heritage assessment 2-26 duke street, subiaco

HERITAGE ASSESSMENT 2-26 DUKE STREET, SUBIACO

Prepared by

Annette Green, Greenward Consulting

For the

City of Subiaco

20 October 2014

Disclaimer

This Heritage Assessment has been prepared from information gathered in the course of the document’s production by Annette Green (physical description and selected historical research, referencing online historical newspapers, Post Office Directories and Electoral Rolls) and Sofia Boranga, Coordinator Subiaco Heritage, City of Subiaco (provision of historical land titles and historical research, referencing Rates Books and Post Office Directories). It should be noted that the readily accessible on-line sources relating to occupancy of the properties ceases in c.1949 and that the primary focus has been on the first half of the twentieth century.

The author has exercised due care to avoid errors in the information contained in the report, but does not warrant that it is error or omission free. No person or organization should use or rely solely on this document for detailed advice, or as the basis for formulating decisions or actions, without considering, and if necessary obtaining, relevant advice from other sources. In particular it should be noted that the physical descriptions have been based on streetscape inspections only and that comprehensive historical research has not been undertaken for individual places or associated people.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study or research, as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act, no part of the information in this document may be stored in a retrieval system, reproduced, or transmitted in any form without express permission of the City of Subiaco.

City of Subiaco – Community Heritage Survey

Duke Street Conservation Area November 2014

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1

Background .............................................................................................................................................1

Study Area ..............................................................................................................................................1

Statement of Significance .......................................................................................................................2

Integrity, authenticity and condition ......................................................................................................2

Management Recommendation.............................................................................................................4

Sequence of development ......................................................................................................................4

Description of the Study Area ................................................................................................................5

Key Features/ Elements ..........................................................................................................................6

Historical notes .......................................................................................................................................6

Associations - Developers .......................................................................................................................8

Associations - Residents .........................................................................................................................9

Historic Themes ......................................................................................................................................9

References ..............................................................................................................................................9

2. STREETSCAPE VIEWS ................................................................................................................. 12

Streetscape Views ............................................................................................................................... 12

Pedestrian views of road closure, street trees, verges, footpaths, fences and building details ......... 13

3. PLACE RECORDS ....................................................................................................................... 14

Northern Side of the Street: 2-12 Duke Street ............................................................................ 14

2 Duke Street, Subiaco ........................................................................................................................ 16



10 Duke Street, Subiaco ...................................................................................................................... 28


Southern Side of the Street: 3-11 Duke Street ............................................................................ 36






City of Subiaco – Community Heritage Survey


City of Subiaco – Community Heritage Survey 1


HERITAGE ASSESSMENT OF DUKE STREET

1. INTRODUCTION

Background In September 2014, the City of Subiaco commissioned Annette Green, Greenward Consulting, to undertake a heritage assessment of the residential properties facing onto Duke Street, Subiaco, as part of a community heritage survey. The purpose of this assessment was to determine whether or not these places form a streetscape that is eligible for listing as a Conservation Area under the Town Planning Scheme.

As part of this process a place record was prepared for each individual property, including a brief outline of its initial development and early history, plus a concise description of the place, as viewed from the street. Background historical information (including a summary of early Rate Books entries; listings in the Post Office Directories of 1903 to 1949; and copies of early land titles) was provided by Sofia Boranga, Coordinator Subiaco Heritage, City of Subiaco. This was supplemented by on-line research undertaken by Annette Green, which primarily referenced historical newspapers, electoral rolls, and family trees. This readily available historical information generally relates to the period up to the mid-twentieth century and this defined the typical cut-off date for the research.

The documentary and physical information was then analysed as part of a professional assessment of the level of contribution that each place makes to the heritage values of the streetscape (broadly considering aesthetic, historic, social and research values, within the context of the City of Subiaco). This, in turn, was used to assess the heritage values of the study area as a whole.

This assessment forms part of an ongoing process to assist planning and development for cultural heritage places within the City of Subiaco.

Study Area

Figure 1



Statement of Significance

Aesthetic Value

Duke Street has a distinctive urban character that has been primarily created by the local road closure and public landscaping of the late twentieth century.

Within this setting the heritage character is derived from the modest, single, storey suburban houses dating from the Federation and early Inter-War era (c.1902-1924). Only one of these houses has been replaced (#3, c.1980s) and the defined period and nature of development has resulted in a complementary palette of materials and design idioms.

Historic Value

The subdivision of this area was undertaken by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company of Sydney. This represents part of a much wider role that this company took in the development of Subiaco in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The collection of houses in the study area helps to demonstrate the scale and standard of houses built and occupied by people such as small business owners, clerks and tradesmen in the early twentieth century.

The study area was generally the place of residence for people who left only a small mark on the written records. However, it also accommodated at least two men who were prominent in the local community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid twentieth century (see Associations - Residents, below).

Representativeness

The study area includes a good representative collection of modest early twentieth century brick and timber housing developed in close proximity to the Rokeby Road tramway.

Integrity, authenticity and condition

Integrity

The overall integrity of the place as a collection of early twentieth century residential houses is high, with the exception of 3 Duke Street, which was replaced with a new house in the 1980s.

Authenticity

All of the houses have undergone some degree of adaptation and/or extension to meet modern living standards. Typical changes include rear extensions, alterations to verandahs, new fencing, painting/rendering face brickwork and re-roofing. However, the original houses (as viewed from the street) have, overall, retained a medium to high level of authenticity.

The highest level of intervention is to 8 Duke Street which has had its main façade rendered as well as having undergone significant alterations to the roofscape as part of second storey additions.

Condition

Based on a streetscape survey, the buildings in the study area appear to be generally well maintained and in good condition. Within the public realm, the verges are also generally well maintained.



Figure 2: Levels of Contribution



Management Recommendation

Based on the assessment of significance, above, it is recommended that the study area, comprising 2-12 and 3-11 Duke Street, Subiaco, is at the threshold for identification as a local Conservation Area.

This relates specifically to the traditional subdivision pattern, to the streetscape characteristics of those early twentieth century properties identified as being of considerable or some contribution, and to the public setting of these places.

Separate listing of individual houses in the Heritage List under the Town Planning Scheme would not be required to achieve heritage outcomes relevant to this area.

Note: 3 Duke Street is a non-contributory element, but the scale and form of the place is compatible with the overall streetscape and future redevelopment site of this site would have the potential to have a greater visual impact.

Sequence of development

Figure 4: Sequence of development for the existing properties within the Study Area



Description of the Study Area

The study area includes good representative examples of the early twentieth century housing built and occupied by people such as small business owners, clerks and tradesmen in the early twentieth century. These included houses built for occupation by the owners, as well as investment properties intended for the rental market. As such they are all of a similar scale, but vary in form, detail and materials to create a diverse, but compatible, residential streetscape.

While Duke Street ran off Rokeby Road the narrow access to Coolgardie Street at the western end (now defined by side boundaries and garages) means the street would have never been used as more than a local thoroughfare. The junction between the subdivision of Duke Street and the pre-existing subdivision along Coolgardie Street created an unusual road layout with tapered verges (which were clearly visible as opened grassed areas planted with a scattering of street trees in a 1948 aerial photograph).

