COMMERCIAL BUILDING, 8 Queen Victoria Street

Statement of Significance

Commercial Building, 1 Beach Street, Fremantle also known as Fremantle Foundry & Engineering Co., 8 Queen Victoria Street, has some historic significance as the site of an industrial foundry that has been occupied and/or owned by the Chalmers family since 1913.
The group of buildings which have been largely altered over the years are of limited heritage significance.
It is recommended that the place be retained on the Municipal Heritage Inventory and be removed from the Heritage List in the future.

Physical Description

Prior to demolition: Commercial Building, 1 Beach Street also known as Fremantle Foundry and Engineering co Pty Ltd and addressed as 8 Queen Victoria Street comprises a group of office and factory buildings which are located between Queen Victoria Street and Beach Street.
There is a single storey office block fronting Queen Victoria Street constructed of face brick walls and tile clad hipped roof built in the last decades of the twentieth century.
The Beach Street frontage has a rendered brick façade fronting the two adjoined steel framed factories. On the northern side of the site a single storey rendered and painted brick former office building. This building is no longer intact from the original as shown in the archival images below and was constructed during the 1950s.
The factories are steel framed and clad with zincalume and corrugated iron each with a gabled roof that are clad with corrugated iron and have concrete floors.
Overall, the buildings are typical purpose use factory buildings and have largely been altered and adapted to and are of no particular architectural merit.

History

Queen Victoria Street was previously known as Victoria Road and prior to that as Cantonment Road.
Lot 310 was owned by George Francis as per the Titles in 1909 and transferred on his death in 1944 to PG Francis, SS Francis MO Francis (all spinsters) and CI Francis as tenants in common. On Jan 9 1950 it was transferred to Fremantle Foundry & Engineering.
Portion of Lot 259 owned by OV Tanner and transferred on his death to Dame MJ Tanner. On the 7/2/1923 was transferred to the Fremantle Foundry & Engineering after they had leased this property for 10 years.
Portion of Lot 259 (nearer Lot 260) was owned by R Cusack as sole proprietor this was transferred to Bells Asbestos on the 30/6/1911 and subsequently transfer to the Fremantle Foundry & Engineering on the 20/1/1920
Portion Lot 260 has the Fremantle Foundry and Engineering as sole proprietor from 1920 with use of right of way carriage way. (above Information provided by the owners from original Titles).
The Rates Books lists by 1899 that there was a foundry and office owned by Tanner and occupied by Fraser & Co Iron Foundries.

In 1900 Bells Asbestos Western Australia Agency began using the warehouse and was there until circa 1910/11. In 1901/02 George Sinclair Engineer was established in the foundry.
In 1905/06 the foundry was occupied by Port Engineering & Foundry Co. The 1910/11 rate book lists Sir Tanner and Reginald Cusack as the owner of a foundry, sheds, office and a warehouse. The occupants are listed as Bells Asbestos and Chalmers and Brown. In 1915/16 Sir Tanner is listed as the owner of an office and foundry and the occupant as James Chalmers. The building was skewered in July 1916.
In 1920/21 the rate books list an office and foundry owned by Sir Tanner and John Bill Gracie. In pencil is written Hayes, Robert & Co. The occupant was Fremantle Foundry and Engineering Co Ltd and the manager was James Chalmers. In 1925/26 James Chalmers was the manager. By 1930/31 the owner was James Chalmers and the occupier was the Fremantle Foundry and Engineering Co Ltd. In 1945/46 the owner was listed as the Fremantle Foundry and Engineering Co Ltd and Horace Albert Richards.
Until the 1950s the Chalmers family resided on resides on the site which have since been demolished.
The Fremantle Foundry & Engineering Co. which has remained in the following generations of the Chalmers family is relocating in 1913 and the property is to change ownership.
In 2014 the City of Fremantle granted planning approval for the demolition of all buildings on site. As part of the demolition approval an archival report was prepared and a copy is held in the City's Local History Centre. Also the heritagae assessment recommended that the place be removed from the Heritage List and be retained on the MHI. Council granted approval for this recommdation on the 22 October 2014. In 2015 the site remains vacant.

Integrity/Authenticity

Buildings demolished.

Condition

Condition assessed as fair (assessed from streetscape survey only).

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This data is provided by the City of Fremantle. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this data, the City of Fremantle makes no representations or warranties about its accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability for any particular purpose and disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages (including indirect or consequential damage) and costs which you might incur as a result of the data being inaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason. Under no circumstances should this data be used to carry out any work without first contacting the City of Fremantle for the appropriate confirmation and approval.