Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club

Statement of Significance

The stone, brick timber and iron former Keane's residence, nowthe
Royal Freshwater Bat Yacht Club, has cultural significancebecause:
it has historical associations with Edward and Lilla.Keane (he was a
Mayor of Perth), the State Garden's Board and the Royal Freshwater
Yacht Club;
the Yacht Club from its founding days had social associations with
many prominent members of the Peppermint Grove community;
the Keane's Point location retains public access to this major
topographical feature of the Swan River;
it is part of a cultural group & an important townscape area.

The form of the Yacht Club has been developed without a strategic
overview and the fabric of the original Keane's residence has been largely
subsumed into the larger Yacht Club premises. The site is magnificent
being one of the notable points in the Swan River estuary.
Parts of the original building can still be discerned, but there has been
extensive additions, adaptations and refurbishments which have confused
the story of the site's development. The original residence was built with a
partly raised ground floor for family and social purposes, with a lower
ground floor for service purposes.
Enjoyed by a large number of the Peppermint Grove community.
Contributes to the community's social development. Considerable social
significance

The Yacht Club and Boatsheds form a cultural group
Keane's Point, the yacht Club and Boatsheds are the focus of the suburb's
public open space which includesthe foreshore and Manners Hill Park.
The adaptation of a pioneering family's residence and site for a Yacht
Club is rare within Perth.
The growth of the Yacht Club can be seen to reflect the changing fortunes
and expectations of the local community involved in sailing.

Physical Description

A single-storey bungalow with wrap around verandahs constructed as the residence of Edward & Lilla Keane. Style is somewhere between the earlier Victorian Regency style and later Federation Queen Anne style. Evidence of the original residence is particularly evident at the south elevation, including rock faced limestone walls, corrugated iron roofs, and distinctive cross-braced balustrading to the verandahs, which originally surrounded the house. There are may additions to the residence, including a second storey section.
Keane used a 'very old' stone building (prob. c.1860s-70s) in Lilla St as his stables, and later this became Cuffe's Tearooms. It is not known if this building remains.

History

Probably the earliest extant residence in Peppermint Grove, constructed very soon after the area was subdivided in 1891. After World War One the place was a veterans' refuge, and then in the 1920s a commercial hostel. From 1930 for several years the State Gardens Board leased the house as a rest home and refreshment rooms. Since 1936 the place has been used by the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (founded 1896).

Edward and Lil1a Keane and family were among the first to build
permanent homes in Peppermint Grove in the 1890's. In 1891, the year
the Keane's purchased what came to be known as 'Keane's Point', Edward
Keane was Mayor of Perth. By 1930 the Keane estate had come under the
control of the State Garden's Board, and in June 1936 the Royal
Freshwater Bay Yacht Club leased the premises from the Government. It
was then that the Yacht Club added a second storey to the residence. The
Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club was formed as a 'Boating Club' in 1896
with Edward Keane as its Captain. It became a 'yacht club' in 1903. and
received its Royal Charter in 1934. The Yacht Club was a popular
institution among Peppermint Grove residents and had a junior division for
the local youth. Considerable historical significance. The site may have
aboriginal significances.

Integrity/Authenticity

Modifications: Extensive additions, adaptations and refurbishments

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.