling is gyprock plaster boards with a simple concave cornice. Struts descend through the ceiling to about one metre below the cornice. The windows are double-hung sash windows. The floor is timber boards. The building was moved to its current location in 1984. Toilet Blocks (Buildings F, G and H) The three toilet blocks are all of brick construction with corrugated galvanised roofs. The floors are concrete and the windows are louvred in a timber frame. The toilets were constructed in 1929, although Building F has been extended, on the southern side, to provide extra toilet facilities for the pre-primary children. The construction of the extension is the same as the earlier portion, the only difference being that the floor is tiled. The older section (which is not accessible to the pre-primaries) appears to be unused. Store (Building I) The Store is of brick construction with a clay tile roof (Marseilles pattern), concrete floor, double-hung sash windows and timber doors. The interior space has been divided into two rooms. The building was constructed in 1929. Covered Assembly Area (Building J) The Covered Assembly Area is of brick construction with a zincalume roof. The structure is open on two sides with a weatherboard toilet incorporated on one of the enclosed sides. The floor is concrete. The building was constructed in 1991.

History

In 1893, petitions were sent to the Education Department, by the residents of Victoria Park, requesting the construction of a school for their children.1 In 1894, the Department bought three residential blocks and commenced planning the new school. During the 1890s the Public Works Department (PWD) experienced considerable pressure in the design and construction of numerous public buildings (post offices, schools, police stations and so forth). To address the demand, the PWD often tendered out to private architects for the designs for such buildings. Therefore, it was a private architect, Clarence Wilkinson, who prepared the plans for a single, brick classroom, with verandah. The school opened in July 1894 under the direction of Miss Elizabeth Julius; the new school was named Victoria Park.2 Increased enrolments at Victoria Park necessitated the erection of a further classroom, in 1895, again designed by Clarence Wilkinson. In 1897, the two room school building was extended with the addition of two classrooms and a corridor.3 (Building A) In 1904, additional classroom space was required and it was decided that a separate building should be constructed for the use of the younger pupils. This was referred to as the Infants School.4 (Building B) The building was designed by the government architect, Hillson Beasley and completed in 1905. By 1906, overcrowding led to the construction of an additional room on the western side of the 1904 Infants School. In 1910, a new lavatory was added on the northern side of Building A. In the same year that this room was added, complaints about the poor drainage of the site reached a point where both the Town Clerk and parents proposed moving the school to a new site.5 A compromise was reached by improving site drainage and inserting sub-floor vents in the building. In 1913, Beasley designed a further extension to the northern side of the Building A. The new rooms consisted of a classroom, hat room and lavatory. The old lavatory (1910) was converted into a teacher's room. The northern side of this extension featured a brick portico, while the eastern side (which was the corridor) was clad with weatherboards. The plans which Beasley drew up in 1910 for the lavatory, indicate that later extensions were anticipated. When the additions were constructed in 1913, the Department further anticipated the future growth of the school and drew up provisional plans for future rooms on the eastern side of the new corridor, which explains the use of weatherboard cladding on the eastern side of the corridor. However, no further additions were made to Building A, although minor alterations to both the interior and exterior have been made. In 1913, overcrowding continued to be a problem and the Department was forced to erect a tent to temporarily relieve the problem. The Department was financially unable to provide a new school room so the school hired a room in the Town Hall to temporarily assist with the overflow of students.6 The Town Hall was located nearby on the northern side of Albany Highway. Around the turn of the century, a new Town Hall was constructed on the southern side of Albany Highway, further to the east of the old Hall. The old Town Hall was later demolished. During the First World War the school's accommodation problems were solved with the erection of three pavilion classrooms. This type of classroom was constructed from weatherboards and appears to have had sliding canvas shutters.7 Two classrooms were constructed in 1915 and another added in 1917. However, these classrooms provided only temporary relief and in 1919, two additional classrooms were added to the northern side of Infants School (Building B). This section became the Senior School (Building C). The pavilion classroom which had been erected close to the Infants School was removed. Enrolments reached their peak in 1923, (692 pupils) and by 1924, two classes were being held in the Town Hall, another in a hat room and one class used the local Methodist Hall.8 The PWD proposed building a two storey addition on the northern side of the 1919 classroom block and additional classrooms above the 1919 classrooms to provide the school with four new classrooms. The building was designed by the Chief Government Architect, William Hardwick, and the contract was let in two parts. Part one was completed in September 1924 and consisted of a double storey classroom block, with stairwell, constructed on the northern end of the 1919 block (Building C). Part two was completed in August 1925, and consisted of two classrooms built above the existing 1919 classrooms. The ground floor (1919) rooms were remodelled to the same specifications as the new upper storey rooms. In 1926 weatherboard Pavilion 2, was relocated to Lake Gwelup.9 Pavilion 3 (Building D) remains on site, but was relocated in 1982. During the 1920s, on Arbor Day, students planted trees in nearby Raphael Park. (The park is bounded by Geddes, Washington, Gloucester and Armagh Streets.) Many of these trees have survived until the present. Raphael Park is used by the local community and by Victoria Park Primary School for their yearly Sports Carnival. In 1929, further improvements to the school comprised the installation of three new brick latrine blocks and a brick store shed. The senior girls and boys had their own separate toilet blocks (Buildings G & I), and the third block was divided into two separate sections to accommodate infant girls and boys (Building H). In 1935, the Manual Training Centre (Building E) was constructed at the school. This building was specifically constructed for manual training courses and was used by the Kent Street High School boys. Kent Street High School, (originally called Southern River High School and now called Kent Street Senior High School) was established circa 1942, and students from Victoria Park often went on to attend this high school. Kent Street Senior High School is located on the corner of Kent and Berwick Streets, due south of Victoria Park Primary School The Manual Training Centre continued to operate from this purpose built room until 1969. School enrollments at Victoria Park Primary School reached their peak during the 1920s and then began to decrease. In 1923, the number of pupils enrolled was 692, but by 1948 the number had dropped to 589. The decreasing enrollment numbers meant that classrooms were no longer overcrowded and spare classrooms were often used for high school classes. In 1942, Kent Street High School conducted several post primary classes at Victoria Park Primary School while the High School was being completed10. In the same year, the top three classrooms (Rooms 13, 14 and 15) were used by girls from Perth Girl's Central School. In 1948, there was a shortage of space at Kent Street High School and two classrooms at Victoria Park Primary School were used by the high school children. In 1950, 210 pupils from Kent Street High School were using classrooms at Victoria Park Primary School. In that year, there were 402 primary school children enrolled at Victoria Park Primary School. In 1966, Kent Street High School was again short of space and used the top three classrooms at Victoria Park Primary School. In 1967, the Manual Training Centre was used by post-primary children from Lathlain Park, pending the construction of a new high school at Kewdale.11 In 1969, there were 313 children enrolled at Victoria Park Primary School and in the following year (1970), Pavilion 3 became vacant and the Parents and Citizens Association used the building for their meetings. In 1980, the building was renovated and became the Pre-Primary Centre. It was relocated to its present position in 1982. (Building D) The Manual Training Centre (Building E) was slightly damaged by fire in 1974. The damage was restricted to the lean-to on the north west corner of the building. Discussions in the Education Department's correspondence files show that the Hall continued to by used, particularly by community groups in the evenings.12 The building was repaired and in 1984 re-located to its current position. In 1985, the Boys toilet (Building F) was extended on the southern side for the use of the Pre-Primary children. In 1991, a new Covered Assembly area was constructed. The building is used for School Assemblies, and various school activities. The position of this new building meant that the tower holding the school bell had to be demolished and rebuilt in its present location. Today, the place continues to be used as a primary school, with students from a broad mix of ethnic groups. (When the school was first established, the majority of the children were of Anglo-Celtic extraction.) The school is used by the community as a polling place during federal, state and local elections.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: High AUTHENTICITY: High

