House, 118 Kenny Street

Statement of Significance

• This place has aesthetic value for its demonstration of Federation styling.
• The place has historic value for its association with the development of this area of Bassendean in the Inter War period.
• This place has social value as the house demonstrates the form and scale of housing for working families in the inter war period.

Physical Description

Single storey timber framed and weatherboard house with hipped roof. The property sits in an elevated position with brick retaining wall to the garden boundary and a further retaining wall underneath the verandah. A steep concrete driveway extends along the southern boundary of the site. The property presents as a traditional weatherboard house with an asymmetrical façade incorporating three sets of timber framed casement windows with frosted glass and each with 4-pane highlight above.The entrance door is flanked by side lights and solid panels with fanlights to each of the three sections of the door ensemble.
The roof is hipped with small gablets to the ridge, reclad in colorbond and continues down with a break of pitch to form the skillion verandah canopy. Brick chimneys project from the roof adjacent to the gablets on the north side of the roof. The verandah canopy is supported on square timber posts with a simple cross timber balustrade spanning between the posts and a timber frieze directly under the fascia and canopy. The deck is timber. A single storey addition has been constructed towards the rear of the house on the south elevation and is of
similar construction.

History

This portion of Bassendean was subdivided by a group of investors in the early 1900s under the promotional name of 'Tanner's Estate' or the 'Tanner's Extension Estate'. The group of investors included some of the most well-known members of colonial society: S.H. Parker, G.H. Leake, H. Anstey, Dr D. Kenny, J. James, J. Grave, H.E. Parry, Dr. J. Hope and W. Paterson. Three of these men; Parker, Leake and Paterson; were at various times members of parliament. Kenny Street was named after Dr Daniel Kenny (1860-1915), born in Ireland
and trained as a medical doctor at Trinity College; he achieved several prominent postings in medical, political and business life in Western Australia. The street began to be settled in the 1910s with most intense development in the Inter War period. From the available information this residence was constructed c1916 for Fred Wright (c1889-1966) and his wife Amy Wright, née Stevens (c1889-1976). Fred and Amy Wright married in 1912 and lived at the residence
until the mid-1960s. Fred Wright was a joiner by trade and it is possible he had some involvement in the construction of this residence. Aerial photographs indicate that the form and extent of the residence have changed little since the mid- 1960s.

Integrity/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.