Gosnells Police Station

Author

City of Gosnells

Place Number

17403

Location

2291 Albany Hwy Gosnells

Location Details

P20049 Gosnells Police Station has been made 'Inactive' due to a duplication. This is now the only record for the place 13/12/2012 DOK.

Local Government

Gosnells

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1998

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment Current 28 Sep 2012

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management
Category
(no listings)

Statement of Significance

Gosnells Police Station was part of a multi-million dollar program for improving police facilities in the southern suburbs and represents a significant law and order presence in Gosnells.

Physical Description

The single storey brick pavilion has a low pitch gable roof form and feature skillion.

History

The first police presence in the Gosnells district is recorded in 1859, when Constable Bishop was appointed to the Canning Police Station on 29 April that year. The station was located on Royal Street Kenwick, on a portion of Canning Location 12. However, there may have been an earlier site as an 1841 survey map records the site of a then defunct police building. The police station, consisting of a four-room building with a shingle roof and verandahs on three sides, and a two-stall stable, was under construction in 1866. Prior to that there appears to have been temporary accommodation provided on the site. As in 1862, the station was found not to have been erected on the allocated reserve site, a not uncommon occurrence as the exact area was often difficult to pinpoint in the bush, so to solve this the reserve was enlarged by 20 acres so it included the building. The police presence was established to provide protection for settlers from the convict and ticket of leave population, and there are reports of burglaries and of convicts escaping from the road gangs working in the district. The construction of the Albany Road also meant more travellers passing through the area. The Canning Police Station closed on 10 April 1878 and the property was gazetted for public purposes under the management of the Canning Road Board. The present Gosnells Police Station was opened on 5 June 1998 as part of a multi-million dollar program for improving police facilities in the southern suburbs. The facility cost $1.7 million and was staffed with twenty eight officers who would provide a twenty-four-hour service to the local communities that made up the City of Gosnells. The artwork in the foyer and forecourt is entitled 'Police and Community - A Partnership' and comprises eighty individually designed glass enamel tiles set in a central 'totem'. The artwork was provided under the State Government 'Percent for Art Scheme', which was instigated to improve the quality of the built environment and assist local artists. Students from local schools provided the inspiration for many of the final images.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: High degree

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
Minister for Police; " Media Statement". 5 June 1998.
Don Pashley; "Policing our state," 2000
McDonald & Cooper; "The Gosnells Story". 1988

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use GOVERNMENTAL Police Station or Quarters
Present Use GOVERNMENTAL Police Station or Quarters

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Roof METAL Steel
Wall BRICK Common Brick

Historic Themes

General Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Law & order

Creation Date

16 Mar 2006

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Retired

Last Update

13 Nov 2017

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.