Bayswater Town Centre

Statement of Significance

The Bayswater Town Centre an area located on King William Street between Halliday Park to the north, Bert Wright Park to the south and extending along Whatley Crescent; east to Hamilton Street and west to the property at 91 Whatley Crescent have the following values. Aesthetic Value • As an aesthetically pleasing and cohesive streetscape with a strong identifiable character that is largely consistent in form and scale. • For its collection of good examples of commercial premises that collectively illustrate Federation, Inter War and Post World War Two style and detail. Historic Value • As a good representative collection of buildings that illustrate the scale and form of commercial premises in the 20th century, which often included residential premises. • For the evidence it provides about the evolution of the town centre and district in key periods. • For its demonstration of the changing methods of retailing from the small corner shops within walking distance of most homes to the provision of more specialist stores. • For its association with some key individuals who helped to establish and shape the community. Social Value • The town centre is valued by the community for the ongoing provision of commercial services since the early 20th century. Representativeness • As a good representative collection of early to mid 20th century commercial premises that developed within walking distance of transport. Physical Form in the Public Realm • The commercial premises, which (with the exception of some later developments) were predominantly developed in the period from 1900 to the 1930s and have retained there external form and most of the detail above the ground level façade. The defined period and nature of development has resulted in a consistent scale and form which is enlivened by a diversity of individual details in a cohesive streetscape.

Physical Description

Bayswater Town Centre is predominantly located along King William Street, immediately to the SE of Whatley Crescent and Whatley Crescent, immediately east and west of the intersection with King William Street. Additional pockets of town centre character can also be found on Railway Parade and Beechboro Road on the northern side of the railway. Although the commercial premises along King William Street have been altered to varying degrees, sufficient original fabric and detailing remains extant to create a coherent commercial character along this section of the street. The commercial premises were predominantly constructed in the mid-Federation era and display a range of classical detailing. The mix of single and double storey massing creates an undulating roof and streetscape that successfully sits comfortably together. The majority of the premises incorporate parapet walls which adds a further dynamic to the streetscape. Most of the shops benefit from a nil-setback, built directly onto the pavement which further enhances the sense of uniformity of the town centre. This has been interrupted at no. 3 King William Street where the frontage is setback but the difference is somewhat ameliorated by the verandah. The main interruption to the continuity of the built form is found at nos. 5-9 King William Street where the redevelopment of two early houses for commercial development has retained the original setback of the residential premises (nos. 5 and 7) (traditionally behind gardens but now behind parking areas) whilst no. 9 is an extant Federation bungalow with retained front garden space which no. 11 has expanded into using it as an alfresco space for the café. Nos.11-15 King William Street follow the commercial nil-setback form before the increased residential setback continues from no. 17 and beyond. The shops at nos. 4-10 King William Street on the south western side of the road have a continuous commercial nil- setback creating a strong coherent group. The former Post Office building at no. 14 does have a setback from the pavement, with small area of garden to the street frontage. The building is also sited in an elevated position. However, due to the break in development caused by Murray Street, the interruption to the continual built form created by nos. 4-10 King William Street is not detrimental to the overall streetscape qualities. The commercial premises on Whatley Crescent are similar in form to their counterparts on King William Street. To the west of the intersection, the commercial premises at nos. 89-91 Whatley Crescent are single storey units with traditional post-WWII art deco inspired parapet facades, stepped in height taking into account the gradual incline of the road. The corner unit is a prominent wide fronted building with distinctive curve to the façade making a landmark feature of the road. Changes have occurred but the group generally present as a coherent and intact built form. The shops continue to the east of the junction with King William Street and on this section of Whatley Crescent present in two groups, separated by a laneway. Alteration and/or redevelopment has occurred at some premises but a sense of coherency has been retained through the built form. The nil-setback, the parapet form of the original facades and boxed awnings create a sense of continuity and commercial character. There is slightly more variation in the architectural expression of the units but majority date from the inter-war period and present with variations of the inter-war stripped classical architectural form. Development is only on the south western side of Whatley Crescent due to the railway track but in this instance, the built form is complemented by a softer green edge along the railway line. A number of the properties within this area of Bayswater are included on the LHI on an individual basis, celebrated for their retained detailing and form. However as a group the aesthetic, social and historic values are enhanced as a coherent group of early town centre commercial developments. Although King William Street is a wide thoroughfare, there is a sense of enclosure due to the commercial development being on both sides of the street, the current height of the buildings allows light into the street and views in all directions are enhanced by an abundance of greenery providing a contrast between the harder built form of the commercial development and softer green landscaping of the neighbouring residential developments. Due to the presence of the railway line, the town centre is fractured and the developments north of the line take on a different character, not immediately related to the King William Street/Whatley Crescent character. There is a distinct curve in the road layout where Railway Parade branches off to the east and Beechboro Road south extends to the north. The commercial character is also broken at this intersection with the Bayswater Hotel being south of Drake Street, overlooking the railway line on Railway Parade and the shops being north of Drake Street, fronting Beechboro Road. The commercial character of Beechboro Road is contained to the western side of the road with residential development along the east. There is no development opposite the Bayswater Hotel due to the train line. Whilst the commercial premises along Beechboro Road are not of historic value, they have contributed to the commercial nature of the Bayswater town centre but do not contribute to the architectural character of the King William Street/Whatley Crescent area.

History

The Bayswater town centre largely reflects two key periods of development. In the late 1890s, development of the town centre followed the subdivision of land along the railway line and the establishment of the school (1894), railway station (1896) and post office (1898). These services demonstrated the government commitment to the community. Initially the shop premises were rudimentary corrugated iron or timber buildings however larger more elaborate buildings were constructed in the late 1900s as the community became more established. McLeish's store built in 1906 was the last building of substance to be constructed of corrugated iron. The construction of the subway in 1910 added another feature to the layout of the area, and over the next two decades, shops spread along the railway line, to the east of King William Street. During the Inter War years the town underwent modest development and often the earlier buildings were adapted or extended to accommodate new uses. On Whatley Crescent several new premises were built during the 1920s and some retain elements of this period of original construction. In the period following World War Two, the significant population growth led to a demand for new services and facilities. The group of shops on the corner of Whatley Crescent and King William Street (89-91 Whatley) reflect the style of the period and originally a bank was located within the largest of these tenancies. The railway line has always divided the town centre and finally the focus of the town centre gravitated to the south of the railway line. The Bayswater Hotel is the only commercial premises on the north side of the railway line from the earliest period of development. The town centre originally had residences at 5, 7 and 9 King William Street of which only one (9) remains. The set backs of the buildings constructed c1970 are consistent with the earlier buildings although the building style reflects the date of construction.

Integrity/Authenticity

High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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