Condition

Good

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Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park

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Statement of Significance

The Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The place is located at a highly visible position at the crest of Broken Hill in Victoria Park, and is considered a significant landmark for those travelling the Albany road, and later Albany Highway, from 1898 to the present day; • The place was originally owned by Alfred George Russell, the second Mayor of Victoria Park, and was designed by the architect, and first Mayor of Victoria Park, Robert Thompson McMaster, and is a rare extant example of his work; and • The place is a fine and substantial example of a Federation Free Classical hotel, representative of the grandiose hotel architecture built in Perth and its immediate suburbs during the gold rush period.

Physical Description

The following information has been extracted from the State Register of Heritage Places Assessment Documentation: Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park (1898) is a predominantly two-storey rendered brick building with a corrugated sheet metal pitched roof and a prominent corner tower. A single-storey drive-through bottle shop (c. 1975, 2005) extends to the rear of the building. The place has a corner location within a busy commercial thoroughfare of the Town of Victoria Park with the building displaying street frontages to both Albany Highway and Harper Street. Located towards the crest of a hill on Albany Highway which makes a gentle deviation to the south near the street intersection, the eponymous Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park has developed an iconic status within the town due to its prominent position and harmonious Federation Free Classical styling, incorporating a landmark tower at the street corner. Commercial development on adjacent sites together with street planting on the verge and median strips now partially obscure Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park from medium range and afar, detracting from some of its landmark status. The original portion of Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park has a square plan form that sits close to the street boundaries and straddles the three lots which comprise the place. The single-storey form of the bottle shop, and some auxiliary facilities which have been appended to the rear elevation extend to the north-east along Harper Street creating an L-shape wing along the south-east boundary. A beer garden occupies the site to the north-west of the building with the paved terrace set below ground floor level of the hotel due to the fall across the site, while the rest of the land is bituminised for uncovered car parking. A free standing toilet block is located in the upper beer garden along the north-east boundary. Further outdoor terraces are located in front of the Albany Highway elevation, to each side of the main entrance which is raised above street level and accessed by a half-flight of stairs. Street planting around the building includes a Eucalypt (sp. unknown) and Plane Tree (Platanus acerifolia) along the Albany Highway verge and a large Hills Fig (Ficus hillii) at the southern corner of the building, close to the street intersection with its dense canopy extending to the face of the building and shielding some views of the landmark corner tower. The principal street elevations were once almost identical around the corner tower comprising rhythmical arcading to both levels of the facades with roof top pediments as well as the tower, creating interest to the skyline. The classical forms of the semi-circular openings and accompanying mouldings are relatively simple and without the effervescent ornamentation of more ebullient Gold Boom architecture. The pattern of the arcading is clearly ordered with wide openings to the recessed balconies in the centre of the facades, and narrower openings to the windows at each end, and at the corner. Modifications made to the Harper Street elevation in the mid-late twentieth century do not conform to this clear ordering and utilise square window and door modules at regular spacings. Solid balustrades to the upper floor balconies and roof top pediments are embellished with split balusters which contribute to the rhythm of the facades while the corner parapets which incorporate an arched opening and triangular pediment, create prominent accents to the skyline. The northern pediment along Albany Highway appears to house a small attic space with a pyramid roof immediately behind intersecting the hipped roof forms. The other pediments around the corner tower are decorative facade features only with open arches, spherical ornaments, scrolled brackets and stucco ornamentation in the gable pediment. Early photographs of the place show these two pediments formerly matched their northern counterpart and the roof originally featured some dormer ventilators. The octagonal corner tower has semi-circular blind openings and is capped with an ogee-shaped dome. It is unclear whether the openings were ever glazed or if the tower offered viewing capability through the arches. Two tall painted brick chimneys, visible above the northern roof plane are capped with triangular mouldings. Immediately below the chimneys a skillion roof extends at a lower pitch over the first floor balcony which is continuous across the full length of the north-west elevation. The balcony has timber posts and simple brackets and a horizontal slat timber balustrade overlooking the beer garden below, and with views back towards Perth city but is not currently accessible to the public. The north-east elevation facing the carpark is utilitarian with a series of small rectangular window openings at high level indicative of bathroom facilities. A secondary entrance to the hotel with a gabled portico has been appended to the ground level of this elevation providing direct access from the rear carpark. Immediately adjacent is the drive-through bottleshop which has a horizontal parapet concealing a low pitched roof and roller doors across the vehicle openings. Archival photographs show the building initially featured face brickwork walls with rendered mouldings accentuating openings. It is unclear when the external wall fabric was rendered, but likely to have occurred around mid-twentieth century. The building currently displays a contrasting paint colour scheme with dark grey applied to the end and corner bays and a light cream finish in the centres.

