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Ord & Bateman Street Precinct

Author

City of Fremantle

Place Number

13806
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Location

10-24 Ord St Fremantle

Location Details

Additional addresses: 8-14 Knutsford Street & 1-9 Bateman Street, Fremantle.

Local Government

Fremantle

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1901, Constructed from 1891

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
Heritage List YES 08 Mar 2007
Heritage Area YES 08 Mar 2007
State Register Registered 21 Jan 2005 Register Entry
Assessment Documentation
Heritage Council

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
Municipal Inventory Adopted 18 Sep 2000 Level 1A

Level 1A

The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of exceptional cultural heritage significance in its own right within the context of Fremantle. This place is entered onto the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places. All development applications must be referred to the Heritage Council for approval.

Municipal Inventory Adopted 01 Aug 2005 Level 1A

Level 1A

The City of Fremantle has identified this place as being of exceptional cultural heritage significance in its own right within the context of Fremantle. This place is entered onto the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register of Heritage Places. All development applications must be referred to the Heritage Council for approval.

Statement of Significance

The precinct is rare as an intact group of Federation period residences. The early owners and developers of the precinct were prominent Fremantle businessmen Lionel Holdsworth (expiree, accountant and mercantile clerk) and Henry Dixson (tobacco merchant). The precinct contributes to the Fremantle community's sense of place through its distinctive streetscape. The houses between 20 and 24 Ord Street have strong landmark qualities as fine two-storey examples of Federation Filigree architecture, accentuated by their location above street level. The precinct contains a rare collection of fine Federation Filigree style residences.
The 2001 addition to 3 Bateman Street is of little significance. There are no intrusive elements.

This statement of significance was taken from the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register Entry for the Ord and Bateman Street Precinct (January 2005).

Physical Description

Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Doc’n Ord & Bateman Street Precinct
Ord & Bateman Street Precinct comprises 10-24 Ord Street; 8-14 Knutsford
Street; and 1-9 Bateman Street.

It is set on a limestone ridge that rises sharply from Ord Street and
continues on to become Monument Hill. The houses were all built within
the decade between 1892 and 1902. The houses on Ord Street are either
substantial duplexes or single residences, while the remainder are modest
working class residences, some of which have been greatly expanded in
the last decades of the twentieth century. To the north of the precinct the
large villa Ivanhoe has been demolished and replaced with Ivanhoe Flats
and a service station on the corner of High and Ord Streets. The buildings
in the precinct are constructed in ashlar, random coursed and rubble
limestone, tuck-pointed face brickwork and stucco, with corrugated metal
roofs, with a small number of places having tiled roofs.

Ord Street is a busy road that was formerly a two-way pair and has been
altered to a single lane in each direction relatively recently. Fremantle
Prison is on the west side of the road beyond Knutsford Street, and most of
the houses have views over the prison, to the City, harbour, and ocean.

10 Ord Street (1898, Fremantle Family Medical Clinic) is a single storey villa
residence designed in the Federation Bungalow style, set deep in its site,
with an expansive front garden area, including plantings of Frangipanni, and
Bougainvillea, that is currently paved. The house is constructed in rendered
limestone with pick faced quoins. There is a bay window. It has a concrete
tiled roof, tall masonry chimneys, a full width verandah carried on stop
chamfered timber posts, with a cast iron balustrade between posts.
Sweeping steps lead up to the front verandah from the front garden. The
windows are double hung sashes, and the front door is glazed and
panelled.

12 Ord Street (1896) is a single storey Federation Bungalow style residence
set close to the front boundary, with a low stucco and cast iron palisade
fence and lawn. It was identical to its neighbours at 14 and 16, but changes
have differentiated the three in matters of detail. 12 Ord Street is constructed
in tuck-pointed random coursed limestone, with random rubble side walls
and stucco. The walls have been rendered in the past and the present
owners are in the process of removing the render. There is a thrust window
bay, which is gable roofed. The house has a hipped and gabled tiled roof,
tall masonry chimneys, a two thirds width verandah carried on stop
chamfered timber posts. Sweeping steps lead up to the front verandah from
the front garden. The windows are double hung sashes, and the front door
is glazed and panelled with sidelights and awning lights.