In the late twentieth century the nature of Duke Street as a local access road was reinforced by the closure of the street at the laneway running along the back of the Rokeby Road allotments.

Street works undertaken at that time included the development of a wide grassed area between #s 2 and 3 Duke Street, and the reinforcement of the verge planting to create a small parklike setting. Mature street trees now include a cluster of 4 palms at the road closure, 2 palms on the wide tapering verge in front of #12, plus several peppermint trees (Agonis flexuosa), and bottebrush (Callistemon sp). More recent infill planting of eucalypts and other species, together with well developed front gardens has created a streetscape in which the houses nestle within an informal landscape.

Of the ten original houses facing onto Duke Street, 5 have been assessed as making a considerable contribution to the heritage character of the study area for their aesthetic and/or historic values. A further 4 have undergone alterations that have altered the original external detailing to a greater degree and have been assessed as making some contribution.

Of these, #8 has had the greatest level of intervention; significantly impacting on the roofscape and walls finishes. However, this is also believed to have been the first hose constructed on the street, which was occupied by an owner/builder (Frederick Samuel Herbert Tipping, a clerk of the Government Printing Office) and therefore to some degree established the standard for the street.

Only one site (#3) has been redeveloped in the modern era. This single storey face brick and tile house (constructed in 1980s) has been assessed as making no contribution to the heritage values of the street, but still exhibits a compatible scale and materials.

The key features/elements of the heritage streetscapes and buildings are listed below.

Streetscape photographs are included in Section 2 (streetscape views) and more detailed descriptions are included in Section 3 (individual place records).



Key Features/ Elements

Mature street trees;

Grassed verges;

Consistent block widths;

Generally consistent front setbacks - varying between about 3 to 5m;

Small, well-maintained, front gardens;

Low front fences (with the exception of #8);

Modest suburban houses dating from c.1902 to 1924;

Simple hipped and gabled roof forms;

Terracotta tile or grey corrugated metal roof cladding;

A mixture of tuck-pointed brick, rendered and weatherboard walls;

Restrained architectural detailing;

Raked or bull-nosed verandahs to the main façade.

Vertical proportions to windows;

A low proportion of openings to wall area.

Historical notes During the early years of settlement most of the Subiaco area formed part of the Perth Commonage. In 1879 land was set aside for the Fremantle to Guildford Railway and this line was officially opened in March 1881. Two years later the Western Australian government announced it would survey a section of the Perth Commonage into suburban lots and that these would be made available for private sale. The land in question incorporated the majority of Subiaco and part of Shenton Park (originally West Subiaco) and was laid out as 5 acre lots on a grid pattern - designated as Perth Suburban Lots (PSL).

The Subiaco Municipal Council was created in 1895; Metropolitan Water Works Board services were extended to Subiaco in 1898/1899; and the Perth Electric Tramways Company's line was built through to the corner of Rokeby and Broome Roads in 1899 and up Rokeby Road to Kings Park by January 1900. Loans made available through the granting of municipal status also allowed the funding of road construction and the laying of footpaths, which by 1903 comprised about 20 kilometres. From here, improvements like street trees and parks occurred under the influence of Alexander Rankin, who was the first Town Clerk and Engineer for the Subiaco Council.

A Certificate of Title for Perth Suburban Lot 277 and part Perth Suburban Lot 276 (totalling 5 acres and 18 perches) was issued in the name of The Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd on 18 September 1901. This area, which had existing frontages to Rokeby Road, Heytesbury Road and Nicholson Road, was laid out as a new subdivision, with a total of 34 allotments, including ten building allotments facing Duke Street (Lots 13 to 17 and 18 to 22 of Plan 2352).

The first lots within the subdivision were sold on 20 July 1901 (Lots 27-29 facing Rokeby Road). The first lots along Duke Street were sold to Frederick Samuel Herbert Tipping, who purchased Lot 15 (#8) on 30 May 1902 and Lot 16 (#10) in July of that year. Tipping also built the first house, being listed in the Subiaco Rates Books at 8 Duke Street in 1903 (suggesting that the house was built shortly after he purchased the land).



In March and August 1902 advertisements were placed in The West Australian for “Duke Street, 39 x 149 ft, close to tram, £48, terms”. In early 1903 other advertisements were placed for lots in Duke Street at £60 to £75 per lot, reflecting the increased interest in local development.

The last lots to be sold were Lots 21 & 22 (#s 3 & 5 Duke Street), which were formally transferred to Ada Josephine Hodginson in 1906 – although she must have been paying this off progressively as the Subiaco Rates Books had listed her as the owner from 1903.

The majority of the sites were developed immediately (in the period 1902-1905), but one was retained as a vacant development site until c.1914, while another two were occupied as double blocks until the early Inter-War era.

The sites were developed by a mixture of owner/occupiers and investors, but in a consistent manner with relatively modest houses suitable for people such as small business owners, clerks and tradesmen. Unlike the more elevated areas to the east of Rokeby Road, or major thoroughfares (such as the nearby Hamersley and Heytesbury Road) this small side street did not attract any development of larger villas.

Subiaco grew rapidly in the first decades of the twentieth century, with a strong and active community and pride in its identity as a ‘working class suburb’. Duke Street provides a microcosm of this development.



Figure 4: Historical Plan of the Study Area, 1926 1

Associations - Developers

The Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company

This Sydney based firm purchased land in a number of different states for development and, by 1891, the firm was advertising building lots in Subiaco for sale to Australia-wide investors.

During the 1890s and early 1900s they acquired a number of the 5-acre Perth Suburban Lots in Subiaco and subdivided them into residential or commercial allotments - including Perth Suburban Lot 277 and part Perth Suburban Lot 276 (which forms the subject of this report).

Other areas purchased by the Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company included PSL 253 (immediately north of Heyesbury Road), which they purchased in October 1897, and subdivided in a similar manner to their later development of PSL 277.

1 Sewerage Plan, Sheet 197, MWSS & DD, drawn September 1926, SROWA. Inverted B&W copy of an extract provided by

the City of Subiaco.



Associations - Residents

Typical of any area of this nature, the study area has had some residents who were prominent in the local community or were otherwise public identities of the early to mid twentieth century. For example:

James Theophilus Guy, diary produce merchant (family residence at 12 Duke Street, c.1906-1911)

J. T. Guy went on to serve as a councillor for Subiaco from 1912 and was Mayor of Subiaco in 1915-1916.

Hubert Stanlake Trotman (family residence at 10 Duke Street, c.1923 to mid-1950s).

H. S. Trotman settled in Subiaco after taking up the position of Chief Land Tax Assessor for the Taxation Department in WA in 1921, prior to which he had worked for a number of years as a district inspector in farming areas for the Lands Department

In his younger days (in the period 1894-1910) Trotman had participated in a number of major exploration and survey expeditions into the interior of the state, including:

A Government survey of the area between Coolgardie and Mount Magnet, 1894 (when he was 19 years old);

A Government survey of the country to the north-east of Peak Hill and through to Roebourne, 1896;

A relief expedition searching for missing members of the Calvert expedition in the vicinity of Wiluna, c.1897;

The Canning survey and establishment of the Rabbit Proof Fence, c.1902-1903;

The Canning survey and establishment of a stock route from Wiluna to Halls Creek (on which he was appointed second in command), c.1906-1907 and c.1908-1910.