History

Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park is a two-storey Federation Free Classical style hotel with prominent corner facetted dome tower, which dominates the busy commercial thoroughfare of Albany Highway in Victoria Park. The first land grants in the area know known as Victoria Park were allocated in the same year that the Swan River Colony was established, in 1829, to Henry Camfield, John Butler and Samuel Bickley, who were granted Swan Location 35, Swan Location 36 and Canning Location 2 respectively.1 Development of the area was relatively slow in comparison to other regions at the same distance from the capital, as the area consisted mainly of sand and shrubbery with some isolated pockets of vegetation, which offered practically no attraction to colonist for settlement. However, with the construction of the first Causeway Bridges over Heirisson Islands in 1843, and the mapping of the first overland route connecting Perth with Albany, originally known as King George Sound Road now known as Albany Highway, through Victoria Park in 1853, the area gradually became more appealing for settlers.2 Until the construction the Pinjarra to Perth Railway Line through Victoria Park in May 1893, the area still remained largely ignored as nothing more than the beginnings of the overland route from Perth to Albany. Prior to 1893, there were little more than 20 dwellings in the district, which by 1898 had risen to over 1,000.3 The district’s population was further supplemented by the enormous migration to the State which directly resulted from the discovery of Western Australian Gold in the 1890s and the wealth and immigration this brought. The district of Victoria Park was particularly attractive to new arrivals, as it offered relatively inexpensive land and was in close proximity to Perth city. Due to this growth, Victoria Park Roads Board was gazetted in 1894, and was declared a Municipality in 1897.4 The year 1897 was also when construction began on Victoria Park’s first two hotels, the Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park on the corner of Albany Highway and Harper Street and the original Victoria Park Hotel on the corner of Albany Highway and State Street. Little information exists about the original 1897 Victoria Park Hotel. It was later demolished, and in 1908 a second Victoria Park Hotel was constructed on the same site. Like its predecessor, the 1908 hotel was also demolished and a third, the current Victoria Park Hotel, was completed in 1927.5 In 1897 the land upon which the Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park was about to be constructed was owned by Marion Frances Russell and her husband, Alfred George Russell, the Mayor of Victoria Park from 1898- 1903.6 The land was purchased from Mary Edith Parry, the sister of the famous West Australian architect George Herbert Parry, in 1894, and in 1897 the Russell’s contracted the architect Robert Thompson McMaster, who at that time was the then current, and first, Mayor of Victoria Park, to design and build a hotel on this portion of land. Robert Thompson McMaster, articled under Melbourne architect, Michael Egan for eight years before coming to Western Australia c. 1891. In Perth, McMaster briefly worked for the Public Works Department until 1892-93 when he established his own successful practice, initially in partnership with F.G. Renou although the partnership was short lived. McMaster was responsible for the design of a number of structures in and around Perth, including ‘Tukurua’ at 7 Rosendo Street, Cottesloe (P3454,) Forrest Farmhouse (fmr), 86 Mackie Street, Victoria Park (P3996), United Service Hotel at 43 St Georges Terrace (now demolished), Ozone Hotel at 1 Adelaide Terrace (now demolished, site of P16551 Ozone Reserve), Smith’s Chambers at 149 Barrack Street, and Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park.7 The Ozone Hotel and Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park were some of McMaster’s later works as an architect, as he appears to have had little involvement with the profession after returning from war service in South Africa in 1901 having attained the rank of Captain. He is credited with the design of Central Arcade in 1904 and maintained an office there for a period before the building was demolished in the 1920s for Forrest Place. 8 McMaster Street (previously Hereford Street) in Victoria Park a short distance from Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, is named in his honour, after he was killed in action at Gallipolli on 7th August 1915. The site chosen for the Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park had already proven to be a high traffic area for those travelling along the Perth to Albany road. Its location had previously been the site of the first coach stop along the road route, where a natural spring was located, known as Two Mile Spring, or sometimes Two Mile Well. The natural spring provided water for a horse trough where a few shady trees also stood. Its location was entirely responsible for the bend in the Albany Highway, between McMaster and King George Street, opposite the Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park.9 Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park was completed in 1898, costing the Russell’s £6,000.10 It accommodated public and lounge bars on the ground floor, and provided twenty bedrooms with magnificent views of the city, on the first floor. The hotel quickly became a popular meeting place for local residents, particularly as there was little else in the municipality in the way of entertainment or recreation. In 1905, the Perth Electric Tramway was extended from Perth across the Causeway along Albany Highway, bringing with it unprecedented prosperity to the suburb, a boost to the local population, and an increase in commercial development. The ‘Causeway’ Line terminated at Mackie Street, but was later extended twice, firstly to Patricia Street in 1934 and to Welshpool Road in 1942. By 1907, a tram stop had been established opposite the Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, where 70 trams were stopping daily.11 By the mid-1930s, the hotel had undergone some significant redevelopment with the creation of a corner opening directly under the tower, where windows were previously located. In 1953, W. G. Bennett & Associates designed an upgrade to the hotel’s sanitary facilities, which included the reconfiguration of the first floor bathrooms and the addition of an external toilet block to the North of the site.12 Following the closure and dismantling of the ‘Causeway’ Line in 1950, and the major road building program of the 1970s, which saw the widening and reconstruction of Shepperton Road and realignment of the primary route to Perth’s southern suburbs from the city; the use of Albany Highway through Victoria Park as a major traffic route became significantly reduced. As a consequence, the hotel experienced a reduction in passing trade and lost some of its prominence and visibility, for it was no longer located on a major traffic route. In the latter half of the twentieth century, hotels throughout the State experienced the problem where their accommodation facilities were no longer being used by the passing or local trade, and their upkeep had become uneconomical and expensive. In many cases, like that of Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, this resulted in the closure of accommodation services altogether, while retaining the sale of food and beverages.13 In 1970, to accommodate this change in services, the licensing authority introduced the Tavern Licence, which allowed a place to sell liquor for consumption on and off the licensed premises, and the licensee was not required to provide any accommodation for any person(s).14 Unlike many of its contemporaries, however, Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park did not exchange its Hotel License for a Tavern License, the Hotel still retains its Hotel Licensed today (2012),15 however its suite of bedrooms are utilised for office space rather than accommodation. The hotel underwent several modifications during the last quarter of the twentieth century, beginning with the addition of a bottle shop to the rear of the hotel in c.1975. In 1987 the hotel was refurbished, and in 1992 works were carried out to open up some of the internal passage ways. In 2005 substantial developments were carried out, including the reconfiguration of the ground floor space, the upgrading of the alfresco area, repainting of the exterior and further additions to the rear bottle shops to accommodate drive-through custom. The first floor, however, was unaffected, it retains its main staircase, as well as its original layout and much or its original fabric. In 2012, Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park, despite no longer providing accommodation facilities, it continues to operate as a public house.

