Vera Buckingham's House and Shop

Statement of Significance

The residence is an attractive brick and iron building that is characterised by its asymmetrical form, its bull-nosed verandah, and original door and window openings. The attached shop, although utilitarian in appearance, complements the scale and appearance of the residence and contributes to the aesthetic qualities of the place. The place is a distinctive brick and iron residence with attached shop and, combined with its prominent pine trees, forms a distinctive landmark along Brookton Highway. The place is associated with local business owners, Ron and Vera Buckingham, who, along with their children, operated a tearoom and then a shop from the premises that serviced the nearby migrant camps and surrounding district for over 20 years. The place is associated with the migrant camps that were established by the Metropolitan Water Supply in the Kelmscott district during the late1940s.

Physical Description

The place comprises a single-storey brick and iron residence and attached shop, constructed with decorative concrete blocks and an iron roof. The building is set back from Brookton Highway, on Armstrong Road, in a garden setting that includes two prominent pine trees to the north of the residence, and a number of other trees including Flame trees and conifers. The residence (c.1900) has an asymmetrical form, characterised by a projecting gable bay –– to which the shop has been attached –– a hipped roof clad with red-painted corrugated iron, and a matching bull- nosed verandah across two elevations. The verandah has a concrete floor and timber posts, some featuring ornate timber brackets, and the northern corner of the verandah is enclosed with fibro cladding. The walls to the house are painted brick, with evidence of warm-coloured face brick above the line of the verandah roof. The residence has vertically-proportioned timber-framed windows with decorative rendered architraves, and a timber-framed and panelled front door with glazed sidelights and fanlight. The shop (c.1930s) is attached to the southeast portion of the residence and comprises a rectangular plan building that projects forward of the residence and a gabled wing that extends southwards. The main shop is parapeted and features a cantilevered awning overhanging the shopfront. There are two large timber-framed windows either side of a pair of double doors to the shopfront, and a row of large openings (now infilled) along the gabled wing. The walls of the shop are painted the same cream colour as the residence, and the corrugated iron roof is also painted matching red.

History

The residence, originally known as ‘‘Clover’’, was constructed ca. 1900 for William Buckingham and later occupied by his son and daughter-in-law, Ron and Vera Buckingham. In the late 1940s when the migrant camp was built nearby, Ron and Vera Buckingham were approached by the Metropolitan Water Supply and asked to set up a general store to cater for the migrants. At first they tried to operate out of the tearooms that they had been running (constructed c.1930), but the building was inadequate so Ron, with the help of his cousin Arnold Williams, converted the building into a shop (1950) using bricks that Ron had made. The Buckingham children, Jean, Faye and Maurice, assisted with the running of the shop, and helped their parents service the migrant camps and surrounding district. The shop closed in 1958 when Faye quit working full-time and got married. (Source: Kelmscott Migrant History Group)

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate-High High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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