Residential Building (Convent of Sisters of Mercy)

Statement of Significance

134 Nicholson Road, Subiaco is of cultural heritage significance: • As one of several private hospitals established in Subiaco in the period c.1910 to 1940, illustrating the importance of the relatively central location, ‘healthy’ environment and proximity to public transport that the suburb offered. • As a relatively rare example of a purpose-built, private, maternity hospital dating from the early twentieth century; • For the manner in which it helps to illustrate the development of private maternity hospitals in Subiaco (and more broadly in Perth) – particularly when considered in association with Nurse Lloyds Maternity Hospital (former) and Kensington Private Maternity Hospital (former). This includes the manner in which the place helps to illustrate the transition from home births and small lying in facilities (typically provided as a room in the home of a mid-wife) to a more professional level of care; • For the manner in which the domestic style of the place provided a simple, home-like environment for its clients. • For its direct historical associations with a number of local women who established themselves in business as the owners and/or managers of a private hospital in an era when nursing was one of the relatively few ‘respectable’ professions commonly available to women. This includes Alice Cairnes, Bessie McCallum, Sarah Thornton, Amy Seaborn and Mary Ellen Smith. • For its social significance for the families of those who were born at 134 Nicholson Road in the period 1917 to 1932. • For the social and historical significance for the local Catholic community of its use as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy (having been used for this purpose for approximately 77 years, as at 2014). This includes the relationship of the place with the former St Aloysius' School in Henry Street, Shenton Park (until the closure of that school in 1972). The above points all relate to the historic, cultural and scientific values of the place. Its design forms part of these values, but it is not considered to have any other, significant, aesthetic values.

Physical Description

134 Nicholson Road was constructed as a private maternity hospital and, like other places of this type at that time, it had a domestic scale and style. The detailing is relatively restrained, but there are some decorative elements that are loosely derived from the Federation Queen Anne style. Key elements include: • Symmetrical plan. • Face brick walls, now painted cream. In the original design, the main (southern) façade featured two contrasting rendered stringcourses – one at window sill height and the other intersecting the windows about ¾ the way up the sides and then rising up to frame the head of each opening. Both of these have now been painted cream to match the brickwork. • Gable roof clad with dark grey tiles (replacing the original corrugated iron roof sheeting). • Wide gable end to the main façade. The gable end has a roughcast rendered face with decorative timber battens. At the centre of the gable there is a wide louvered gable vent, with the louvers set in two vertically proportioned panels. At the apex there is a simple timber cross. • Three tall chimneys towards the rear of the building, each with a simple projecting cornice over a roughcast rendered panel. These are painted cream, but the detailing suggests that the main part of the each chimney would have been finished with face brickwork. • Wide verandahs running across the main façade and returning along each side. These have plain square posts and simply carved, inverted ‘L’ shaped brackets. Between the posts there is a diagonal lattice balustrade set under a timber handrail. Along the western side, and returning partway along the southern side, additional shade has been provided by a raked corrugated metal awning, which is framed off the verandah posts. • Main entrance asymmetrically located along the western verandah. • Two pairs of double hung windows to the main façade. Each of these openings has a simple segmental arch to the head and a plain raked sill. The front yard is enclosed by a high, painted brick wall. On the eastern side of the lot there is a concrete paved driveway, leading to a flat roof carport that abuts the eastern verandah. Near the western boundary there is a pedestrian gate with a brick-paved path leading to the entry steps, which are set half-way along the western verandah. The remainder of the front and side yard is laid out with lawn, shrubs and flower beds. The surrounding streetscape is dominated by housing dating from c.1908 to 1925, but there has also been some mid-late twentieth century residential re-development (including the adjacent house at #142).

