House

Statement of Significance

118 Subiaco Road, Subiaco is of cultural heritage significance: • For its historical value as the long-term family home of prominent local businessman and one time Mayor of Subiaco, Thomas Harold ‘Shirley’ White. • For its historical and aesthetic value as an example of the work of Shirley White, who was active as a plumbing and building contractor in Western Australia from the mid-1890s until his death in 1928.

Physical Description

118 Subiaco Road was constructed as a Federation Queen Anne gentleman’s villa. Key elements include its: • Asymmetrical plan; • Gable-hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting; • Three tall chimneys with rendered projecting caps over painted (formerly tuck-pointed) brickwork. • Rough cast rendered eaves panel (over the verandah), finished with finely detailed rendered brackets and decorative panels with a stylised leaf and scroll pattern; • Painted brick walls; These originally had tuck-pointed face brickwork to the main Subiaco Road and White Place facades; • Two contrasting rendered stringcourses to the main Subiaco Road and White Place facades – one at door head height and one at window sill height; The upper stringcourse steps up to frame the head of each door and window opening. • Projecting wing to the western end of the Subiaco Road facade; This wing features a flying gable over a splay-sided bay window. The gable has slatted eaves set on carved timber brackets, a tall turned finial, and a rough-cast face decorated with a pattern of vertical, horizontal and diagonal timber battens. The bay window has a double hung window to each of the three faces, with a continuous deep rendered panel over the windows and a continuous raked sill. • Projecting wing to the centre of the White Place facade; This wing also features a flying gable with wide slatted eaves, but sits over a rectangular bay that is laid out around a fireplace. The line of the chimney is defined by a central projecting rendered panel that rises from a decorative scroll at the base (set approx. 2m above ground level). At the apex this is flanked by a split gable with a rough-cast, half-timbered face. On either side of the fireplace there are two narrow double hung windows, one to the projecting bay and one at the first setback. • Return verandah, linking the projecting wings and addressing the intersection of Subiaco Road and White Place; This has a dropped bull-nosed verandah supported by turned timber posts. Under the verandah the main entrance is located adjacent to the Subiaco Road wing. This has traditional moulded architraves, narrow sidelights and highlights. The main (Subiaco Road) façade also includes two pairs of French doors, while a third set of French doors opens onto the verandah from the side of the White Place wing. • Wide side verandah extending along the western side of the house (overlooking the side garden); This has a shallow pitch raked roof supported on turned timber posts. The house is set back approx. 6.5m from Subiaco Road and the front and western yards have been informally laid out with lawn, shrubs, trees and flower beds. The street boundaries are defined by a high fence with rendered masonry piers and infill panels of slender, spear-topped metal bars. In front of the house this is backed by a high hedge, which largely conceals the main verandah from public view. A carport is located at the rear of the house with access from White Lane. Based on a streetscape inspection the house appears to be in fair to good condition. The northern side of the streetscape is dominated by two to three storey flats and units, which have progressively replaced many of the original houses since the 1960s (including the adjacent site to the west of 118 Subiaco Road). However, a complementary Bungalow (constructed for Stanley Luce in 1924) has survived on the other corner of White Lane. The southern side of the street is laid out as Mueller Park and the mature trees and lawns in this area provide a complementary setting for views to the house from this direction.

