House

Parent Place or Precinct

27310 Park Street Heritage Area

Statement of Significance

The place has cultural heritage significance: • As a good representative example of the many 4-5 room brick homes which were built in Subiaco during the early twentieth century to meet the needs and aspirations of middle-class residents such as public servants, senior office workers, small business owners, skilled tradesmen and single/widowed women of private means. • As a good representative example of the application of materials and detailing which were derived from the Federation Queen Anne style, but which were applied in a more restrained manner that suited the budgets and expectations of the middle classes in Subiaco during the early twentieth century. • For its aesthetic contribution to a largely intact group of early twentieth century houses, particularly the adjacent similar property at 175 Barker Road. • For its association with the rapid development of Subiaco in the early 20th century and the small scale development by local builders of many residential properties. For information on the significance of the Park Street Heritage Area refer to the Local Planning Policy for the Heritage Area.

Physical Description

Architectural style Typical of many modest but well built 2-3 bedroom suburban houses of the early twentieth century, 173 Barker Road incorporated some elements of the Federation Queen Anne style. It was designed to a scale and form generally considered suitable for occupiers such as office workers, retail employees and both skilled and unskilled tradesmen. 173 and 175 Barker Road were designed as a very similar pair and, between them, they provide considerable evidence regarding original detailing. Plan form at the street frontage • Asymmetrical facade. This features a shallow rectangular window bay to the front wall and a short set back to the entry area on the western side of the main façade. Roof form and materials • Hipped-gabled roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting (Colorbond or similar). • Verge gable over the front window bay, finished with roughcast render, 2 vertical timber battens and a timber finial. • Battened eaves and decorative eaves brackets. • Rendered chimneys with a pattern of recessed panels to the caps and slender chimney pots. • Raked verandah roof (possibly originally bull-nosed as seen at 175 Barker Road) Wall materials and finishes to the main facade • Tuck-pointed brick walls laid in Flemish bond. Now rendered up to the level of an original rendered stringcourse (as extant to 175 Barker Road) Other detailing to main facade • Setback to main entry framed by a rendered semi-circular arch. • Modern door, traditional moulded architraves, sidelight, highlight and stained glass with a floral motif. • Two full-height double-hung windows with timber kick-plates to the window bay. • Chamfered square verandah posts. Simple frieze of square balustrettes. • Concrete verandah floor. Streetscape setting • House set back approximately 2.7m from the Barker Road frontage. • Lot width approximately 7.5m. • Built close to boundary on western side. Setback of about 900mm on eastern side. • Front yard enclosed by a rendered masonry plinth, capped by a palisade fence and backed by a low hedge.

History

Subiaco's population increased significantly in the 1890s due to an economic depression in the eastern states and the discovery of gold in Western Australia. During the 1890s property developers bought large landholdings for subdivision in the Perth metropolitan area. The original subdivisions in Subiaco were generally simple grid pattern developments with small lots suitable for occupancy by working families. However, the more elevated parts of the suburb, particularly towards Kings Park, also attracted business and professional men and some lots were later amalgamated to accommodate their larger homes and gardens. Mixed development occurred and within the Park Street Heritage Area this ranged from narrow, single storey terrace housing through to a large 2-storey house set in spacious grounds. The readily available evidence indicates that the number of houses within this area increased from around 24 in 1901 to 72 in 1906; 86 in 1910; 91 in 1915, 94 in 1920 and 13 by 1925. Development then stabilised, with 106 houses and 1 block of flats identified in 1949. Perth Suburban Lot 220 was subdivided as Deposited Plan 1552 in 1896 and advertised as the “Parkerville Estate”. This comprised 38 lots with frontages along the eastern side of Townshend Road (between Barker and Bagot Roads), part of the southern side of Barker Road, part of Salisbury Avenue (renamed as part of Park Street in 1901) and part of the northern side of Bagot Road. Part Lot 5 and Lot 6 were later developed with two very similar houses, 173 and 175 Barker Road. Entries in the 1903 Subiaco Rate Books recorded ‘E Basan’ as the owner of Lots 1 to 6, DP 1552. This was Ernest Thomas Anderson Basan (financier/money lender), who built his own home on Lots 1 & 2 (159 Barker Road) in c.1902. Lots 5 & 6 were listed as vacant in 1903, but by 1905 part Lot 5 and Lot 6 had been developed with 2 houses, which Basan rented out. There was a high turn of occupants through until the mid 1930s. A review of the Post Office Directories at around 5-yearly intervals (together with reference to contemporary Electoral Rolls) indicates that some of the primary residents during this period included:  1905: Frederick Lillycrop (railway inspector)  1910: James Lawrence (telegraphist, Post and Telegraph Department) The Rate Books listed Basan as the owner of 173 & 175 Barker Road in 1910-1911, changing to ‘Dynan’ (or similar) by 1912-1913.  1915 & 1920: Angelo James Besley (telegraphist, Post and Telegraph Department) The Rate Books listed Besley as the tenant in 1913-1914 & 1914-1915 and as the owner from 1915-1916. Members of the family lived here until around the time of Angelo’s death in January 1923. In April of that year a brief newspaper notice stated that E Besley (James’ widow, Elizabeth) had sold the property.  1925: John Heard Powe (labourer) In 1929-1930 the Rate Books identified Robert Smith as the owner of #173.  1930: Frank Edward Pullen (packer) The first longer-term residents appear to have been James Leo McMahon (mechanic) and his wife, Noelene (nee Smith). This couple had settled at 173 Barker Road by the mid-1930s (following their marriage in 1934) and remained here until c.1950. A plan of the site prepared in the 1927 and reviewed in 1955 for the purpose of planning sewerage and water supply services shows that the original footprint of the residence has not changed significantly apart from and addition at the rear, which has replaced an original verandah. Aerial photographs of the place since the mid 20th century indicate that this addition took place in the late 1980s. The addition replaced the original red corrugated iron roof cladding with corrugated metal sheeting which is currently evident. The extent and form of the original residence are still clearly evident. 173 Barker Road was adopted on the City of Subiaco Local Heritage Survey in 2003. It has been assessed as level 3 (contributes to the heritage of the City of Subiaco).

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High: the place remains in its original function as a residential dwelling. Authenticity - Medium: Alterations which are inconsistent with the original design appear to include the raked verandah roof (possibly originally bull-nosed, similar to 175 Barker Road), the rendering of the lower half of the front wall, the use of coloured steel sheeting for the roof and the replacement of the front door in a modern style.

Condition

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

Uses

Creation Date

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