The majority of the other residents were from the junior professional classes (such as clerks and salesmen), were skilled tradesmen (such as plumbers, carpenters and cabinet makers) or labourers. These people typically left relatively little mark in the printed records.

Historic Themes Federation & Late Gold Boom Period (1890s – 1910s): Land allocation & subdivision; depression & boom; consolidation; local famous & infamous people.

A time of Uncertainty (World War One, Inter-War & World war Two)(1910s-1940s): Consolidation; depression & boom; local famous & infamous people.

References Bizzaca, K., City of Subiaco Thematic History and Framework (prepared for the City of Subiaco, February 2014)

Certificate of Title Volume 226 Folio 110

Greenward Consulting, Heritage Assessment of 2-26 Campbell Street, 2-22 Union Street, 135-165 Hamersley Road & 70-104 Heytesbury Road (prepared for the City of Subiaco, July 2014)

Various contemporary newspaper articles relating to the professional and public activities of local residents. (http://trove.nla.gov.au)

Sewerage Plan, Sheet 197, MWSS & DD, drawn September 1926, SROWA



Locate WA – historic aerial photography (www.locate.wa.gov.au)



Page Left Blank Intentionally


Duke Street Conservation Area – Streetscape and pedestrian views November 2014

2. STREETSCAPE VIEWS

Streetscape Views

View towards the road closure from the east, showing the enclosed park-like setting creating by these late twentieth century works.

At the north-western corner of the residential streetscape the verge tapers out to meet the alignment of the subdivision along Coolgardie Street. The landscaping of this area complements the small park-like setting of the road closure at the eastern end of the residential streetscape.

The houses on the street are all of a similar scale, but vary in form, detail and materials to create a diverse, but compatible, residential streetscape.

The varied palette of materials includes weatherboard, rendered and face-brick walls, set together with corrugated metal and tiled roofs.

View along the narrow side lane adjacent to 11 Duke Street

At the western end of Duke Street the road reserve narrows as it passes along the side boundaries of houses facing Coolgardie Street. This end of the



street, which is not included in the Study Area, is open and functional in character.

Pedestrian views of road closure, street trees, verges, footpaths, fences and building details



3. PLACE RECORDS

Northern Side of the Street: 2-12 Duke Street


Duke Street Conservation Area - northern side: 2-12 Duke Street November 2014




Address 2 Duke Street, Subiaco

Lot 13

Photograph

Construction date

c.1903 Architectural Style

Weatherboard Cottage

Contributory Significance

Some contribution to the heritage values of the area

Note: Some elements have been modified as part of ongoing maintenance and conservation, but the place remains a good example of a modest timber cottage of the early twentieth century.

Historical Notes and Associations

A Certificate of Title for Perth Suburban Lot 277 and part Perth Suburban Lot 276 (totalling 5 acres and 18 perches) was issued in the name of The Intercolonial Investment Land and Building Company Ltd on 18 September 1901. This area was subsequently laid out as a new subdivision, including ten building allotments facing Duke Street (Lots 13 to 17 and 18 to 22 of Plan 2352).

On 25 October 1904, Lot 13 was transferred to Mary Ann McRohan, although it appears that the family had already settled here as Edward McRohan (labourer) was listed as the owner/occupier in the 1903 Rates Book.

About six years previously (in 1898) the McRohan’s oldest daughter, Eliza, had married Herbert Davenport, the son of a local building contractor, Andrew Davenport. It is therefore possible that the Davenport family were involved in the construction of this house.

In June 1905 Mary Ann McRohan sought (and obtained) an order for separation from her husband, Edward, on the grounds that he had failed to maintain her or their children since they had arrived in WA eight years previously. Mrs McRohan stated that she had worked throughout that time to provide for the family - which included Eliza (born 1879), Mary (1881), Esther (1882), Edward (1887), Sarah (1894) and Ernest (1896).



It is not known what work Mrs McRohan undertook in the earlier years, but in 1908 and 1909 room(s) were being offered in the house for expectant mothers, as illustrated by the following and a number of similar newspaper notices:

FORD. — On January 9, at Nurse McRohan's residence, Duke-street, Subiaco, the wife of A. Ford — a daughter. Both well.

She obviously continued in this trade with a degree of professionalism, as her name was included on the first government register of midwives, as printed in the Government Gazette of Western Australia on 7 February 1913.

Mary Ann McRohan died in April 1913:

The funeral of the late Mrs Mary Ann McRohan, of Subiaco, took place on Monday afternoon, and was numerously attended. Deceased - a very earnest Working Member of the Church of Christ - was born at Armidale, New South Wales, where she resided for 34 years, and subsequently lived in this State 16 years.

In January 1916, ownership of 2 Duke Street was transferred to her oldest son, Edward Alfred McRohan - who had been living in the house, but appears to have moved away from Subiaco at about that time.

By 1916, Eliza and Herbert Davenport had taken up residence at 2 Duke Street, and this then became the family home for this couple and their ten children (born in the period 1899-1917). Just over ten years later, in 1927, ownership of 2 Duke Street was transferred to Eliza.

There were few references to the house and family during this period, but is known that in the early to mid 1930s, one of Eliza and Herbert’s daughters, Mary Davenport (LAB, LTCL, Registered Teacher and member of the Music Teachers Association), was offering tuition in pianoforte at this address.

Herbert Davenport died in July 1939 and Eliza in December 1943, at which time they were still sharing the house with their youngest children, Eric and Leslie.

At the time of Herbert’s death it was reported that:

The deceased was born at Oldham, England, 64 years ago and migrated to Australia at the age of 8 years, his parents settling at Newcastle. N.S.W. Twelve years later he came to Western Australia where his father continued as a building contractor. After some time in Subiaco, where he married in 1898, there followed a period in Kalgoorlie, where he became associated with the Public Works Department as works supervisor, later transferring to Albany and Perth. For the past 26 years he had resided in Subiaco …

In 1945 ownership of 2 Duke Street was transferred to their fourth child, Esther Mabel Davenport, who was by then the Matron of the Mount Barker Hospital.

After that time the Post Office Directories listed the primary resident as a Miss Mary Sigley – who was probably the Mary Noelle Sigley, typiste, who had attended Mary Davenport’s wedding in 1937 and who travelled to America in 1948. However, the Electoral Rolls suggest that Eric and Leslie continued to live in the house for all or part of that time, and were still there in 1954 (with Leslie staying until at least 1958).

By 1963 Esther Mabel Blechynden (nee Davenport) had moved into 2 Duke Street and she remained here until (or shortly before) her death in 1986. The property was sold following her death, ending the continuous relationship with the original owners and their descendants, which had commenced in c.1903.



