HOUSE, 52 CARNAC STREET

Statement of Significance

House, 52 Carnac Street, is a typical limestone, brick and iron single storey house dating from 1897. The place has aesthetic value for its contribution to the streetscape and the surrounding area. It is representative of the typical workers' houses in the Fremantle area. The place is an example of the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture.

Physical Description

52 Carnac Street is a single storey, limestone, brick and iron house with an asymmetrical facade designed as an example of the Federation Queen Anne style of architecture. The walls are limestone with brick quoins. The roof is hipped and gabled and clad with corrugated iron. The facade has a projecting front room with a gabled roof over with timber finial. The verandah has a separate corrugated iron bullnose roof and is supported by turned timber posts with decorative timber frieze and balustrade. There is a timber picket fence to the front boundary. There is a pair of long narrow timber sash windows to the front room under a corrugated iron awning. Front doorway has fanlight. Two corbelled brick chimneys are intact.

History

Carnac Street is at an elevation from which Carnac Island can be seen, but not the other islands, possibly the reason for the name. Carnac Island was named after Lieut. John Ruett Carnac, of H.M. Frigate Success.
House, 52 Carnac Street was formerly numbered 72 Carnac Lane. The numbering and naming of this street has changed several times. In 1934/35 it changed to 18 South Lane and changed again in 1956/60 to its current address. In 1899 the street was known as Little South Street.
The house was built in 1897 for the owner Captain Harry Talboys who was a Master Mariner and between 1897 and 1901 was Captain of the ‘Karrakatta’, a steel steamer. The original house was five rooms. Tallboys lived at the house until the early 1900s but then leased it to tenants, one of whom was James Fannon.
The 1908 sewerage plan of the site shows this stone cottage had a front verandah across half if the façade and a rear verandah across the full width of the building. In the back yard were two timber sheds and a timber closet.
In 1920/21, the house was owned and occupied by George Welby. In the 1930s and 1940s it was owned and occupied by William Henry Busustow. He continued to occupy the house in the early 1950s but it was owned by Roma Beverley McEwan and Phyllis Hazel Dawson.
It has been recorded that the leadlight in the front door has the letters HT in the design in recognition of the original owner Harry Tallboys.
This place was identified by the Fremantle Society in 1979/80 as being of cultural heritage significance. (Coded: Brown: "Positively contributing to the built environment") A photograph of the house in 1979/81 shows that the house was rendered the verandah supports were not original. The front gable does show decorative timber work that is no longer apparent.
The house was for sale in 2005 and information from the articles prepared at that time show that the house had undergone renovations and additions since 1979/81. These additions included a raised timber deck at the rear. Internally the house had been renovated and original features retained. The front verandah roof had been replaced with a bullnosed iron roof and the render removed from the front façade to reveal the limestone construction. Tuckpointed brick quoins were added to the front façade.

Integrity/Authenticity

High degree of integrity (original intent clear, current use compatible, high long term sustainability).
High degree of authenticity with much original fabric remaining.
(These statements based on street survey only).

Condition

Condition assessed as good (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.