History

This area was laid out as part of the Subiaco Estate in 1885. In c.1904 Lot 29 and part Lot 28, on the corner of Subiaco Road and Kimberly Street (now White Place), were purchased by “Florence Rose White of Subiaco, Married Woman”. In the following year her husband, Shirley White (a local plumbing and building contractor), erected a new family home on the site – known as “White Lodge”. At that time the street address was given as 190 Subiaco Road, but it became 118 Subiaco Road when the street numbers were changed in c.1922. Florence Rose Williams (c.1875-1933) had married Thomas Harold Shirley White (c.1867-1928) in Coolgardie in 1896. Over time, the extended family included Shirley White’s three children from his first marriage (Leslie, Aileen and Alice - all born in Victoria in c.1887-1894) and Shirley and Florence’s four children (Harold, Shirley, William and Rose - all born in Western Australia in c.1898 to 1911). The available information suggests that, prior to the marriage of Alice White in February 1914, all nine family members lived at “White Lodge”. After serving his apprenticeship as a plumber and then establishing his own business in Victoria, Shirley White worked in the Western Australian Goldfields (mid-1890s) and then South Africa (c.1902-1903), before settling in Subiaco by c.1904. He established a partnership with William Sherlaw and, from c.1904, the firm of Sherlaw and White became established as contractors in Western Australia. The firm specialised in sewerage and reticulation projects, but also undertook a range of construction projects such as the Shaftesbury Picture Gardens, Perth (1911); Carnegie Free Public Library, Midland Junction (1912); and extensions to the Perth Fire Station (1916). This partnership was dissolved in October 1916, after which Shirley White continued to undertake a wide range of works such as the construction of a War Service Home in Inglewood (1919); a large machine shop for the Tramways Department, Perth (1922); the Mt Barker Railway Station (1923), the Greek Community Hall, West Perth (1925); and the Pinjarra Town Hall (1927). White was active in local politics and was elected as a councillor of the Subiaco Council in November 1905, served as Mayor of Subiaco in 1908-1910 and returned as a councillor in 1915. He also served a term as president of the Master Builders' and Contractors' Association in 1911 and was a long-term and prominent member of the WA Trotting Association. During the early years of the White’s occupation of the house, the amenity of the area was significantly improved by works to Mueller Park (opposite): From 1905, particularly during the 1907 to 1910 period under Mayors Henry Daglish and Shirley White, work was carried out to make a suitable sporting ground. The Subiaco Football Club played its first league match on what was to become Subiaco Oval in May 1908. By the end of 1909, a pavilion/grandstand had been erected and a proper oval levelled and grassed. This was followed by landscaping and by the creation of more facilities, including tennis and croquet lawns, bowling greens and associated structures. (City of Subiaco Thematic History and Framework) In December 1928, two months after Shirley’s death, Florence offered for sale the “large iron sheds” “that were located on the rear portion of the site, together with building materials and equipment - which indicates that Shirley White had established a workshop and storage area here as part of his contracting business. In 1929 Florence moved to Mt Hawthorn, where she lived for 1-2 years, before returning to “White Lodge”. She then remained here until around the time of her death in July 1933. In January 1934 the house was placed on the market: ALL THOSE PIECES OF LAND, being (1) Portion of Perthshire Location Ae, being Lot 29 on Diagram 1991, and being the whole of the land described in Certificate of Title Vol. 342, Folio 163. (2) Portion of Perthshire Location Ae and being portion of Lot 28 of Diagram 52, and being the whole of the land described in Certificate of Title Vol. 317, Folio 36. Erected on the said Land are: — A SUBSTANTIAL BRICK RESIDENCE, with 5 large rooms, vestibule, kitchen, pantry, sleepout and man's room, and spacious verandahs. Also detached a Brick Washhouse and tiled roof Garage, and splendid fruit garden. Situated at corner, having a frontage of 80ft. to Subiaco-rd. by a depth of 270ft. to Kimberley street, abutting West Leederville railway station. NOTE. — This Residence is exceptionally well built and very conveniently situated close to Hay-street tram and 3min. from railway station and trolley bus, and facing Kitchener Park. 118 Subiaco Road was purchased by John Bailey (hotel proprietor) and his wife Georgina, and it was at this time the large rear yard was subdivided, creating two new housing lots facing Kimberley Street. The first of these was listed as a “new house’ in the Post Office Directory of 1934 and both had been completed by 1935 (Nos 1 & 3 Kimberley Street, Subiaco). By this time John and Georgina Bailey had retired and were living in West Perth, and 118 Subiaco Road was an investment property that was rented out to at least four different tenants from 1934 to c.1950. The primary occupants during this period had trades such as shop assistant, council employee and fitter, indicating that the status of the house as a desirable residence had significantly diminished. In the early 1950s it was occupied by the Bailey’s widowed daughter, Lurline Katie Dale, who then remained here until (or shortly before) her death in 1983. In 1985 the property was transferred to Billingsgate Nominees Pty Ltd. It was at this time that the rear yard of 118 Subiaco Road was cleared and the two inter-war houses to the north (facing White Lane) were demolished. The vacant site was then redeveloped with five townhouses, retaining the White’s former house on a reduced block. This continued a trend towards higher density development along Subiaco Road, which had commenced in the 1960s-1970s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High: The place continues to be occupied as a private residence. Authenticity - Moderate: The original external detailing of the building is largely intact and/or sympathetically restored/extended, but the tuck-pointed brickwork has been painted. Rarity/Representativeness - 118 Subiaco Road is a representative example of an early twentieth century Federation Queen Anne villa, designed to a style and scale suited to the professional classes.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update