House

Statement of Significance

The place at 6 Vancouver Street has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is a fine example of a Victorian Georgian cottage residence that was built concurrently with 8, 10 and 12 Vancouver Street making these cottages a unique group and among the first residences to be built in Vancouver Street.
The place is associated with the Muir family a prominent and well-known family of Albany.
The place is one of a group of houses/buildings in the historically important Vancouver Street that have heritage value both individually and as part of a streetscape.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Elevated above road level
• Set close to road - high streetscape value
• Rendered, painted brick construction
• Symmetrical facade
• Bay window on either side of centrally located door
• Each bay has three timber framed double hung sash windows
• Leadlight window over front door
• Hipped corrugated iron roof
• Cement verandah floor
• Timber verandah posts
• Two tall chimneys with moulded capping

Some obvious modifications include:
• New verandah with separate roof replacing original skillion broken back verandah, with timber balustrading and posts and timber steps replacing concrete steps
• Stone and iron picket infill front wall replacing timber picket fence
• External colour scheme

History

The place at 6 Vancouver Street is located on original Town Lot 185 as is the house at 8 Vancouver Street. It is thought that the four houses in a row being Nos 6-12 Vancouver St were built by the same family for their children.

The design was copied with some minor variations with 6 and 8 almost identical and 10 and 12 (on Lot 184) almost identical suggesting the cottages may have all been built by the same contractor. A panorama photograph of Albany dated 1889 shows these cottages as constructed and well established.

Town Lot 185 was allocated to Francis Thomas Gregory, one of the two famous Gregory brothers who were mid 19th century surveyors in WA. The block was sub-divided in 1883, with the southern half on Vancouver Street and containing No. 6 and No. 8 being sold to Edward Hume Innis, who was a telegraph operator. At that time Albany was well-connected to Perth and to South Australia by telegraph. The north side of Lot 185 had street frontage to Grey Street.

The next owner in 1883 was Mrs Mary Muir who was the wife of Robert Muir who later became an Albany mayor and a J P. In 1904, after Muir’s death, his widow sold the house at No. 6 to Catherine Dodge (nee Muir) who owned it until 1946 when it was sold to Lily Ruth Thompson.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity:High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

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.