14 Ord Street (1896-7) is a single storey Federation Bungalow style,
residence set close to the front boundary, with a low stucco and stucco pier
fence and a garden of roses, herbs and bedding plants. It is a more
complete version of the houses at numbers 12 and 16 in terms of detail.
The house is constructed in random coursed limestone with the tuck
pointing obscured by re-pointing, with random rubble side walls and stucco.
There is a thrust window bay, which is gable roofed, which retains its timber
fret work. The house has a hipped and gabled custom orb roof, tall
masonry chimneys, a two thirds width verandah carried on stop chamfered
timber posts, with a cast iron panel balustrade. Sweeping steps lead up to
the front verandah from the front garden. The windows are double hung
sashes, and the front door is panelled with sidelights and awning lights.

16 Ord Street (1897) is a single storey Federation Bungalow style
residence, set behind a low stucco and stucco pier fence with a cast iron
palisade, and a garden of Cypresses and Eucalypts. The house is
constructed in random coursed limestone, which has been rendered over.
There is a thrust window bay, which is gable roofed, and a sunhood over the
windows. The house has a hipped and gabled custom orb roof, tall
masonry chimneys, a two thirds width verandah carried on stop chamfered
timber posts, with a timber lattice balustrade. Sweeping steps lead up to
the front verandah from the front garden.

18 Ord Street (1905) is an imposing house and together with its neighbours
at 20-22, and 24 make up a very strong suite of buildings. It has a low
stucco brick and pier boundary wall topped with a cast iron palisade. The
garden has a brick paved drive, concrete path, and has plantings of Roses,
Lavender, and shrubs. The house is a two-storey building with a two-storey
verandah. It is built in the Federation Filigree style, constructed in random
course limestone walls, with limestone rubble side walls, and white tuck
pointed quoins and reveals. There is a full width two storey bull nosed roof
verandah across the front of the house, supported on stop chamfered posts,
with applied fillets, post brackets and a timber Chinoiserie motif balustrade.
The windows are pairs of double hung sashes and the doors are panelled
with glazed sidelights. The whole place has been conserved in a
sympathetic manner and is in good order.

20-22 Ord Street (1892) is a pair of semi detached houses, designed to give
the appearance of a single residence, and has a low stucco brick and pier
boundary wall topped with modern heritage pattern palisade. The garden
has a brick paved drive and paths, and has plantings of Roses, in a parterre
pattern, and an unidentified tree. The pair is a two-storey building with a
two-storey verandah. It is built in the Federation Filigree style, constructed in
black tuck-pointed random course limestone walls, with limestone rubble
side walls, and white tuck pointed quoins and reveals. There is a full width
two storey bull nosed roof verandah across the front of the house, supported
on stop chamfered posts, with applied fillets, post brackets and a
replacement cast aluminium panel motif balustrade. The windows are
double hung sashes arranged in sets of three with a major and pair of
minor flanking sashes, and the doors are panelled with glazed sidelights.
Both places have been conserved in a sympathetic manner and are in good
order.

24 Ord Street (1891-2) completes the suite of two-storey buildings on the
Ord Street frontage. It has a low stucco brick and pier boundary wall topped
with a timber rail and picket palisade. The garden has terracotta tiled paths,
and has rich and dense plantings of Palms, Peppermint Trees, Sheoak,
Cypresses, Tea Tree, Oleander, Sugar Gums (Eucalyptus cladocalyx), Olive
Trees, and shrubs. The house has a two-storey verandah. It is built in the
Federation Filigree style with random course limestone walls and limestone
rubble side walls, and stucco quoins and reveals. Most of the masonry is
painted. There is a full width two storey skillion roof verandah across the
front of the house, supported on barley sugar cast iron posts at ground floor
level and square posts at first floor level, with a timber St. Andrew’s cross
motif balustrade. The columns have Corinthian capitals, and the present
frieze is clearly a replacement for an earlier frieze, possibly of cast iron. The
windows are double hung sashes, and the doors are panelled with glazed
sidelights. The whole place has been conserved in a sympathetic manner
and is in good order.