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INTEGRITY: High AUTHENTICITY: HIGH

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Good

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Victoria Park Post Office

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Statement of Significance

The Coolgardie Chambers has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • The building prominent corner position contributes to the commercial strip along Albany Highway; • The building is an example of commercial Inter-War architecture within the Town of Victoria Park; and • The building is associated with Edmund Joseph Harrold who constructed the Harrold Chambers with similar architectural detailing and as a pair, the Chambers contribute an important element to the story of development in the Albany Highway shopping precinct.

Physical Description

The following information has been sourced from the Heritage Council of Western Australia Register of Heritage Places Assessment Documentation for the Victoria Park Post Office: Victoria Park Post Office is of Federation Free Style, originally built of red fairfaced brickwork. The original roof was constructed as a gambrel, tiled with terracotta gargoyles and a roof lantern. The roof structure was framed of 'queen-posts' with ventilated gablets. Behind the street frontage, the roof reverted to a standard hip construction with lean-to roofs over the verandahs. The original entrance porch is located on its south west corner with rendered decorations surrounding its arched openings and piers. The main facade to Albany Highway comprised of four bays. The addition in the 1950s extended the facade in a south easterly direction, to form two further bays, including one fenestration and an easternmost porch, built in matching style. The roof was re-configured, the gambrel, gargoyles and lantern were removed. The masonry junction of the addition was concealed by painting the brickwork. The fascia and associated timberwork bear evidence through shrinkage at the mitred union of the original building and its addition. The render patterning continues around the arch openings, the chimneys, and the recesses of the windows with elongated, simulated keystones. The rendered section of the facades feature a recessed joint pattern characteristic of Beasley's work. The wall infill is now of painted render. The windows are broken into three vertical sections. They contain an unusual pattern with their central transom curved to match the arched opening. This central transom is made of a heavier frame section visually strengthening the arched form. The verandah identifying the entrance to the residence was enclosed in 1923, and the roof extended to accommodate post boxes. (Private postal boxes are now also accommodated in the enclosed rear verandah.) The original drawings indicate timber floors, fireplaces without mantles, dado lining, 4m high ceilings, and otherwise traditional construction and finishes. The public area had a desk along the street wall. In 1923, the residence was reduced to a single bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. The front two bedrooms were converted to the postmaster's office and telegraph office. The kitchen was converted to a welfare room containing a stove, sink, bench and separate pantry. The mail room now occupies the living room. In the 1940s, further modifications were carried out including, an extension to the counter, removal of the wall dividing the hall and the mail room, and changes to doors and windows.12 Fence and gate details and the location of an incinerator are detailed on a plan prepared at this time.13 Although, a garage, fences and other outbuildings are shown to the south east of the main building, no alteration to the Albany Road elevation is indicated at this stage. By the mid 1950s, the interior was divided into the public area with the mail room behind, allowing direct access to the service rooms and private post boxes at the rear. The building extension created a new office for the postmaster located behind the new entrance porch, and extended the general office and public space. The welfare room was converted to staff toilets, and a new doorway created to directly link the mail hall, and the remaining bedroom converted to a lunch room. The public space is generally intact with the exception of the installation of a sub-ceiling, modern lighting and air handling facilities. The original fireplace has been removed, but a portion is visible at the cornice. The walls to the original hall of the residence, have been removed, but their location is evident by beams below the ceiling. The fireplaces remain, a small safe has been installed into one of them, and the others have had their openings sealed. The ceilings, walls, joinery, floors (linoleum covered), and verandah linings are otherwise intact. Some evidence of termite infestation, from 1994, is present near the mail room fireplace. The two arch windows on the Duncan Street facade have been replaced with a curved profile in clear anodised aluminium sections which mimics the original. All other windows are, or match those depicted in the original documents

