Terrace Houses and Shop

Values

The place has high aesthetic value as a good example of a building comprising a corner shop and attached terraced housing in the Federation free Classical style with very fine detailing.

The place is a landmark in East Fremantle.

The place is associated with the development of the Plympton area of East Fremantle.

The place has associations with the Pearse family.

The place has rarity value as a fine example of its type (shop and terraced housing) located in a suburb.

Physical Description

The place comprises a corner shop, with a truncated corner entry and display window to King Street, and 7 terrace residences. The place is single storey and is of re brick construction with stucco banding and features. The terrace houses have high gable roofs which clearly delineate each individual component.. The gables feature bargeboards which frame statuary niches. There are bull nosed verandahs to the front and high chimneys punctuate the skyline.

History

The discovery of gold in the Kimberley and Murchison regions in the 1880s and the Eastern Goldfields in the 1890s had a significant impact on the development of Western Australia. Fremantle was transformed as a result of the gold boom and the huge increase in population due to the goldrushes.

By the 1890s, East Fremantle had developed into two different areas. One of these was Richmond, an area of large landholdings belonging to Fremantle’s merchant elite, including the Moore and Easton families. The other area, Plympton, comprised primarily of the homes of workers and their families, with a high concentration of small blocks of land and timber and stone cottages.

Taking up most of Plympton was Swan Location 71, an area owned by Fremantle merchants, the Pearse family. The Pearse brothers recognised the increasing need for accommodation for workers and their families. As a result, the Pearse brothers subdivided their Plympton land, Swan Location 71, and, targeting Fremantle’s workers, offered the smaller blocks of land for sale.

Minor research to date indicates that George Street Mews was erected in 1905/1906 for owner Thomas Ryan. It appears that Ryan operated the business from the corner shop, which at the time was described as a ‘confectionary’.

The shop appears to have continued to operate up to at least the 1990s.

Integrity/Authenticity

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.