Occupants of the property from its time of construction until c.1986 included:

1903-1905 Edward McRohan, snr, labourer/carpenter 1903-1913 Mary Ann McRohan, nurse 1903-1915 Edward Alfred McRohan, jnr, driver 1916-1943 Herbert Davenport, supervisor, PWD (until 1939) and Eliza

Davenport (until 1943) c.1945-1949 Miss Mary Sigley

Eric Davenport, carpenter and Leslie Davenport, salesman 1954 Eric Davenport, carpenter, and Leslie Davenport, woodworker

1958 Leslie Davenport, woodworker c.1963 to 1986 Esther Mabel Blechynden (nee Davenport)

Physical Description (based on external inspection only)

2 Duke Street was built as a modest timber cottage with no overt Architectural style.

Key elements include:

Plain, square-edged weatherboard cladding.

Gabled-hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting (with no remaining chimneys).

Projecting wing on the eastern side of the main facade.

At the centre of this wing there is a single double hung window set under a raked awning.

Front verandah abutting the projecting wing and extending across the remainder of the façade.

This has a dropped, bullnose roof, turned timber posts, and a raked timber valance with square balustrettes.

Under the verandah there is the main entrance (a single door set under a plain highlight) and a pair of French doors (which open onto the verandah from the main front room).

Plain double hung windows along the eastern façade, which was built up to the eastern boundary (facing onto the side laneway).

The font of the house is set back approximately 3m from the front boundary, which is defined by a scalloped timber picket fence.

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

References Certificate of Title Volume 226 Folio 110

Certificate of Title Volume 319 Folio 77

City of Subiaco Rate Books, 1903-1909 (information provided by the City of Subiaco, September 2014)

Western Australian Post Office Directories (information provided by the City of Subiaco, September 2014)

Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au)

Family trees (ancestry.com.au)

The West Australian, 14 January 1908, p 1

The West Australian, 10 April 1913, p 8

The West Australian, 10 July 1939, p 12

Various other newspaper notices relating to the McRohan family, Davenport family and 2 Duke Street. (trove.nal.gov.au)



First government register of midwives, as printed in the Government Gazette of Western Australia, 7 February 1913 (http://www.outbackfamilyhistory.com.au/records/index.php?category= Miscellaneous)




Lot 14

Other Names: ‘Leah Boyd’ (house name given when a son was born to Mr & Mrs Smyth in June 1915)

Photograph

Construction date


Federation Queen Anne (in a modest suburban interpretation of the style)



Note: The painting of the main façade has impacted on the authenticity and traditional character of the place. However, the underlying form and detailing remains consistent with the original design and the key elements of the traditional streetscape.



Charles Wesley Genge was listed as the owner of Lot 14 in the Subiaco Rates Books from 1903, although it was not until 9 January 1905 that the title was transferred to his name. Genge was a grocer of Rokeby Road and this appears to have been an undeveloped investment property, which was sold to A E Gamble in c.1909.

The house was first listed in the Post Office Directory in 1915, when it was occupied by James Smyth (packer) and his wife, Beatrice Emily (nee Oliver). By 1916 Beatrice’s mother, Frances, was living next door at 8 Duke Street, and in c.1919 (when the Smyths moved away), #6 was occupied for about a year by Beatrice’s father, Joseph Oliver, her mother, Frances, her brothers Frederick and Percy, and possibly her younger sisters, Eileen and Eva.

In 1922 6 Duke Street became the long-term family home of Frederick and Amelia Blakemore – who had migrated from England at some stage after 1911, together with



their three young children: Samuel Joseph (born c.1908), Frederick Robert (1907) and Gertrude Minnie (1909).

Howard Blakemore died in January 1936 and Amelia had moved away from Duke Street by 1940.

The house was then occupied for a few years by a Mrs Farquar, followed Harold Lyall Vawser (electoplater) and his wife Eva (who had previously lived at 7 Duke Street). Vawser was a specialist tradesman who was operating his own business in the early to mid 1940s under the name “H.L.Vawser and Sons, Surgical Instrument Manufacturers” (with business premises at 129 Murray Street ). By the late 1940s this firm also had a factory 350 Hay Street and was specialising in chrome, nickel and silver plating


1915-1918 James Smyth, packer

1919 Joseph Oliver, labourer

1920-1921 Charles Henry Brown, civil servant

1922-1939 Frederick Howard Blakemore, currier (i.e. a specialist leather worker)(until his death in 1936) and his wife, Amelia Blakemore

1940-1944 Mrs Elsie Farquar

1945- pre-1954 Harold Lyall Vawser (surgical instrument maker)


6 Duke Street was designed as modest, single storey, Federation Queen Anne house. Key elements include:

Asymmetrical plan, in this case simply articulated by a projecting wing on the eastern side of the main façade.

Tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade (now painted) with three contrasting rendered string courses – one at window sill height, one at mid-wall height and one as a deeper panel at the eaves.

Contrasting, rock-faced stone foundation, visible at the base of the main façade.

Gabled-hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.

Tall face brick chimney with a rendered base, cap and decorative under-cap panels (now painted in a single colour).

Flying gable to the projecting wing.

This features wide slatted eaves extending over a bay window. The face of the gable is finished in roughcast render with a decorative pattern of curved, vertical and diagonal timber battens.

Varied fenestration and doors.

Bay window to the projecting wing.

Each of the three principal faces of the bay has a single casement window, set under a highlight fitted with small square panes of coloured glass. At the base of the windows there is a continuous projecting moulded sill over a decorative under-sill panel.

French doors opening onto the verandah from the main front room.

Main entrance door.

In this case the relatively modest nature of the house is illustrated by the use of a single width entrance, with no sidelights. This has been fitted with a three-panelled door, set under a traditional highlight fitted with a stained glass panel.

Front verandah.



This abuts the projecting wing and extends across the remainder of the façade. It has a dropped, bullnose roof, turned timber posts, and deep arched valance panels fitted with square balusters. The verandah floor is finished with a traditional pattern of tessellated tiles.

The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low, rendered masonry wall with rendered masonry posts and low timber picket infill panels.

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


City of Subiaco Rate Books, 1903-1909 (information provided by the City of Subiaco, September 2014)







Lot 15

Other Names: Muresk (house name used as part of the address for Frederick and Blanche Tipping in the Electoral Roll of 1910)

Photograph

Construction date


Federation Queen Anne (in a modest suburban interpretation of the style)



Note: The rendering of the main façade and the modification of the roofline to incorporate second storey additions have significantly impacted on the authenticity and traditional character of the place. However, the underlying form is still recognisable.

The place is also of some local historical significance as the first house to be built in this street.



On 30 May 1902, Lot 15 was transferred to Frederick Samuel Herbert Tipping (clerk), who also purchased the adjoining Lot 16 in July 1902. Frederick, who had married Blanche Eleanor Allen in that year, built a house on Lot 15 and they lived here until c.1916, when the following advertisement was placed in the “To Let” column of The West Australian:

Five-roomed Brick HOUSE, all conveniences, 8 Duke-st., Subiaco. F. Tipping, Government Printing Office.