Knutsford Street rises steeply away from Ord Street and is enclosed by
predominantly nineteenth century houses. It has commanding views of the
City, harbour, and ocean. The houses on the northern side of the street are
closely related in terms of type, scale, and style.

6-8 Knutsford Street (1892) is one of two sets of very similar single storey
semi detached houses, built as workers’ accommodation. It is built in the
Federation Bungalow style constructed in random course limestone walls,
with limestone rubble side walls, and white tuck-pointed brick quoins and
reveals. The place is simply founded on the limestone cap rock and
perches on top of it. Both the street and the driveway have been carved out
of the rock. The party wall passes through the roof and has a coping stone
top. Face brick chimneys pass though the roof behind the ridge line. Most
of the masonry is painted. There is a full width convex profile roof verandah
across the front of the house, supported on stop chamfered timber posts
with a timber St. Andrew’s cross motif balustrade. The windows are twopane
double hung sashes and the doors are panelled with glazed hopper
fanlights. There are single and two storey additions to the rear. The place
is in good order.

10-12 Knutsford Street (1891) is the second of two sets of very similar
single storey semi detached houses. It is built in the Federation Bungalow
style constructed in face brickwork with cut and struck joints. The place is
founded on the limestone cap rock in the same manner as its neighbour.
The party wall does not pass through the roof, unlike 6-8, because it has
been removed to increase the width of the hall. Face brick chimneys pass
through the roof behind the ridge line. There is a full width convex profile
roof verandah across the front of the house, supported on stop chamfered
timber posts with a timber balustrade with vertical balusters. The windows
are two-pane double hung sashes, and the doors are panelled with glazed
hopper fanlights. There are single storey additions to the rear. The place is
in good order.

14 Knutsford Street (1893) is very similar to the adjoining single storey semi
detached houses, built in the same materials. It is built in the Federation
Bungalow style constructed in random coursed black tuck-pointed
limestone, with white tuck-pointed quoins. The place is founded on the
limestone cap rock in the same manner as its neighbours. There is a full
width bull nosed profile roof verandah across the front of the house,
supported on stop chamfered timber posts with fillets and a timber
balustrade in the St. Andrew’s cross motif. The windows are two-pane
double hung sashes, and the doors are panelled with glazed hopper
fanlights. There are substantial two storey additions to what was the rear of
the house in Bateman Street and these are in sympathy with the original
house. The additions comprise the majority of the fabric and the
development on the site almost appears as two separate houses. The
Bateman Street side has some open space, which is treated as a courtyard,
with a pier and iron grille fence, brick paving and plantings which include a
Lemon Tree, Fig Tree, London Planes, Bottlebrush, and Eucalypts. The
place is in good order.

Bateman Street runs along the contour of Monument Hill and rises towards
its centre. The east side of the street is taken up by retaining walls to the
bottom of Monument Hill. The houses are simple workers’ houses, with
entries at street level. The houses extend out over the side of the hill
allowing sweeping views to the west. The first three houses were almost
identical, but change through time has made them vary, one of them
significantly. There are several street trees including Coastal Morts and
Chinese Tallow.

1 Bateman Street (1895, Holdsworth House) is a two-storey Federation
Filigree style residence set close to the front boundary, with a timber picket
fence. It is single storey on the Bateman Street side and with the benefit of
the reverse slope is two storey on the interior side. A wide carport obscures
much of the house from Bateman Street. The house is constructed in
timber frame and clad with weatherboards. The house has a hipped
zincalume roof, tall masonry chimneys, surrounding bull nosed roof
verandah carried on stop chamfered timber posts with timber friezes, post
brackets, and a Chinoiserie balustrade. The windows are double hung
sashes, and the doors are glazed and/or panelled with sidelights and
awning lights. The street frontage garden is brick paved with plantings of
Palms, Pines and Creepers.

