Albany Railway Station & Bond Store

Author

City of Albany

Place Number

03262

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Location

43-77 Proudlove Pde Albany

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Bonded Store, Luggage Room
Customs Bonded Warehouse
Local Studies
Railway Institute, Tourist Bureau

Local Government

Albany

Region

Great Southern

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	27 Oct 2020
State Register	Registered	11 Aug 2009	Register Entry Assessment Documentation	Heritage Council

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Classified by the National Trust	Classified	14 Oct 2002			National Trust of Western Australia
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	30 Jun 2001	Category B	Category B • Requires a high level of protection. • Provide maximum encouragement to the owner under the City of Albany Town Planning Scheme to conserve the significance of the place. • A more detailed Heritage Assessment/Impact Statement to be undertaken before approval given for any major redevelopment. • Incentives to promote heritage conservation should be considered.
Local Heritage Survey	Adopted	27 Oct 2020	Exceptional	Exceptional Essential to the heritage of the locality. Rare or outstanding example.
Statewide Railway Heritage Surve	Completed	01 Mar 1994			Heritage Council
Classified by the National Trust	Classified	14 Oct 2002			Heritage Council
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	30 Jun 2001			Heritage Council

Child Places

Statement of Significance

Albany Railway Station & Bond Store (fmr), comprising the timber and iron Railway Station Building (1888; 1961-63; 1994) in Federation Queen Anne Style and the brick and iron Bond Store (c.1880s, 1897; 1949; 1962) has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The Railway Station Building is rare as the only remaining example of an 1880s timber railway station building in Western Australia and as the only original West Australian Land Company building remaining on the Great Southern line.
The place is rare as a group of buildings that demonstrate the interactive operation of railway and port facilities as the primary method of transportation and communication in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western Australia.
The place was a significant element in the Great Southern Railway, which was vital to the continuing development of the town and the region.
The Railway Station Building is a good representative example of a well designed timber building in Federation Queen Anne style.
The place forms a significant precinct of Federation era railway elements and contributes to the aesthetic qualities of the Stirling Terrace precinct.

The small timber shelter and surrounding bush garden to the west of the former Station building and the historic maritime artefacts at the western end of the platform are of little significance. The two concrete piers and steps associated with the pedestrian footbridge are considered intrusive.

Physical Description

Railway Station
Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Good streetscape value
• Long, imposing building on waterfront
• Tudor style wood work on walls and in prominent gables
• Finials
• Crossed adornment on windows (similar to American ‘kit’ home at 93 Spencer St, which used to be situated opposite railway until relocated in 1901)
• High integrity

Bond Store
Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Good streetscape value
• Part of heritage area that includes old Albany Post office, Lionetti’s Emporio and former Albany Railway Station
• Simple industrial/commercial design
• Twin gables with finials
• Rectangular ventilator openings in the gables
• Thick brick walls with render

Some obvious modifications include:
• Flat roofed timber extension on the eastern side of the station building
• Verandah at the rear which covers railway platform

History

Railway Station
The Albany Railway Station was built as the terminus for the Great Southern Railway. On 1 June 1889 the railway line was opened, but the opening ceremony was held at Beverley because tensions were high at Albany after townspeople realised that the line restricted access to the foreshore. The last passenger train ran to Albany in December 1978. The old station became the Bus Depot.

Pinewood planking from the packing crates of machinery and equipment imported from England for the Great Southern Railway project, was recycled into the cladding of the Albany Railway Station building. This information was revealed in restoration work in 1994 that uncovered sections marked by a stencilled logo in black paint. The logo was a diamond containing the words ‘WA Land Co’.

The 1994 restoration project was part of the Albany Foreshore Development Plan initiated by the local community and overseen by the Great Southern Development Authority. The project cost $350,000 with funds being provided by a grant from the State Government. The outside of the building was kept as close as possible to the original while the interior was changed for modern functioning. The former railway station was used as the City of Albany’s Tourist Bureau/Visitor Centre since 1994. In 2018 it again became primarily a Bus Depot/Station.
Bond Store
The former custom bonded warehouse dates initially from 1854 and comprises two parts interconnected with access onto a railway platform, which forms an extension of the platform servicing the adjacent former Railway Station. The warehouse is situated close to the Albany Jetty, which was important when all goods were imported into Albany by sea. Since the 1990s the warehouse has been variously used to house the Local Studies Collection and the local Model Railway Group. In c2010 significant conservation work was undertaken to the Bond Store to improve ventilation and repair damage to walls from salt damp.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High/Moderate
Authenticity: High/Moderate

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Johnson, Les., Town of Albany Heritage Survey 1994.
	Heritage TODAY Site visit and Assessment 1999.
	Heritage Council WA assessment 2009
	1994 Heritage Database – Town of Albany
	Westrail News: A monthly publication for Westrail Staff, April 1994 page 5.

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id	Title	Medium	Year Of Publication
8851	Albany waterfront structure plan. Heritage report, heritage impact study.	Heritage Study {Other}	2007
3930	Old Bond Store Albany Conservation Plan	Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan}	1999

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	Transport\Communications	Rail: Railway Station
Original Use	GOVERNMENTAL	Customs House\Bond Store
Original Use	Transport\Communications	Rail: Railway Station
Present Use	EDUCATIONAL	Museum

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Queen Anne

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Wall	BRICK	Other Brick
Other	TIMBER	Other Timber
Roof	METAL	Corrugated Iron

Historic Themes

General	Specific
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Road transport
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Mail services
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES	Government & politics
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES	Water, power, major t'port routes
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	Rail & light rail transport
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS	River & sea transport
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES	Tourism

Creation Date

07 Aug 1992

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

21 Mar 2022

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.