Morrison's Newsagency

Statement of Significance

Morrison’s Newsagency has aesthetic, historic and social heritage significance. The building since 1918 has held a retail business contributing to important services provided to the Denmark community.

Physical Description

Located on the north east corner of Strickland Street and the South Coast Highway, this single storey building with cantilevered verandahs dominates the corner position. With a series of gabled and hipped corrugated iron roofs the building is united at road level by a fairly consistent brick wall construction with large shop front windows for display.

History

Morrison’s was part of Richard and Robert Nockolds Stores which were built in about 1918. The corner building was run by Nockolds as a newsagency and bakery until they opened a business in Walpole and leased the corner building to Alan McWhinney, who transferred his Strickland Street Chemist business to the corner shop. Times in the 1930s were hard and the McWhinneys did not stay long in Denmark. The shop was leased to Noel Morrison in 1934 who later bought it from the Nockolds. Morrisons ran it as a newsagency, tobacconist and chemist with gifts, cards and many other lines and agencies. Noel Morrison’s son Peter took over the reins in 1958 dropping lines like pharmacy as specialist shops were established in Denmark. The area where the Bibbulmun Café was situated in 2009 used to house a snooker room and hairdressing salon. The bakery next door continued under various owners until 1997 when Morrisons resumed this area to extend their newsagency and stationery interests. In 2009 Morrisons was a busy shop with Lotto and ANZ Bank agencies, drycleaning, books and newspapers. Peter’s son Craig (the third generation of the Morrison family) still managed the business in 2009.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Most

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update