History

The following information is based on the assessment report on the Victoria Park Post Office by David Kelsall, 1994. Victoria Park Post Office at the corner of Albany Highway and Duncan Streets is a single storey building constructed in 1913. In 1834, the first regular mail service between settlements in the colony was established, and included a weekly service to Canning and Pinjarra. Until the turn-of-the-century all incoming mail to the Colony was delivered to Albany. The mail was then transferred to Perth by road, which took two horses six and a half days. The first subdivision of residential lots in Victoria Park began in 1887. The opening of a railway station in 1893, encouraged settlement and Victoria Park underwent a development boom. The gazettal of the municipality of Victoria Park, in 1897, brought with it various amenities previously unavailable, including, the delivery of mail.1 Victoria Park evolved as ribbon development flanking a main road to the town of Albany since the inception of the Colony. The establishment of the tram route reinforced residential and commercial development to its terminus at the southern end of the suburb. The demise of trams did not diminish the commercial importance of the centre or Albany Highway. In 1898, a post office established in Victoria Park as a post and telegraph office. Post and telegraph business in Victoria Park was conducted at least in 1902, by a Postmistress from a six roomed 'wood and iron house' leased by the Deputy Postmaster General from the owner, Mr G Fairbrother.2 In 1904, it was designated an allowance office, which became semi-official in 1907. In 1911, it was again designated an allowance office, and an official post office in 1912.3 The Commonwealth acquired Lot 114 from the holding in July, 1913.4 A new title was registered and reissued in metric dimensions on 15 August, 1983.5 The street to the north west is now shown as Duncan Street, Albany Road as Albany Highway, and the owner as Australian Postal Commission. A building contract for the tender sum of £1711/14, was let to W. N. Roberts on 9 January 1913.6 The drawing, No. 16003, is signed by Hillson Beasley, Chief Architect for the Western Australian Public Works Department (PWD).7 The plan on the drawing is noted as having been amended in January prior to the letting of the contract. A further note near the title of the drawing is marked 'corrected 24-2-20'. Victoria Park Post Office was built with an attached residence at the rear which provided three bedrooms. The residence was considered at the time to be modest in comparison with accommodation provided in some earlier post offices, for example, Brisbane Street Post Office.8 In 1923, the residential function of the post office ceased and the spaces re-assigned to an additional mail room and offices. Alterations, to the sum of £76/05, were made to the interior, including the removal of an externally accessed telephone cabinet.9 The building had previously allowed generous provision for postal activity, suggesting it was to be a busy office from its conception. In the 1940s, the building underwent minor alterations. The addition is believed to have been built in the mid 1950s.10 An Australia Post drawing dated 1979, depicts the present layout of the post office with its addition to the south east corner of the building of public and office space, postmaster's office and entrance porch. The commercial nature of Albany Highway has endured, and Victoria Park Post Office continues to be used as a Post Office

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INTEGRITY: Medium AUTHENTICITY: Medium

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Good

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Victoria Park Police Station

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Statement of Significance

Victoria Park Police Station, a single-storey Federation Free Style brick building with a corrugated iron roof, has aesthetic, historic and social cultural heritage significance. The place displays a striking aesthetic character through the concentration of contrasting stylistic features in the domestic scale of the building. It has been a familiar local landmark on the main thoroughfare through Victoria Park since 1908 and contributes to the local community's sense of place. The Police Station demonstrates the civic architecture of the Public Works Department and the development of the Federation Free Style under the guidance of the Chief Architect Hillson Beasley. It was entered on the permanent Register of Heritage Places by the Heritage Council of WA in 1998.