3 Bateman Street (1901-2) is a two-storey residence set on the front
boundary. It is single storey on the Bateman Street side and with the benefit
of the reverse slope is two storeys on the interior side. This house was
originally constructed in the Federation Filigree style and was nearly
identical to its neighbours at 5 and 7 Bateman Street. However, it was
substantially altered in past periods, and, in 2001, was altered once more to
its present appearance. The original house is constructed of limestone
rubble, which has been rendered over. The house has a hipped zincalume
roof, tall masonry chimneys, verandah on the north, west, and south faces.
The addition to the Bateman Street side is contemporary with a combination
of rendered masonry, rubble limestone, brick quoins and timber boarding.
The front windows are fixed lights. The street frontage garden is a paved
courtyard behind the limestone screen wall. The addition is strangely
discordant, but the logic for the design approach follows accepted
conservation principles.

5 and 7 Bateman Street (1902 and 1901-2) are single storey on the
Bateman Street side and two storeys on the interior side. The houses are
Federation Filigree style. The main body of each house is set close to the
street with a small courtyard between house and street, with one room of
each house being set on the front boundary. The houses are constructed of
limestone rubble, with white tuck pointed brickwork. The houses have
hipped zincalume main roofs, tall masonry chimneys, with bull nosed roof
front verandahs supported on stop chamfered posts with fillets and timber
friezes. The kitchens extend to the boundary and have low pitched roofs set
behind parapets with small arched windows in the Bateman Street
elevations. The windows are generally single pane double hung sashes,
and the doors single pane and two panel arrangements with leadlight
sidelights. They both have steel grille fences, brick pave courtyards and
plantings include Roses, Monsteria, Wisteria, Gardenia, and Diachondra
ripens.

9 Bateman Street (1903 and 1988) is single storey on the Bateman Street
side and two storeys on the west side and was designed in the Federation
Bungalow style. The main body of the house is set close to the street with a
generous courtyard between house and street. There is a new carport on
the boundary at the northern side of the site. The house is constructed of
limestone rubble, with white tuck pointed brickwork, but this has been
rendered over to give the appearance of ashlar. The house has hipped a
zincalume main roof, with bull skillion roof verandahs supported on stop
chamfered posts with fillets and post brackets. The windows are generally
single pane double hung sashes, and the doors four panel arrangements
with sidelights. The southern extension that extends towards the street is
carried out in a similar style to the original house, but differs in detail with its
treatment of windows and the smooth wall finish. The garden is brick paved
with plantings of Roses, Palms, Figs, Plane Trees, and Melaleuca.

Beyond the study area, a chain link fence at the top of a deep excavation
made to accommodate Ivanhoe Flats car park and servicing fronts the
remainder of the street. The steep embankment is covered with a variety of
native and exotic shrubs. At the corner with High Street is, 247 High Street
(1901), a single storey villa residence in the Federation Bungalow style.