8 Duke Street was then occupied by at least three different families until c.1921 when Harry Edmund Hunt (cabinet maker) took up residence. Towards the end of his tenure, in 1927, the property appears to have been offered for sale:

SUBIACO: Brick House, 5 rooms, dining room 16 x 14, back verandah 20 x 10 minute tram. 8 Duke-st.

It then had at least two more relatively short-term occupants before 1933, when it became the home of Walter Adam Grier (clerk) and his wife, Florence, who remained here until Walter’s death in 1949.

Note: Walter and Florence Grier had previously lived at 7 Duke Street (c.1919-1927) and 11 Duke Street (c.1928-1932), making them long-term residents of the street.


1903-1916 Frederick Samuel Herbert Tipping, clerk, Government Printing Office

1916-1918 Frederick Matthew Oliver, wickerworker 1919 Robert Hardingham 1920 Albert Barker 1921-1927 Harry Edmund Hunt, cabinet maker 1928 Mrs Kate Cocks 1929-1932 William Kirby 1933-1949 Walter Adam Grier, clerk

Historical Photograph

8 Duke Street in the 1950s. Source: Duke Street Conservation Area (Ian Hocking Associates, 1988)


The underlying form indicates that 8 Duke Street was designed as modest, single storey, Federation Queen Anne house, but much of the traditional detailing has been modified by later alterations.


Asymmetrical plan, in this case simply articulated by a projecting wing on the eastern side of the main façade.

Rendered walls (formerly tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade).




The roofscape has been extensively modified by the construction of second storey rooms. The windows of these additions have been expressed as a stepped pair of south-facing cross-gables at the apex of the original hipped roof.

The remaining chimney has been raised in height as part of the modification of the overall roofline.

Plain rendered gable over the projecting wing.

Bay window to the projecting wing, capped by a raked, three-panel, roof clad with flat metal sheets.

This bay has a single, tall, rectangular opening to each of the three principal faces.

Front verandah.

This abuts the projecting wing and extends across the remainder of the façade. It has a dropped, bullnose roof, one plain square timber post and no decorative detailing.

Under the verandah the main entrance door is located adjacent to the projecting wing. Consistent with the relatively modest nature of the house this has a single width entrance, with a highlight but no sidelights.

Opening onto the centre of the verandah, from the main front room, there is a tall double hung window (with the sill set just above the verandah floor).

The house is set back approximately 4.5m from the front boundary, which is defined by a rendered masonry wall with rendered masonry posts and timber picket infill panels. Together with the mature shrubs in the front garden this partly conceals the house from casual streetscape views.



City of Subiaco Rate Books (information provided by the City of Subiaco, September 2014)




The West Australian, 13 November 1916, p 10 (trove.nal.gov.au)

The West Australian, 4 January 1927, p 3 (trove.nal.gov.au)

Various other newspaper notices relating to 8 Duke Street, Subiaco. (trove.nal.gov.au)




Lot 16

Photograph

Construction date


Modest post-WWI House

This house does not clearly represent any of the major architectural styles.



Note: Some elements have been modified as part of ongoing maintenance and conservation, but the underlying design as a modest, post-WWI house is still clearly recognisable.



On 16 July 1902, Lot 16 was transferred to Frederick Samuel Herbert Tipping - who had also purchased the Lot 15 (adjoining) in May 1902. Frederick, who had married Blanche Eleanor Allen in that year, built a house on lot 15 (#8) and lived there until c.1915, when the family moved to Gosnells.

The first entry for 10 Duke Street in the Post Office Directories dates from 1918, when a Richard Lynas was listed at this address. The house was listed as ‘vacant’ for the next two years, occupied together with #8 by Harry Hunt in 1921 and then not listed at all in 1922.

It is not clear what was happening on the site during that period but, from c.1923, 10 Duke Street became the long-term family home of Hurbert Stanlake Trotman and his wife, Ellen Maude Trotman (nee Nankivell). At that time their children, Cyril, Hilda and Gladys, were 22, 19 and 10 years old respectively and the younger two, at least, lived here with their parents for some time.



Hubert Trotman had settled in Perth after taking up the position of Chief Land Tax Assessor for the Taxation Department in WA in 1921, prior to which he had worked for a number of years as a district inspector in farming areas for the Lands Department.

In his younger days (in the period 1894-1910) Trotman had participated in a number of exploration and survey expeditions into the interior of the state, commencing with a Government survey of the area between Coolgardie to Mount Magnet (when he was 19 years old). Other expeditions included the 1902 survey of the Rabbit Proof Fence and the 1906 Canning survey of a stock route from Wiluna to Halls Creek (on which he was appointed second in command).

Trotman retired from the Taxation Department in 1933, at which time it was announced that he planned to undertake “an extensive holiday in Europe”. Ellen Trotman died in June 1950 and Hurbert had left 10 Duke Street prior to 1958.

Occupants of the property from its time of construction until the early to mid 1950s included:

1918 Richard Lynas, clerk 1919-1920 Vacant 1921 Harry Hunt (shown for 8-10 Duke Street) 1922 - 1923-pre-1958 Hurbert Stanlake Trotman, Chief Land Tax Assessor, Taxation

Department (retiring in 1933)


10 Duke Street is a simple, single storey, early post-WWI suburban residence which does not clearly represent any of the major architectural styles.


A prominent gabled wing on the western side of the main façade and a deep porch on the eastern side.

Roughcast rendered walls to the main façade and painted face brick walls to the sides.

Note: The change to the texture of the render below window sill height suggests that the house may have originally had a contrasting face-brick skirt across the base of the main façade (which would have been consistent with the design). However, this may also simply reflect repairs to the lower sections to the wall.

Gabled-hipped roof clad with clay tiles.

This roof extends in a broken back alignment over the front porch. The leading edge then extends partway across the face of the gabled wing, forming a raked awning over the front windows.

Single, rough-cast rendered, chimney towards the rear of the house.

Wide gable over the projecting wing, decorated with vertical timber battens.

Deep front porch with the entrance framed by a pair of low, face-brick walls (now painted). These walls support square timber verandah posts, which are paired in a simple geometric design.

Set of three casement windows to the projecting wing, set over a moulded and rendered sill.

Set of three casement windows facing onto the front porch, set in a plain rectangular opening (with no moulded sill).



The house is set back approximately 4.5m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low, rusticated-stone wall (now painted). Unlike the other houses along this side of the street this incorporates a driveway entrance, which leads to a flat-roofed carport abutting the eastern side of the house.

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






Various newspaper notices relating to10 Duke Street and/or its occupants. (trove.nal.gov.au)




Lot 17

Photograph

Construction date


Weatherboard House

Note: This house does not clearly represent any of the major architectural styles.


Considerable contribution to the heritage values of the area

Note: The external character, finishes and detailing of this place appear to be largely consistent with its original design.



