House

Statement of Significance

House, 15 Carey Street, a single storey brick and iron house dating from c 1870 has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the place is a substantial example of the Victorian Georgian style of architecture;

the place is one of the earliest houses from the town centre which survived the development of the gold boom period and serves to demonstrate the architectural evolution of local town house forms;

the place has landmark qualities and contributes significantly to the streetscape and the community's sense of place; and,

at one time, the house was owned by the Harbour and Lights Department and was home to a number of harbour masters and their families.

Physical Description

House, 15 Carey Street is a single storey brick and iron house constructed in the Victorian Georgian style of architecture. The walls are red face brick with rendered quoins and painted face brick. The roof is hipped and clad with corrugated iron with a decorative timber eave fascia. The verandah is under a separate corrugated iron roof supported by timber posts. The symmetrical front façade has a central front door flanked on either side by timber French doors and double hung sash windows. A small chimney is evident at the rear. The house is situated at street level. There is a timber picket fence to the front boundary line.

History

Carey Street, named in the 1840s for Nicholas Carey who arrived in Western Australia in 1835, is one of Bunbury’s earliest residential streets.

House, 15 Carey Street was built c 1870 and is one of the few homes from this period surviving in the Bunbury central business district.

In the early years of the 20th century, House, 15 Carey Street was occupied by a Mrs Dawes. She remembered (in an oral history interview) ‘beautiful jarrah floors one inch thick’, evidence of a cellar and buttressed walls.

By the 1930s, the house was owned by the Western Australian Government to house government employees. The Douglas family, who lived there in 1931, was replaced by the Cooke family in the same year.

In 1951, the Harbour and Lights Department was listed as the owner. The occupant, Bunbury Harbour Master Fred Gilmore, paid the garbage and excess water charges directly to Bunbury Council. The Gilmore family had been living in the house since c. 1940. Other harbour masters to have lived at House, 15 Carey Street include Captain Reid and Captain Donaldson.

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 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.