History

The precinct comprises 10-24 Ord Street; 8-14 Knutsford Street; and 1-9 Bateman Street.
By 1832, the townsite of Fremantle had been laid out, and some building had commenced. By 1833, a dirt road had been made from Perth to Fremantle, named the Perth-Freemantle (sic) Road. Over the next decade, the towns of Fremantle and Perth developed, and four tracks were established leading from Fremantle: to Perth, to Canning Bridge, which was opened in 1843, to the Canning district and Kelmscott, and south to Mandurah.
Development in the Swan River Colony was slow through the period to 1850, when the commencement of transportation of convicts to the small colony heralded a period of rapid development. A wide program of public works was carried out by convict labour, including the building of Fremantle Prison. In the 1860s, the construction by convicts of a new Perth-Fremantle Road and the bridge over the Swan River at North Fremantle led to increased traffic on the road. In 1872, the Perth-Fremantle Road became a public highway. During this period, most people continued to reside within the early townsites, and in close proximity to their place of employment.
In the late 1880s and early 1890s, sub-division commenced of some of the large lots to the south and east of the town of Fremantle, along the roads to Mandurah and the Canning district. The Fremantle merchants who had acquired wealth through their commercial enterprises began to move into the East Fremantle area, to take advantage of the higher ground to the east of High Street and views to the Swan River and the ocean.
The Gold Boom that followed the discovery of gold at Coolgardie in 1892 brought an influx of population to Western Australia. The population of Fremantle increased rapidly, and residential development of the areas to the east, south, and north of the townsite proceeded apace through the 1890s, and into the first decade of the twentieth century. In 1901, the population of the Municipality was 14,700, a little over half the size of Perth.
Other than High Street, which bears the traditional name for a central street, most of the street names within the precinct honour Governors of the Swan River Colony or members of their families, or people associated with the development of the precinct. Governor Sir Harry Ord (1877-80), who signed the documents setting aside the land for Fremantle Park (1877), is commemorated in Ord Street. The continuation of this street is Hampton Street, in honour of Governor John Hampton (1862-68). Bateman Street commemorates the Bateman family, well known wealthy Fremantle merchants. Knutsford Street was named after the birthplace of Lord Holland, after whom another East Fremantle street was named. The section of Knutsford Street north of Ord Street was formerly Hill Street, as shown on sewerage maps. Post World War Two Sewerage Maps of Fremantle District show the precinct at that period.
Ord & Bateman Street Precinct comprises 10-24 Ord Street, 8-14 Knutsford Street, and 1-9 Bateman Street. The majority of the buildings in this group were built in the period 1892-1902, which may be divided into pre Gold Boom (1891-92), Gold Boom (1893-97) and turn of the century periods (1898-1902). Those dating from the pre Gold Boom period, are 20-22, and 24 Ord Street, and 8 and 12 Knutsford Street. Those dating from Gold Boom period are 12, 14, and 16 Ord Street, 14 Knutsford Street, and 1 Bateman Street; and from the turn of the century period, 10 and 18 Ord Street, and 3, 5, 7, and 9 Bateman Street. These places in Bateman Street were all built in the space of three years, 1901-03. For the most part, the places were built as single residences, constructed of limestone and brick with iron roofs, and the majority were 'modest working class cottages'. The houses are either in the Federation Bungalow or Federation Filigree styles.
In contrast with nearby streets, there are several two-storey buildings clustered in Ord Street and nearby at 1 Bateman Street. Of these, 20-22 Ord Street are semi-detached, as are some single storey cottages at 8 and 12 Knutsford Street; and these are the only semi-detached residences in the precinct.
In the pre Gold Boom period, Ivanhoe (c. 1890, demolished 1964), was one of the earliest and the largest residences built on the block. It was built for James Lilly (b. Tasmania, 1845, arr. c. 1877, d. Claremont, 1905), steamboat proprietor, shipping agent and Manager at Fremantle for the Adelaide Steamship Company. Set in large gardens, with stables, cottages, and pigsties, Ivanhoe was described by contemporaries as 'magnificent'. In 1964, Ivanhoe was demolished, and part of the grounds, now 6 Ord Street, at the corner of High and Ord Streets, was developed by Caltex Oil Company as a service station. Ivanhoe Flats, 8 Ord Street, at the rear of the service station, was built by Multiplex in 1968-72. The site of this well-known former residence, which was previously an important element of the streetscape, has not been included in the study area of Ord & Bateman Street Precinct. The flats and service station abut the precinct to the north.