On 18 June 1903, Lot 17 was transferred to Agnes Jane Priddeth, who at that time was living in Lawler Street, Subiaco, with her husband, Charles Henry Priddeth, a cabinet maker (both formerly from Victoria). An advertisement placed by ‘Priddeth, Duke St., Subiaco’ appeared in The West Australian in October 1904, and in 1905 the Subiaco Rates Books listed a house on the block in the name of ‘A. Priddeth’. According to the Rates Books the Prideth’s sold the property to J Guy (grocer) in c.1906 and the Victorian Electoral Rolls confirm that Agnes and Charles returned to Victoria at about this time.

The new owner/occupiers were James Theophilus Guy and his wife, Amelia Mary Guy. James was a dairy produce merchant and later served as a Subiaco councillor (from 1912) and Mayor of Subiaco (1915-1916). In 1911 James purchased a block of land at 88 Heytesbury Road and the family had moved to a new house on that site by 1912.

The next occupants of 12 Duke Street were William Arthur Harrison (storeman) and his wife Elizabeth Susan Harrison. Elizabeth died in January 1915 (aged only 29 years), at which time it was recorded that she was the sister of Mrs T Guy (Amelia).



William was still living here (with a Christina Harrison) when the house was advertised for sale in December 1926:

SUBIACO: 1 min. from tram, 5 large rooms, vestibule, f. and back verandah, enamel bath, granolithic paths and lawns, all in excellent condition. 12 Duke-st., Subiaco. No agents.

12 Duke Street then became the family home of Thomas Henry Cartwright (an engine driver) and his wife, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Cartwright died in June 1930 and in 1931 Thomas was living in the house with his adult daughters, Alma and Julia (both dressmakers), and youngest daughter, Verna (who was only 11 years old at that time).

By the early 1940s William had retired and moved to Wembley, after which 12 Duke Street was occupied by Louis Gordon Rhodes (a postman) and his wife, Violet Daphne Rhodes, who remained here until the late 1960s.


1905 Charles Henry Priddeth, cabinet maker 1906-1911 James Theophilus Guy, grocer and dairy produce merchant 1912-1926 William Arthur Harrison, storeman 1927 Vacant 1928-1941 Thomas Henry Cartwright, engine driver 1942-c.1967 Louis Gordon Rhodes, postman


12 Duke Street does not represent any particular architectural style, although its form, and the treatment of its window and door openings, have direct similarities with many of the modest Queen Anne style brick houses built in Subiaco during the Federation era.


Rusticated weatherboard cladding to the main façade and square-edged weatherboard cladding to the side walls.


Two rendered chimneys with corbelled caps.

Projecting wing on the western side of the main facade.

Gable end over the projecting wing, finished with roughcast render and vertical timber battens.

Gable boards decorated with timber “buttons” at the bottom and framed by a small scalloped metal flashing along the roof line.

Front verandah abutting the projecting wing and extending across the remainder of the façade.

This has a dropped, bullnose roof supported by chamfered square timber posts with simple timber ‘capitals”.

Varied fenestration and doors.

Two double hung window set under a continuous raked awning to the face of the projecting wing.

Main entrance door with a single sidelight and highlights (fitted with stained glass panels).

French doors opening onto the verandah from the main front room (also fitted with stained glass panels).



Traditional moulded timber architraves.

The font of the house is set back approximately 2.5m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low timber fence with plain rectangular pickets capped by a timber rail.

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






The West Australian, 9 December 1926, p 3 (trove.nal.gov.au)

Various other newspaper notices relating to 12 Duke Street and/or its occupants. (trove.nal.gov.au)


Duke Street Conservation Area - southern side: 3-11 Duke Street November 2014

Southern Side of the Street: 3-11 Duke Street




Lot 22

Photograph

Construction date

c.1980s


No contribution to the heritage values of the area



In 1903 the Subiaco Rates Books listed the owner of Lot 21 (and Lot 22) as A. Hodgkinson, at which time the site was still vacant. A house, occupied by Ada Hodgkinson (widow), had been built by 1905, but it was not until 23 October 1906 that the title for Lots 21 and 22 was transferred into her name. Early Metropolitan Sewerage Scheme Plans show that Mrs Hodginson had built a small galvanized iron and timber cottage, set well back from the Duke Street frontage, abutting the eastern boundary.

Ada Hodgkinson lived here until c.1913, after which there was a relatively high turn-over of occupants, with eight different residents listed in the Post Office Directories from 1914 to 1949.

By 1951 the property was jointly owned by two brothers-in-law, Sam Rifici and Domenic Errichetti and from that time it was rented by a newly arrived migrant family by the name of Evangelisti. The rent was a very high proportion of the family’s income, so for some time 3 Union Street was shared with another migrant family who had arrived on the same ship. Mr Evangelisti later purchased the house and undertook considerable maintenance to replace termite damaged timbers – although it still remained a very simple and basic cottage.



The original cottage was demolished and the present house built by one of Mr Evangelisti’s children in 1981.




Letter to the City of Subiaco from Mrs L. Schiavitti (nee Evangelisti), dated 30 October 2014.

Locate WA – historic aerial photography (www.locate.wa.gov.au)




Lot 21

Photograph

Construction date


Inter-war Suburban House







In 1903 the Subiaco Rates Books listed the owner of Lots 21 and 22 as A. Hodgkinson, at which time the site was still vacant. A house, occupied by Ada Hodgkinson (widow), had been built on Lot 21 (3 Duke Street) by 1905, but it was not until 23 October 1906 that the title for Lots 21 and 22 was transferred into her name.

The double block was offered for sale in 1921:

TO Builders, Small Cottage, 4 rooms, sleep-out, etc., frontage 40ft. and block 40ft. adjoining, £550, terms. 3 Duke-st, Subiaco.

The first listing for 5 Duke Street in the Post Office Directories was in 1925, when a new house had been occupied by George John Sawyer (salesman) and his wife, Georgina (nee Girvan). George had served with the armed forces in France during WWI and information provided by a former neighbour of the Sawyer family notes that the house was built with the assistance of a War Service loan.

George and Georgina (who had married in 1923) had three children who grew up in this house - John, Betty and William (Bill).



George died on 15 June 1947 (aged 50 years) and at that time it was reported that he was a former employee of the Singer Sewing Machine Company - which explains the many newspaper advertisements for sewing machines that reference this address in the period June 1925 until January 1947. Georgina remained in the house with her son, Bill, until about the time of her death in 1980.


5 Duke Street is a standard early Inter-War era suburban house decorated with elements loosely derived from the California Bungalow style. Key elements include:

Asymmetrical plan, with prominent north and east facing wings linked by a large corner verandah.

Tuck-pointed face-brick skirt to the main façades, capped by a projecting brick stringcourse at mid-wall height. Above this level the walls are roughcast rendered.

Gabled-hipped roof clad with terracotta tiles.

Low chimneys set towards the rear of the house.

Timber-framed, roughcast rendered gables to the projecting wings, each featuring a set 6 brick vents framed in the style of a popular Inter-War architrave. The sides of this frame taper towards the top and are capped by a shallow triangular head, which projects beyond the sides.

Below each gable there is a raked, tiled awning set over a bank of four casement windows with a projecting rendered sill.

