TOWN CENTRE (West End Conservation Area)

Parent Place or Precinct

22577 TOWN CENTRE (West End Conservation Area)

Child Places

• 22577 TOWN CENTRE (West End Conservation Area)
• 22577 TOWN CENTRE (West End Conservation Area)
• 22577 TOWN CENTRE (West End Conservation Area)

Statement of Significance

The Town Centre is a precinct of considerable significance within the West End Conservation Area because it retains the original town plan for Fremantle relatively intact and a number of significant buildings dating from the early to mid twentieth century. In more recent decades the area has undergone significant change in response to the pressure of commercial development. This has reduced the authenticity of the precinct from a heritage perspective.

Physical Description

The Town Centre Conservation Area is defined as the area bounded by the railway line opposite Goldsborough St, south along the railway line to the rear of the Fremantle Railway Station, across to the former Pump Station at the intersection of Market St and Elder Pl, then southeast along Market St to South Tce, southeast along South Tce to Henderson St Mall, north on Henderson St to Queen St, southeast to Holdsworth St, northeast on Holdsworth St to the rear boundary of lots on the west side of Parry Street, north to Ellen St, west along Ellen St to Parry St, north along Parry St to Quarry St, northwest on Parry St to Cantonment St, south on Cantonment St to Goldsborough St, and west along Goldsborough St to the railway line opposite Elder Place.

History

The TOWN CENTRE was developed according to the 1829 survey by Surveyor General John Septimus Roe, with the street layout east of Market Street running approximately parallel with the original shoreline. Central to this area were two main squares - King's Square and Queen's Square located in the alignment of High Street. Convict labour from 1850 helped establish some essential infrastructure, such as the Fremantle Boys’ School (now FTI) and the lunatic asylum (now Arts Centre). By 1877, lot allocation had expanded considerably, reflecting the rapid population growth (from 5000 in 1850 to 25, 000 in 1870). The Municipal Council was established in 1883, and encouraged investment in the town. It built the Town Hall in 1887 which soon housed the first telephone exchange (from 1888). Roads and tramways were consolidated in the 1890s, and a construction boom followed the gold rush, which made the town more urban. Many of the buildings from this time, particularly on Adelaide Street, were lat

Uses

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.