Physical Description

Victoria Park Police Station is a single-storey brick building with a corrugated iron roof, constructed in Federation Free Style with a 'blood and bandages' finish. Built in 1908 to a standard design and located close to the building line along Albany Highway. A small grass verge separates the front of the police station from the footpath with a low brick wall enclosing the area in front of the north verandah. A bituminised driveway is situated along the south boundary and car yards are located on each side of the station. The site extends through to Lichfield Street where another police building, constructed in the latter half of the twentieth century is situated. Public dealings with the police are directed through the Lichfield Street office. The front facade of the Victoria Park Police station is asymmetrical and heavily modelled. Distinct expressions have been adopted to differentiate the former private and public entrances to the building but continuity in the composition is lent by the use of contrasting stucco bands in the 'blood and bandages' style across the front facade. The two entrance verandahs on either side of the south-west elevation are set back from a prominent central bay. The northern verandah provided public access to the police station while the opposing verandah to the south contained the entrance to the police residence. The broad opening of the public entrance is defined by wide, striated, brick columns supporting a castellated parapet forming an L-shape around the verandah edge. A low-pitched, corrugated iron roof is obscured from view behind the parapet. The middle portion of the front facade is dominated by a gable roof with a half timbered effect in the infill. A central window opening with elaborately moulded surrounds punctuates the wall below. The southern verandah is divided into three bays, by similarly striated, brick columns with a crow stepped gable, smaller in scale than the main gable, over the middle bay. The remaining roof is composed of a series of corrugated iron hipped forms with brick chimneys rising above. The original drawings feature decorative finials at the intersections of the roof forms but these are no longer evident. The brickwork behind the front facade of Victoria Park Police Station is less ornamental and constructed in fair face, stretcher bond. Arched, brick lintels feature above the original window and door openings. External security screens have been fitted to the timber sash windows. When first constructed the offices of the police station were situated on the north side of the building and comprised a charge room, two cells and an exercise yard. The residential section consisted of a central passage giving access to bedrooms and a sitting room at the front of the building, and a kitchen and another bedroom at the rear. A bathroom was accessed via the rear verandah. This original layout is clearly discernible although the building no longer fulfils a residential function and former bedrooms have become office accommodation. Many of the original features and finished are still evident and characteristic of domestic construction. These include the timber surrounds to fireplaces, picture rails, and door and window architraves. Of particular interest is the timber panelled ceiling in the former cell area which displays the original room divisions and features two round metal ventilators. The external wall in the cell area is thicker than the remaining external walls, presumably for added security. It is unclear when the cells were converted to an office. The exercise yard had been transformed into office accommodation in 1939. By 1971, drawings prepared by the Public Works Department for additions to Victoria Park Police Station no longer show the cell divisions, while the two high level windows had been replaced with a central opening. The office behind, in the former exercise yard, had become toilets and storage. The residential accommodation had been removed and the public were received through french doors opening onto the south verandah. An additional office with a concrete floor was located at the east corner of the building. This addition was extended in 1975 to provide a female toilet and the former bathroom became a cell with a grille gate. Since then, an interview room has been located in one of the former bedrooms accessed from the passage and also with an external door from the rear verandah. An acoustic ceiling has been installed and audio recording equipment enclosed in a plasterboard closet. A brick wall screened the north verandah, obscuring the former public entrance to the station, but this was removed in 1994. The building is in good condition. Maintenance requirements are reviewed periodically and awarded priority by the Department of Contract and Management Services.

History

