House, 13 Carey Street

Statement of Significance

Medical Office, 13 Carey Street, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

• The place, as part of a group of four houses (No. 13, 15, 16, 18 Carey Street), collectively help to represent the character of early residential development close to the business centre of Bunbury.
• The place has aesthetic significance as a representative example of a Federation era dwelling.
• The place is representative of the trend to convert early residential buildings into commercial premises.

Physical Description

Medical Office, 13 Carey Street, is a single storey brick building with a corrugated steel hip roof, designed in the Federation Bungalow style of architecture.

The hip roof has a rendered and face brick chimney with a second smooth rendered chimney set to the rear. The street elevation is Flemish bond, face brick above a stone foundation. The side walls are rendered. The building has a front lean-to verandah supported by square timber columns with a tiled concrete base.

The four-paneled timber framed front door has sidelights and highlights. The front door is flanked by timber framed double hung windows.

The place is enclosed to the front by a timber picket fence with tall timber posts. A concrete entry ramp with steel balustrades leads towards the front door. To the rear is a timber weatherboard lean-to with an attached verandah. There is a mature tree to the front verge.

The mixed use streetscape has commercial and professional suites.

History

At the beginning of the 1890s, Bunbury had a population of only 572. By the end of that decade, the population had risen to 2,970 – reflecting the rate of increase experienced by the colony as a whole following the discovery of significant gold deposits. This was matched by improvements in infrastructure, including the opening of the Perth to Bunbury railway line in 1893 and significant development of the port. From this time on the town developed not only as an important regional centre, but also as a seaside tourist resort. Despite the adverse impact of war and depression, Bunbury continued to experience residential and business development during the Inter-War era, and the population reached around 6,000 in 1939. The ongoing development and consolidation of the town over time continues to be reflected in its local heritage places.

An early twentieth century photographic view over Bunbury shows a building at 5 Victoria Street (known to have been constructed in 1903), while the site of 13 Carey Street is still vacant. The latter had been developed by c.1910, when a similar photograph clearly shows a building corresponding to the form and position of the current house (noting that the place appears to have originally had a bull-nosed verandah).

The Sinclair family were long-term residents of Carey Street and are known to have moved into the street at some stage between 1906 and 1910. Members of the family living here included John Thomas Sinclair, his wife Eleanor, and at least some of their 9 children (born c.1889-1908).

At the time of his retirement, it was reported that John Sinclair had worked for the Harbours and Lights Department from 1900-1933, serving as coxswain of Bunbury’s pilot boat for 33 years and as the main lighthouse keeper from 1918.

In a newspaper notice in 1919 the Sinclair family home in Carey Street was referred to as ‘Ellensdale,’ and in the Electoral Rolls of the late 1920s, some members of the family were more specifically identified as residents of 8 Carey Street (now known as 13 Carey Street).

John and Eleanor’s daughter, Stella Jane Sinclair (c.1907-1991) remained at 13 Carey Street for much of her life.

In 1936, Bunbury underwent a major reallocation of street numbers which resulted in the property changing from 8 Carey Street to its present address of 13 Carey Street.

Aerial imagery suggests that the place was converted to a commercial premises in c.2007 with the backyard being converted to a bitumen parking lot. Since c.2015, the place has been utilised as the medical office of the 'Sleep and Snore Solutions'.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Medium
Authenticity: Medium
Date of survey: 2/01/2022

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.