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West End, Fremantle

Author

Heritage Council

Place Number

25225
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

Fremantle

Location Details

Bounded by Market Street to the east, Collie Street and Marine Terrace to the south, Little High Street to the west and Phillimore Street to the north, and including the lots on the northern side of Phillimore Street between Cliff and Henry Streets.

Other Name(s)

The West End Heritage Area, Fremantle

Local Government

Fremantle

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
State Register Registered 18 Jul 2017 Register Entry
Assessment Documentation

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
(no listings)

Child Places

Physical Description

The West End Heritage Area is characterised by small lots, narrow streets and buildings of similar size and form. The area remains highly intact with a predominance of buildings dating from the mid nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Streets are relatively homogenous with attached buildings two to three storeys in height, of stone or rendered masonry constructed to the street boundary. The majority of cross streets (Pakenham, Henry, Mouat and Cliff Streets) contain former bond stores and warehouses. These do not generally open onto the street and do not have verandahs or awnings over the pavement. By contrast High Street, the main commercial street through the West End, comprises buildings with shop-fronts and verandahs or street awnings. Bank buildings, however, did not generally have verandahs or awnings. The West End Conservation Area also contains a pocket of mid-nineteenth century dwellings in the Bannister and Nairn Streets area.

History

On 2 May 1829, Captain Fremantle of the Challenger landed at the mouth of the Swan River, and chose the strategic point of Arthur Head as the military camp and future capital. Lots in the new town were arranged to fit in with the natural landforms. Initially the port for Perth, Fremantle eventually became the Colony's primary port after sucessive waves of improvements that allowed sea-going vessels to berth. Warehouses began to be built from the 1870s, and development accelerated withthe arival of the railway (1881) and the Gold Boom (1892). The redesign of the harbour by C. Y. O'Connor in 1897 changed Fremantle from a small sea-side town to a busy industrial port. Merchants built warehouses, commercial premises, hotels and boarding houses to support the commercial interests associated with the shipping industry, and replaced the cottages and terraces that had previously characterised the area. Fremantle's importance as a port city strengthened during WWI and during the inter-war years when there was a boom in the wool trade. Increasing mechanisation after WWII resulted in a reduced workforce and impacted on businesses in the West End, which was exacerbated in teh 1970s with planning decisions that shifted the retail centre further east, and the West End became isolated from new development. The revival of the area began as Fremantle prepared to host the defence of the America's Cup in 1987 and the area has gradually gentrified since then, particularly with the arrival of the University of Notre Dame to the area.

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
11848 Conservation plan for Samson Buidings Fremantle Western Australia Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 2020
11515 84 - 86 High Street, Fremantle: Archival record Archival Record 2017

Place Type

Precinct or Streetscape

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Original Use COMMERCIAL Other
Present Use COMMERCIAL Other

Architectural Styles

Style
Inter-War Free Classical
Federation Free Style
Inter-War Functionalist
Victorian Georgian
Federation Romanesque
Victorian Regency
Federation Free Classical
Federation Warehouse
Inter-War Stripped Classical
Federation Academic Classical

Historic Themes

General Specific
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements
TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS River & sea transport
OCCUPATIONS Commercial & service industries

Creation Date

24 Jun 2014

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

31 Dec 2016

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.