Corner verandah. This is set under a raked roof, which extends in a broken-back alignment from the main roofline. The raked roof is supported on pairs of square timber posts with decorative timber panels linking the top of each pair. These posts are, in turn, supported on robust roughcast rendered piers.

Between these piers the verandah is semi-enclosed by a half-height face brick wall with a rendered cap.

Under the verandah the façade steps back twice, with the main entrance at the first setback. This features a typical high-waisted Inter-War style door, flanked by a single sidelight, with highlights over. At the second setback French doors open onto the verandah from the side wing.

The house is set back approximately 5m from the front boundary, which is defined by a scalloped timber picket fence.






The West Australian 3 September 1921 p 5 (trove.nal.gov.au)

Various newspaper other notices relating to 5 Duke Street, Subiaco and/or the Sawyer family (trove.nal.gov.au)

Letter to the City of Subiaco from Mrs L. Schiavitti (nee Evangelisti), dated 30 October 2014.




Lot 20

Photograph

Construction date


Weatherboard Cottage

Note: This house does not represent any of the major architectural styles.






On 17 November 1903, Lot 20 was transferred to Helen Priestly and in that year the Subiaco Rates Books listed F.W. Priestly (plumber) as the owner/occupier of a house on this site. Francis Priestly and his wife, Helen, lived here until about 1905/06 when the property was sold to Arthur Lightfoot (electrician), who then lived in the house for a couple of years before renting it out in c.1909.

The first longer term resident was Samuel Taylor (cook), who lived at 7 Duke Street from 1912 with his wife, Clara (who died in 1916) and at least two of their children - Clara Theresa Taylor (nurse) and William Maurice Taylor (clerk).

After the Taylors moved away in c.1919, 7 Duke Street was occupied by Walter Grier (clerk) and his wife, Florence until 1927. The Grier’s then moved to 11 Duke Street (c.1928-1932) and 8 Duke street (c.1933-1949) – which suggests that they were tenants rather than owner/occupiers. During at least part of this time Walter and Florence Grier would have shared these houses with their children Gwen, Walter (born 1912), Joyce (1915), Sylvia (1920) and Norma.



After at least five more relatively short-term occupants in the period 1928-1939, the Vawser family lived here until c.1945 (before moving across the road to 6 Duke Street). Harold Vawser, snr, was a specialist tradesman who was operating his own business in the early to mid 1940s under the name “H.L.Vawser and Sons, Surgical Instrument Manufacturers” (with business premises at 129 Murray Street ).

The last occupants for the first half of the twentieth century were a couple who had retired from a farm in Woodanilling – Douglas Wilson (who died in 1949) and his wife Elizabeth Ann Wilson (who died in 1951).

Occupants of the property from its time of construction until 1951 included:

1903-1906 Francis Wheman Priestly, plumber 1907-1908 Arthur Allan Lightfoot, electrical engineer/manager 1909 Miss Mabel Adelaide Ilbery 1910-1911 ? 1912-1919 Samuel William Taylor, cook 1919-1927 Walter Adam Grier, clerk 1928-1929 Arthur Berry, engine driver 1930-c.1932 Mrs Nellie Armstrong 1932 Gerald Blaney-Murphy 1933-1936 Francis Perrier Bell, mariner 1936-1938 Albert Wheaton Manning, draper 1939-1945 Harold Lyall Vawser, surgical instrument maker 1946-1949 Douglas Wilson (a retired farmer, formerly of Woodanilling) 1949-1951 Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Wilson, widow


7 Duke Street was designed as a modest timber cottage with no overt architectural style. Key elements include:

Symmetrical façade.

Simple hipped roof clad with corrugated metal sheeting.

Face brick chimneys with simple corbelled detailing (set behind the alignment of the main ridgeline).

Rusticated weatherboards to the main façade and plain square edged weatherboards to the side walls.

Raked verandah roof extending across the full width of the main façade.

This is supported on chamfered square posts, with simple timber ‘capitals’ and carved timber brackets.

Central entrance door flanked by a single sidelight, with highlights over – all framed with moulded timber architraves.

A single double hung window with moulded timber architraves to each of the front rooms

The house is set back approximately 3m from the front boundary, which is defined by a low timber framed and crimped-wire panel fence.

Based on a streetscape inspection the building appears to be generally in good condition, although the cladding on the western side is showing some signs of deterioration.








Various newspaper notices relating to 7 Duke Street, Subiaco and its occupants (trove.nal.gov.au)




Lot 19

Other Names:

‘Highett’ (house name given when Daphne Booker married Henry Modgridge in February 1906)

‘Sunnyside’ (house name given when the property was offered for sale in 1922)

Photograph

Construction date


Federation Era Suburban House







On 10 September 1903, Lots 18 and 19 were transferred to Isabella Booker and the Subiaco Rates Books confirm that her husband, George Booker (whose occupation was variously listed as labourer or gardener), had built houses on both lots by 1905.

9 and 11 Duke Street were both offered for sale in April 1905, although they do not appear to have been sold until c.1909:

TWO FINE BRICK VILLAS. At Three P.M. Duke-street SUBIACO (close to Rokeby road Tram). CHAS. SOMMERS has been favored with instructions from the owner to SELL as above, Lots 18 and 19, of Sub. Lot 277, each having a frontage to Duke-street, Subiaco, of 40ft. x a depth of 137ft. to a r.o.w., upon which are erected two brick villas, each containing 6 large rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and washhouse, with



copper and troughs. This property is well situated, being within a stone's throw of the Rokeby road tram. The houses, which are let at £1 per week each, are faithfully built and well preserved. Inspection confidently invited.

In 1906 the Electoral Roll listed three people with the surname Booker in Duke Street – George Booker (labourer), Isabella (home duties) and their son, George Thorpe Booker (coach builder). The houses in Duke Street weren’t numbered in the Post Office Directories until 1913, but the order of the early listings suggests that they had taken up residence at #9. George and Isabella were still living here in February 1906, when their daughter, Daphne, married Henry Charles Modridge “at the residence of the bride’s parents, Highett, Duke-street, Subiaco”. Charles (a bricklayer) was the son of a local bricklayer/builder, Frederick George Mogridge and it therefore seems possible that the Mogridge family had been involved in the construction of these houses.

The available evidence indicates that the house was rented out in c.1907-08, re-occupied by George Booker in c.1909 and then sold to Fanny Elliott in that year.

In 1916, the Electoral Rolls listed Fannie (sic) Elliott and her son, John Bardoe Bowes Elliott (clerk), at this address.

The next advertisement found for the sale of 9 Duke Street was placed in June 1922 – which was at about the same time as Fanny and John moved to Barker Road, Subiaco:

A SUBIACO HOME. SUNNYSIDE. 9 DUKE-STREET. IN OUR ROOMS, SURREY CHAMBERS. NEXT THURSDAY, JUNE 15 At Three P.M. CECIL DENT, LTD., instructed by the owner, will SELL as above. The position is excellent, being within a minute of Rokeby-road tram and few minutes from King’s Park. The House is well built in brick and in good order. There are 4 main rooms, enclosed vestibule, kitchen, bathroom and pantry, with latticed front and back verandahs. The laundry is detached and contains built-in copper and troughs. The back portion of the land is sub-divided into poultry runs. Inspection is invited from those in search of a comfortable well situated home.

