Brady Plaster Works

Statement of Significance

This place is representative of post war industrialisation within Bayswater.

Physical Description

Two storey brick administration and sales offices to Railway Parade with several large industrial steel frame buildings behind, clad in either corrugated metal or fibre cement sheeting and with large single span, flat pitch gable roofs. Daylighting to these factory buildings is predominantly by means of a continuous band of corrugated plastic sheeting around the building just below the eaves line. The brick building at the front, which is slightly angled to follow the curve of the road, has a large central open bay with doors off to the sales offices and large roller doors giving access to the main factory building behind.

Examples of the larger plaster ceiling roses and other mouldings produced by the company are displayed as a feature on the walls above the doors and a glazed partition around the bay. Iron bar gates to this bay permit the whole area to be closed off when necessary. The ground floor offices have double and triple wooden sash windows along the front wall facing the main road. The full length of the upper floor of this structure is faced with a continuous band of glass walling set in aluminium frames and the building is crowned with a pre-cast concrete strip fascia concealing the flat roof behind. The name of the company is prominently featured in large cement letters applied to the fascia. There is also a large company name sign on the roof ridge of the main factory building behind.

History

The firm of BRADY has a long association with the district, as H B Brady originally set up his modern paper mill in Guildford Road in the late 1930s. This property was sold before the plasterworks on the northern side of the railway were developed. The plasterworks were originally established in West Perth just after the Great War but the company relocated to Bayswater in 1951, making it among the first large post war industrial developments to be set up in the district.

The firm was responsible for moulding and producing the elaborate ceilings for many of the picture theatres constructed in the late 1930s, as well as for London Court and of course the many private homes with moulded ceilings. The master moulder during this period was a member of the Emberson family, then resident in Bayswater. Brady's has since consolidated its operation at the Bayswater site and the firm now specialises in large contracts rather than the domestic market.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High
Authenticity - High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Last Update

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