History

By September 1915 Mrs Alice Duncan Cairnes (widow) had established a small private maternity hospital in her home at 128 Nicholson Road. Eighteen months later, in March 1917, she joined forces with another nurse, Miss Elizabeth (Bessie) McCallum, and purchased Lots 98 and 99 of Plan 2542 (134 Nicholson Road) with the intention of developing a purpose built maternity hospital. In December of that year they advertised their new premises as follows: TO meet growing requirements, Nurses Cairnes and McCallum have moved to premises specially built for the reception of ladies. Private rooms, care, and cleanliness. Shiloh Maternity Hospital, Nicholson-rd., Subiaco. Tel. 2733. The available evidence suggests that this was the second purpose-built, private maternity home in Subiaco – following the premises built and opened by Minnie Lloyd in Coolgardie Street in 1909. The hospital appears to have been well patronized, with numerous family notices referring to births at Shiloh and/or 134 Nicholson Road over the next few years. By the end of 1925 Nurses Cairnes and McCallum were both in their 60s and this may have influenced their decision to hand management of the hospital over to another experienced midwife (although they did not relinquish ownership). After this they both returned to live at 128 Nicholson Road where Bessie McCallum died in 1941 (aged 81 years) and where Alice Cairns remained until shortly before her death in 1950 (aged 85 years). In January 1925 management of the hospital was taken over by Nurse Thornton: NURSE THORNTON wishes to notify ladies that she has removed to Shiloh, 134 Nicholson-rd., Subiaco, where she offers Superior Accommodation at moderate fees. and NURSE THORNTON'S PRIVATE HOSPITAL, “Shiloh," 134 Nicholson-rd.. Subiaco. Superior Accommodation, private rooms for each patient. Terms moderate. 'Phone 2733 (Aug 1925) Sarah Matilda Thornton (widow) had established Nurse Thornton’s Private Hospital in a villa residence at 59 Hamersley Road, Subiaco, in 1921. Curiously she retained ownership of that property, which continued under the management other nurses, when she moved to Shiloh. Two years later, at the beginning of 1927, there was another change of management: MISS A. SEABORN (late of the late Miss Philips' Hospital) begs to announce that she has opened a PRIVATE HOSPITAL (Midwifery and General) at Shiloh, 134 Nicholson-road. SUBIACO The place was subsequently referred to as St Vincent Private Hospital, under the management of Nurses Amy Seaborn and Mary Ellen Smith. They continued to manage the place until the end of 1932, at which time its use as a hospital came to an end, with advertisements being placed for the sale of beds, an operating table, bassinets and commodes. In January 1933 advertisements began to appear for rooms to let, indicating that 134 Nicholson Road had been adapted as flats (a common use for large residences in Subiaco at that time): To Let, Up-to-Date Self-Contained Flats, of 3 large rooms, spacious verandahs, handy to tram, Perth-Fremantle 'bus passes door, plenty of car space; 27/6 per week, light included. Apply 134 Nicholson-road, Subiaco. During this period the Post Office Directories listed the place as “Homeleigh Flats”. Mary Ellen Smith and Amy Seaborn continued to live here for a few years, but Nurse Seaborn had moved on to establish a new maternity home in Victoria Park by 1936. In 1935 Alice Cairnes became the sole owner of the property and two years later, in June 1937, it was advertised for sale: EMINENTLY SUITABLE FOR PRIVATE HOSPITAL OR FLATS SITUATED 134 NICHOLSON-ROAD, SUBIACO. A. N. GEERE and NEWNHAM, in conjunction with Messrs. MONTGOMERY, ANDERSON and CO, have been instructed to SELL: Portions of Perth Suburban Lot 273 and being lots 98 and 99 on Plan 2542, the whole of the land in Vol 1045 Fol 869, having a frontage to Nicholson-road of 121.2 links (80ft.), by a depth of 212.8 links (140ft.) to r.o.w. The IMPROVEMENTS consist of an exceptionally well constructed Brick Residence with iron roof, comprising 10 rooms, 2 bathrooms, pantry, kitchen, kitchenette, large enclosed sleep-out, laundry, spacious verandahs on three sides, gas, electric light, etc. Sewered. The property is in good order and condition. The new owners were the Sisters of Mercy. Some of these teaching Sisters had been serving at the nearby St Aloysius' School in Henry Street, Rosalie, since c.1912, travelling each day from Victoria Square, Perth. In c.1937 they adapted 134 Nicholson Roads as a convent, and the place has continued to be used for this purpose until the present day (although the relationship with the St Aloysius' School ended when it closed in 1972). At some time during this period the original corrugated iron roof was replaced with dark grey tiles.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - Moderate: The place is not used for its original purpose (as a private hospital) but has now been used as a convent for approximately 77 years. Authenticity - Moderate: The original external appearance of the building has been altered by the painting of the face brickwork, replacement of the corrugated roof with dark grey tiles, addition of a metal awning along the western verandah, and replacement of the front fence with a high brick wall. Rarity/Representativeness - It has not been determined how many purpose-built maternity homes were constructed in the Perth metropolitan area in the early twentieth century. However the readily available evidence suggests that 134 Nicholson Road is one of a relatively small number of such places dating from the 1910s. 134 Nicholson Road can also be considered as part of an important collection of this type of place in Subiaco, in association with Nurse Lloyds Maternity Hospital (former) (established at 23 Coolgardie Street in 1909) and Kensington Private Maternity Hospital (former) (established at 91 Hensman Road in 1936-37). Unlike many places of this type these maternity hospitals were all purpose built, rather than being adapted from a large villa residence.

Condition

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be in a good condition.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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