In 1829, the Metropolitan Police Act was passed in Britain. Prior to that, civil order was generally kept by the military, so when James Stirling arrived in the Swan River Colony in June 1829, he brought a detachment from the 63rd Regiment to carry out duties of discipline and protection. It was not until March 1831 that Stirling appointed a Coroner, Justices of the Peace, and Constables to administer law and justice. As a settlement grew large enough to be called a town, a Constable was appointed to it. By 1840, Perth had a full-time paid Constable who also acted as Bailiff. A regulated Police Force was established in 1849, prior to the arrival of the first convicts, but it was not until March 1853, that a superintendent was appointed to administer the entire Force. Police in the town operated on foot, while those in the country used horses, sometimes camels, to cover their allotted area. Although bicycles were introduced in 1897, many Constables still patrolled on foot. Those with a regular beat were easily avoided by people breaking the law. The suburb of Victoria Park is two miles from Perth City, on the south side of the Swan River. As early as 1840, a bridge and causeway were under construction across the river and the Heirisson Island flats, between Perth and Victoria Park. From the Causeway, the road went through to Albany. This road was improved by convict labour after 1850, and coaches travelled it to transport mail and passengers between Albany and Perth. In 1886, there were about 20 houses in Victoria Park. Settlement was isolated around the coaching stop at the site of a natural spring near what is now the comer of Albany Highway and Harper Street. A well and a horse trough were built on the spring. Victoria Park was declared a Roads Board District in 1894, and the first church was built in 1896. In 1899, a horse-drawn bus ran from Perth GPO to Victoria Park, and in June that year, the foundation stone of the Victoria Park Town Hall was laid. It was the advent of the tramway from Perth in 1905, that signalled the dramatic development of the area. From a population of 1800 in 1909, Victoria Park had 5000 residents by 1917. The first police presence was established in Victoria Park on 1 November 1897, in rented premises. The growth in population after the opening of the tramway meant that a permanent police station was eventually required. On 1 January 1908, the Acting Commissioner of Police, WC Lawrence, advised the Under Secretary of Works that provision had been made for a Police Station and quarters at Victoria Park in the current year's estimates. The plans of recently erected police station at North Perth and the Causeway were to be used. In February, the plans were altered to allow a doorway between the fireplace and charge room while the arrangement of the cells, kitchen, pantry and bathroom were to remain the same. As the layout of Victoria Park Police Station does not resemble the layout of North Perth Police Station, it is assumed that the plans used must have been those for the station at the Causeway. The contract to build Victoria Park Police Station was won by JG Fettes with a price of £961.1.0, which included the construction of stables. Constable William Lewis was the first to occupy the quarters. The Victoria Park Council, and other interested bodies, appear to have been dissatisfied with the level of police protection in the area. In May 1921, the Town Clerk complained that while one officer was on duty at the station, the other was required to patrol Victoria Park, Welshpool, Cannington, part of Jandakot, Queen's Park, Wattle Grove, Kenwick and Maddington. On 4 August 1925, a deputation from the Victoria Park Progress Association visited the Minister for Police complaining about the lack of night patrol. The Commissioner of Police received another deputation from the Women's Service Guild on 25 July, 1926, also concerned with the lack of protection. In the first nine months of 1926, there were 77 crimes in a population of 27,000 which included Belmont and Rivervale, but it was not until 1930 that the District got a night-time motor cycle patrol. That year, staff numbers at Victoria Park Police Station were increased from five to seven in 1930, and by 1935, there were nine staff members, made up of one sergeant, six constables and two detectives. Commissioner Hunter did not consider additional staff warranted at the time, as the Causeway, South Perth and Rivervale Police Stations were adjacent, and Central only 'a stone's throw away'. By 1948 there were 11 staff consisting of one sergeant, seven constables (one full time on the Police Boy's Club), one mounted constable, one detective sergeant and one detective. In December 1939, Victoria Park Police Station was reported as being grubby and shabby, and 'the fences were in a state of collapse'. At some point, the former exercise yard was converted to an office, and on 27 July 1943 it was requested that the concrete floor be boarded over as the room was 'like an ice chamber' in winter and the stove did not keep the office warm. The accommodation for the Officer in Charge was considered far from ideal by Sergeant Henry Tempest Davies, who was in charge of Victoria Park Police Station from 1948 to 1959. On 14 January 1949, he requested that the doorway between the police office and the bedroom of the quarters be bricked up as he and his wife were awakened at all hours of the night when the CIB brought in prisoners for questioning. The doorway was blocked with timber. In 1957, a new police station was built on Lichfield Street, just around the corner from Victoria Park Police Station, making one large Police Department site. Public access moved to the new building, and Victoria Park Police Station was used as offices. It is not known exactly when the living quarters ceased to be used as such. A 1985 report on Victoria Park Police Station by the Officer in Charge noted that: although reasonably well maintained by the Public Works Department, the layout of the premises leaves a lot to be desired and is identifiedfor re-organisation as soon as funds permit. Currently, Victoria Park Police Station operates as a suburban traffic office. In May 1994 the Victoria Park Historical Society removed a wall which had been added between two of the porch pillars during some previous renovation work. It was also reported that the bronze figures giving the date of construction of Victoria Park Police Station were missing from above the entrance arch.

