Local Government
Albany
Region
Great Southern
41 Melville St Albany
Albany
Great Southern
Constructed from 1891
Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
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Heritage List | Adopted | 27 Oct 2020 |
Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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(no listings) |
Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
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Category | Description | ||||
Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 30 Jun 2001 | Category B |
Category B |
|
Local Heritage Survey | Adopted | 27 Oct 2020 | Considerable |
Considerable |
|
Classified by the National Trust | Recorded | 04 Apr 1977 |
|
Heritage Council | |
Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place |
|
Heritage Council |
The place at 41 Melville Street has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is a fine and well executed example of a Federation Filigree residence that has maintained a high level of integrity and authenticity.
This capacious house with its striking stonework and its formal landscape setting located on the high prominence of Melville Street has landmark value.
The place is associated with Harry S J Knight, from the Knight family who were early settlers to Albany and who was born in Albany, his father being William Grills Knight the second Mayor of Albany. Knight also served on Council and established the business Knight & Son with his father.
Some of the notable features of this place include:
• Elevated corner position
• Very high streetscape value
• Walls random coarse faced stone blocks with rendered brick quoining around doors and windows
• Wrap around verandah under separate roof with timber filigree balustrading, frieze and bracketing
• Asymmetrical design with projecting gable wing on north side and double hipped roof
• Brick chimneys with moulded tops and prominent rendered chimney and breast on north side
• Generous sized timber double hung sash windows highlighted by rendered brick quoins
• Lattice cladding around the apron
Some obvious modifications include:
• Short sheet corrugated steel replacing former Mustard coloured Colorbond on roof
• Rear addition on north side (built with readable separation and in sympathy to design of house)
• Low rendered stone and iron picket infill front wall modified from original face-stone and iron rail wall
This house is said to have been built for a lawyer whose intended bride changed her mind and the house was sold. A former Albany draper and owner of house at 41 Melville St, George Beale, gave this anecdotal piece of history.
The 1890 Rate Book shows Lot 490 as land only owned by C H A Stone, clerk. By 1891, Stone is listed as the tenant. No other information was located about Stone.
In 1905, an advertisement in the Albany Advertiser shows a property for sale Lot 490 Melville Street, owned by H S J Knight Esq. It was described as a substantial 6 roomed stone house with verandah [Albany Advertiser 14 January 1905]. It is not known if Knight lived in the house or purchased it as an investment.
Harry S. J. Knight was born in Albany and was a son of William Grills Knight, the second Mayor of Albany who built The Rocks in Grey Street. In 1896, Harry and his father started a shipping and station agents business in Albany called Knight & Son. Knight was also a Councillor, one of the Directors of the Albany Cooperative Society and also a synodsman of St John’s Church. He was married and had one daughter Carol. In 1906 – only a year after he sold 41 Melville Street - Knight died while still on council and was at the time in Perth. His body was brought back to Albany and interred in the Church of England cemetery.
Integrity: High
Authenticity: High/Moderate
Good
Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
---|---|---|---|
L Johnson; "Town of Albany Heritage Survey". | City of Albany | 1994 | |
Heritage TODAY Site visit and Assessment | 1999 |
Individual Building or Group
Epoch | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Present Use | RESIDENTIAL | Single storey residence |
Original Use | RESIDENTIAL | Single storey residence |
Style |
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Federation Queen Anne |
Type | General | Specific |
---|---|---|
Wall | STONE | Granite |
General | Specific |
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DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
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.