It may then have been used as a rental property until c.1926, when it appears to have been purchased by Herbert Tindal (plumber) and his wife Catherine Jane Tinal – who are known to have been in residence when they announced the birth of a daughter in July 1926. However, by 1932 the Tindal family had relocated to the Kalgoorlie district and the house was again rented out.

The first long-term residents of the place were William Charles Lucanus, snr (labourer) and his wife Emma Fisher Lucanus, who lived here from 1938 until c.1950. At the end of that period, in May 1950, the owner, Mrs Catherine Jane Tindal applied for repossession of the property:

Trembling badly and obviously very agitated, a woman had to be assisted from the witness box in Perth Local Court today. She is Mrs. Catherine Jane Tindal, who today sought repossession of her house in Duke-st, Subiaco, from tenant William Charles Lucanus. She was granted an order for possession by July 25, with liberty for Lucanus to apply for an extension. Mrs. Tindall said that she had been living in Kalgoorlie, had come to Perth to live because of her health. Lucanus had told her that she would never get him out of her house. Lucanus denied this, said he understood that Mrs. Tindal wanted to sell the house as she had twice put it in agent’s hands.

The Tindal family apparently retained ownership as the 1954 Electoral Roll listed Catherine Jane Tindal (home duties) and Dorothy Joan Tindal (stenographer) at this address. By 1958 Catherine’s husband, Herbert (retired), was also living here and they were all still in residence in 1963.




1905-1906 George Booker, labourer/gardener 1906-1907 Mrs Mary Vaughan 1908 James H Rundle 1909 George Booker, labourer 1909-1922 Fanny Elliott, housewife 1922 Andrew Kett 1924 Robert Andrew Thomson, mining engineer

1923-1925 Mrs Louisa Forster (home duties) Note: the above entry suggests that she may have taken in boarders

1926-1932 Herbert Tindal, plumber 1933-1936 Mrs Nellie Armstrong 1937 William George Renshaw, railway employee 1938- 1950 William Charles Lucanus, labourer c.1951-post 1962 Catherine Jane Tindal and family


9 Duke Street was designed as a simple, but well-built suburban brick house of the early twentieth century. Key elements include:



Brick chimney with a corbelled rendered cap (set behind the alignment of the main ridgeline).

Tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade with a contrasting rendered string course at window sill height.

Dropped, bull-nosed verandah roof extending across the full width of the main façade. This is supported on turned timber posts and features a small projecting gable over the main entry.

The face of this gable is roughcast rendered with a rendered shield motif at the centre.

Central entrance door flanked by a pair of sidelights, with highlights over.

Two double hung windows set over a continuous sill to each of the front rooms. These have pain surrounds, other than a curved, rendered, under-sill panel.

The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a scalloped picket fence.



City of Subiaco Rate Books (information provided by the City of Subiaco, Sept 2014)

Western Australian Post Office Directories (www.slaw.wa.gov.au)



The Daily News, 7 April 1905, p 7

Western Mail, 10 February 1906 p31

The Daily News, 23 May 1950, p 9

The West Australian, 10 June 1922, p 2



Various other newspaper notices relating to 9 Duke Street and its occupants. (trove.nal.gov.au)





Lot 18

Other Names: Bonnie Doon (references to “Bonnie Doon, Duke street” indicate that this name was in use in 1908. It was also used in the 1913 Electoral Roll as part of the address for Robert Milne)

Photograph

Construction date


Federation Era Suburban House







On 10 September 1903, Lots 18 and 19 were transferred to Isabella Booker and the Subiaco Rates Books confirm that her husband, George Booker, had built houses on both lots by 1905.

9 and 11 Duke Street were both offered for sale in April 1905, although they do not appear to have been sold until c.1909:

TWO FINE BRICK VILLAS. At Three P.M. Duke-street SUBIACO (close to Rokeby road Tram). CHAS. SOMMERS has been favored with instructions from the owner to SELL as above, Lots 18 and 19, of Sub. Lot 277, each having a frontage to Duke-street, Subiaco, of 40ft. x a depth of 137ft. to a r.o.w., upon which are erected two brick villas, each containing 6 large rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and washhouse, with copper and troughs. This property is well situated, being within a stone's throw of the Rokeby road tram. The houses, which are let at £1 per week each, are faithfully



built and well preserved. Inspection confidently invited.

In 1906, George and Isabella’s daughter, Daphne, married Henry Charles Modridge, a bricklayer who was the son of a local builder/bricklayer, Frederick George Mogridge. It therefore seems possible that the Mogridge family were involved in the construction of these houses.

The houses in Duke Street weren’t numbered in the Post Office Directories until 1913, but the available evidence confirms that the house was initially rented out.

In 1909 the Subiaco Rates Books listed the new owner as Lena Gago (or Gage). After this time, 11 Duke Street continued to have a high turner-over of occupants and it was certainly being used as a rental property in 1931:

SUBIACO Brick House, 11 Duke-st, four rooms, kitchen, vestibule, 1 min. tram, two bus routes, rent 23/. Apply 114 Rokeby-rd., Subiaco.

In 1939 it finally became a long-term family home, when it was occupied by Frank Herman Julius Grosser (carpenter) and his wife Regina Meta Grosser. Frank died in 1966, but Regina was still living here in 1972.


1905 Emily Elizabeth Saunders, saleswoman 1906 Maurice Moore 1907 Harry Batchelor 1908 James Glencross, contractor 1909-1911 Samuel Plowman Day, plumber 1912-1914 Robert Milne, gardener 1915 William James Wright 1916 Otto Benjamin Nenke, piano expert 1917 William Turner 1918 Cecil Jacobs 1919-1924 Ernest Taylor 1925-1926 Alexander James Farrell, carpenter/builder

1927 Richard Hilton 1928-1932 Walter Adam Grier, clerk 1933-1937 William Charles Lucanus, labourer 1938 Mrs Ethel Sutton 1939-post 1971 Frank Herman Julius Grosser, carpenter (until at least 1963) and

Regina Meta Grosser (until at least 1972)


11 Duke Street was designed as a simple, but well-built suburban brick house of the early twentieth century.




Brick chimney with a corbelled rendered cap (set behind the main ridgeline).

Tuck-pointed brickwork to the main façade with a contrasting rendered string course at window sill height.

Dropped, bull-nosed verandah roof extending across the full width of the main façade. This is supported on turned timber posts and features arched frieze panels.

Central entrance door flanked by a pair of sidelights, with highlights over.



Two double hung windows set over a continuous sill to each of the front rooms. These have pain surrounds other than a curved, rendered, under-sill panel.

The house is set back approximately 4m from the front boundary, which is defined by a scalloped picket fence.






The Daily News, 7 April 1905, p 7

The West Australian, 17 November 1931, p 2 (trove.nal.gov.au)

Various other newspaper notices relating to 11 Duke Street and its occupants (trove.nal.gov.au)

heritage assessment 2-26 duke street, subiaco

Documents