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INTEGRITY: Good

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Good

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St Peter's Anglican Church & Memorial Hall

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Statement of Significance

The Anglican Church of St Peter's, Victoria Park has considerable aesthetic, historic, social and rarity value. Constructed in 1935 in Inter-War Romanesque style on the highest point in the district, (30 m. above sea level), St Peter's is an imposing landmark from many parts of Victoria Park. It is the central focus of the Anglican presence in the district. The first church, the timber Church of Transfiguration was erected in 1895. Together, these churches have served the Anglican Parishioners in the district for over 100 years.

Physical Description

Constructed in 1935, the Church is an Inter-War Romanesque style building of painted cement render with an orange terracotta Marseille tile roof. It is a fine example of this style. The church occupies a prominent position on top of a hill and can be seen from surrounding areas. The massing consists of strong, clearly expressed shapes, with wall areas more dominant than window areas. The front facade has an arcaded entry and the front gable has a central circular window with a decorative projecting parapet. The same decoration also occurs between the buttresses to the side walls. The windows are round arched openings. For an expanded description, refer to St Peter's, Victoria Park Commemorative Booklet, p.3-5.

History

The earliest Anglican Church on the south side of the Swan River was the Church of the Transfiguration in Harvey Street, Victoria Park, dedicated on 1 August 1896. In 1922 land was purchased along Albany Highway and Leonard Street by the Church. Plans for a new Church were supported by numerous fund raising activities to augment the Building Fund. The timber Church was moved from Harvey Street to the Leonard Street site, and a timber Rectory was built alongside. The Church building served as the Church until the present St Peter's was built. It was then used as a Sunday School, and as a Church Hall until the Memorial Hall was built in 1953/54. It took many years, much fiindraising and various financial schemes before the financial resources were available to begin building the Church. The Church was designed by architects Herbert Parry and Marshall Clifton. It was built by Mr Thoroughgood. The foundation stone was laid on 3 March 1935. On June 23rd 1935, St Peter's Church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Perth, Dr Le Farm. The timber building continued to serve as a Hall until a new brick building was constructed in 1953/54 (designed by H Dawkins). The old Hall/Church was dismantled and rebuilt behind the Rectory. It continued to be used until it became dilapidated and was demolished in November, 1968. A fire in December 1992 destroyed a section of St Peter's. Neighbouring Parishes rallied to assist with the repairs which were completed in 6 weeks. The Anglican Church in Victoria Park, or south of the river has been serving their parishioners for over a hundred years.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: Excellent

Condition

Very Good

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