Lionel Holdsworth (b. England, 1826, d. Fremantle, 1900), an expiree, accountant and mercantile clerk, after whom Holdsworth Street is named, owned much of the precinct in the early 1890s. In 1891-92, Hugh Dixson, tobacco merchant, principal of the Adelaide Company, Dixson and Sons Tobacco Factory, purchased a number of lots from Holdsworth, which he proceeded to develop. In 1891-92, two pairs of semi-detached cottages were built for him at 8 and 12 Knutsford Street. As the first occupants were tobacco twisters and the foreman of the tobacco company, it seems likely that they were employed by Dixson, and it is possible that he had the cottages purpose built to accommodate his workers. In 1892, at Lots 2 and 3 of 918, Dixson had built as an investment a pair of semi-detached two storey residences at 20-22 Ord Street in the Federation Filigree style and, in the same style, a two-storey residence at 24 Ord Street. The early tenants were police sergeants from the prison, and superintendents from the hospital, both of which were located nearby.
In 1896-97, nos. 12, 14, and 16 Ord Street were built as investment properties for Lionel Holdsworth, and on completion all were leased to tenants.
1 Bateman Street is unique in the precinct, as the only residence constructed of timber weatherboards. In 1895/1896, the house, incorporating a two storey section to take advantage of the sloping ground, was constructed for Lionel Holdsworth. The place has been classified by the National Trust of Australia (W. A.), and is included in the City of Fremantle Municipal Inventory. It is also known as Holdsworth House.
The residences within the precinct continue to be occupied as single residences, with the exception of 10 Ord Street, which is in use as doctor's rooms. In 2000, a walking guide of four residential blocks was published that included the precinct as block three.
The Heritage Council’s documentation contains Management Strategies for the precinct as follows:
There should be no demolition of significant places within the precinct. Ord & Bateman Street Precinct should be protected by the conservation of the existing heritage buildings, street frontages, and gardens, together with careful management of the public domain. The character and intactness of the different elements of the precinct should be conserved and strengthened, and new development should be controlled to retain the heritage significance of the precinct and its diverse components. The need for the evolution of the place should be recognized and change managed to conserve the visual harmony of the precinct.
To achieve these aims the following management strategies should be implemented:
• The Heritage Precinct included in the State Register and under the City of Fremantle’s Town planning scheme should be delineated to coincide.
• Development guidelines specific to the precinct that are based on the Statement of Significance should be prepared to guide new development, together with alterations and additions to heritage places within the precinct.
• The guidelines should refer to the importance of retaining the heritage stock, the design of any new places and the need to respect the existing scale, proportions, and plan form of the existing buildings and streetscape guidelines. The guidelines should emphasise the need to evaluate change in terms of the overall context of the precinct.
• Guidelines should relate to the broad precinct management strategies, or an overall precinct management strategy for residential precincts.
This information was taken from the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s assessment documentation for the Ord and Bateman Street Precinct. The documentary evidence was compiled by Robin Chinnery, Historian, with research assistance from Dr. Leonie Stella. The physical evidence was compiled by Philip Griffiths, Architect. The above is gratefully acknowledged as their work.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY
10 Ord Street is used for non-residential purposes (medical practice). The remainder of the places retain their residential use. The precinct retains a high level of integrity.

AUTHENTICITY
Most properties have undergone change and many have gone from decline to later be conserved. Much of the conservation and restoration is confined to the more fragile elements such as roof finishes and verandahs. Most interiors have been adapted for modern living. The authenticity of the precinct remains moderate to high.

Condition

With minor exceptions, the condition of the precinct outside the public domain is fair to good. There are no properties in poor condition.

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
7944 Hickey house 12 Knutsford Street, Fremantle. Heritage grants program 2005/2006 conservation works. Conservation works report 2006

Place Type

Precinct or Streetscape

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use RESIDENTIAL Single storey residence
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Conjoined residence
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Single storey residence
Present Use RESIDENTIAL Two storey residence
Original Use RESIDENTIAL Two storey residence

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Filigree
Federation Bungalow

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall BRICK Common Brick
Wall STONE Local Stone
Roof TILE Terracotta Tile
Wall RENDER Smooth
Wall BRICK Pointed Brick
Wall STONE Limestone
Wall BRICK Painted Brick
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron
Roof METAL Zincalume

Historic Themes

General Specific
OCCUPATIONS Domestic activities
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Land allocation & subdivision

Creation Date

28 Jun 1999

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

25 Jun 2021

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.