Heathcote Hospital Precinct (fmr), Applecross

Statement of Significance

Heathcote Hospital is significant on the following grounds:

Aesthetic Value: A cohesive group of buildings with a clock tower highlighting it's prominent position on the foreshore.

Social Value: The choice of the site was made on the basis that its attractive environment would be therapeutic for the patients.

Authenticity: The buildings are intact.

Historic Value: Site named after midshipman Heathcote who was a member of Stirling's exploration party up the Swan River. Considered as possible site for the capital city for the infant colony in 1829.

Physical Description

The original buildings, with the exception of the Nurses’ Quarters and the Water Tower, are single-storey and constructed in red brickwork with hipped terra cotta tiled roofs. Joinery is timber painted white, with windows generally in six-light balance-hung sashes. Verandas are provided to shelter the interiors, to act as transitional spaces between indoors and outdoors, and as useful spaces for the residents. Decoration, where it does occur, is constrained. There is no decorative woodwork except to timber brackets supporting hoods to the projecting pavilion of the earliest buildings. Flush solider courses, in face brick walls above and below openings, simple projecting courses to chimneys, arched motifs to the parapets of central pavilions and ventilation cupolas on the centre point of the roof to the earlier buildings, provide the only decorative relief to what is otherwise a simple pallet of single-storey, restrained, domestic buildings for residential and administrative use. The Kitchen Block is faithful to the same architectural vocabulary, and includes a functional glazed roof-light over the central space.

The style of the earliest buildings is undistinguished, demonstrating a progression of building form which development out of a rejection of the exuberance of the Edwardian and Federation style through the economics of modernism and the Wars. These buildings are representative of institutional design in the 1920s and 1930s. The architectural merit of the earlier buildings derives from their consistency of materials and elements in the context of a garden environment.

Notwithstanding the abuses to which some buildings have been subjected, they provide externally, through the use of verandas and garden spaces between and around buildings, an ambiance which is commendable and not to be found in the more recent buildings dating from the 1960s.

The Water Tower is a landmark building, critical to the overall development and distinguishable from spaces between buildings on the site as well as from vistas across the river. This Tower is a masterly piece of design and a rare element of significance in the architectural development of the Hospital.

The more recent buildings vary substantially in architectural character from the original buildings and from each other. They present no significant architectural or environmental character, but identify as deterioration in the built environment of the Hospital.

The original Nurses’ Quarters on the southern periphery of the Hospital are a two-storey red brick building, sympathetic in character with the Hospital buildings. A modern addition detracts from the simple and representative character of the original building. The Nurses’ Quarters are not included in Heathcote.

History

Prior to European settlement, the Heathcote area was known by the indigenous Beeliar people as “Kooyagoordup” – the place of the “Kooya”, a species of frog – as permanent lookout, fishing and camping ground. From the 1840s, Point Heathcote was used for grazing horses and cattle. In the 1890s, Alexander Matheson subdivided the surrounding area for residential development with the Point remaining as original bushland.

Point Heathcote was one of the landing and cap sites of Captain James Stirling during his exploration of the Swan River in 1827. His intention was to assess the potential of the district for settlement. At this time, although there was no subsequent report of its condition, a garden was planted at the site to assess soil productivity. This was one of several experimental plantings made by the party of whom the Colonial Government botanist, Charles Fraser, was a member. Point Heathcote was named after Midshipman G. C Heathcote, said to have been the first European to land there.

Following the decision to establish a Colony of free settlers, Point Heathcote was favourably considered as the site of capital city in 1829. However, Stirling explained to the Permanent Under Secretary for the Colonies, R. W. Hay, he had chosen the Perth site as it was well timbered, had good water and better facilitated communication between the capital and both agriculturalists on the Upper Swan and commercial interests at the port of Fremantle.

The Point Heathcote Reception Centre was designed in 1926 under the direction of W. B. Hardwick, the Government Architect. The Centre, situated on twenty-three acres of land at the junction of the Swan and Canning Rivers was commenced departmentally in 1926-27 and provided for seventy-six patients, thirty-eight of each sex. The need for a new facility had arisen due to the conditions at Claremont, where overcrowding, the enclosed surroundings and the increasing number of patients had rendered Claremont unsuitable for all cases of mental ill-health. A section of the Lunacy Act allowed for voluntary patients, but this section was seldom used, as patients did not volunteer to enter an institution such as Claremont.

In 1924, after a report on the inadequacies of facilities, it was decided that a new reception centre should be provided. Eight hectares of land had been purchased from the Catholic Church in 1923 for this purpose. The Christian Brothers had secured the land in 1918 with the intention of establishing a boy’s school, using the land until 1923 as a holiday retreat.

Heathcote was described as a ‘home for the reception of recoverable patients, and not for senile, epileptic, or mentally deficient patients’. Thus the use of Heathcote for recoverable patients implied that those who went to Claremont were not recoverable, and this policy had a bad effect on Claremont for some fifty years.

The Water Tower (now Clock Tower) was designed in 1928, by Principal Architect Tait, successor to Hardwick. Point Heathcote Reception Home was completed by early 1929. The official opening ceremony was conducted by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Robert McMillan, on 22nd February, 1929.

A new treatment block (Swan house) was added in 1940, for a further twenty-six patients, designed by the Government Architect, A. E. Clare, and marked a change in the style and pattern of development. More recent buildings, dating from 22nd February 1962 include Avon House (1972), the Occupational Therapy Buildings and the Hall. These have had different programmatic requirements due to changes in the nature of the services provided by Heathcote. Post-war development did not attempt to reflect the style, character, typology or site planning principles of the earlier development.

Heathcote finally closed in 1994 and discussions began in 1997 between Government and the City of Melville to restore the place and use the site for community purposes.

Integrity/Authenticity

Modifications: Some
Extent of Original Fabric: Much

Condition

Sound

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.