Daglish Railway Station

Statement of Significance

Daglish Railway Station and Subway, comprising the brick and tile Daglish Railway Station Building, subway and platform (1924), ornamental gardens and adjacent railway reserve, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: It was the stimulus for the development of the suburb of Daglish; It has rarity value as the only station built in the 1920s for the Fremantle to Midland line, and remains considerably intact; It contributes to the streetscape, the community’s sense of place, and has strong landmark qualities as a centrally located station, subway and nearby railway crossing that connects Daglish to its founding suburb of Subiaco and is most well known for the ornamental gardens, impressive in times past, and the station name spelt out as a hedge, unique to this station since the 1930s; It demonstrates the operations of a railway station in the 1920s. It was built in the days of steam trains and has altered over time to accommodate the changes in rail travel to diesel and subsequently electric rail; It is a late example of a simple utilitarian building with characteristics of the Federation Bungalow style of architecture; and, It was named after Henry Daglish, Subiaco Councillor, Mayor and the first Labor Premier of Western Australia. The car parks, communications equipment and associated structures are of little heritage significance.

Physical Description

Site Description Daglish Railway Station and Subway is located on the Perth – Fremantle rail line and is bounded by Stubbs Terrace on the North-West and Railway Road on the South-East. The Station was built between the Subiaco and West Subiaco (Shenton Park) stations. Daglish Railway Station and Subway comprises the single storey brick and tile Daglish Railway Station Building, subway and platform (1924), ornamental gardens and adjacent railway reserve. The Station building itself is two small single storey red face brick buildings joined by a terracotta tiled roof. The station building sits atop the railway platform. The hedge that spells ‘DAGLISH’ has been in existence sporadically since the 1930s, and Daglish has in the past been well known for this hedge and its ornamental gardens. Latrines (1924) and a bike shed (1946) have been removed from the platform, and a timber footbridge (1936) to the east of the station was demolished c1975 in favour of a level crossing. Apart from bricking in of the windows and a doorway, and the stripping of the interior, the Daglish Station building, platform and the subway remained as constructed in 1924. Architectural Style Although constructed in the Inter-War period, the Daglish Railway Station is a small single storey brick building displaying elements of a suburban Federation Bungalow style of building with its red brick, large tiled roof planes and wide verandahs. Plan Form The plan form of the station buildings is very simple with two separate small buildings under one roof creating a covered seating area between. Rectangular in overall plan form the building(s) run parallel to the rail lines. The former ticket office is located to the south west end and comprises 3 rooms and the former ladies waiting room is located to the north east end and comprises two rooms. Platform The platform is an island platform with a bitumen surface and concrete edges. A small extension of bitumen surfacing of the platform was carried out in 1938. Station Building - External The sub floor structure is understood to be timber stumps and joists. The ground levels surrounding the building have risen considerably over time. The walls are load bearing painted face brick laid in a stretcher bond with rounded bricks to the corners of the building and window recesses. Originally the walls had a rendered plinth to the base. This has since been covered over around the former Ladies Waiting Room but is still evident around the former Ticket Office. The roof is a medium pitched timber framed hipped truss roof with a half gable to each end. The half gables have timber louvers. The roof is clad with terracotta tiles. There is a wide verandah to all sides of the building under the continuous terracotta tiled main roof, supported by timber brackets attached to the external walls. The roof has colonial gutters and round metal downpipes. All windows have been removed and bricked in leaving a readable recess to the external elevations. All rendered window sills and heads have been retained. Internal - Former Ticket Office The former ticket office is now utilised as a signal control room containing the electronic equipment for the controls of the Daglish and surrounding stations. Generally the internal elements of these rooms have undergone change but are in a good condition. Internal - Former Ladies Waiting Room The former ladies Waiting Room is utilised as a staff room and toilet. Generally the internal elements of these rooms retain more original detail but are in a fair condition. The original skirtings, cornices and doors remain. There is evidence of former termite damage to some timber elements that should be further investigated and repaired.

History

Daglish Railway Station and Subway was built in between the Subiaco and West Subiaco (Shenton Park) stations to serve the growing population of Subiaco. It was named after Henry Daglish, Subiaco Councillor, Mayor and first Labor Premier of Western Australia. After the station and subway were built in 1924 the suburb of Daglish was subdivided from the railway reserve and lots were put up for sale at auction in 1925. Parts of the new subdivision were set aside for Workers House Board housing, which gave a different feel and streetscape to Daglish, with its brick and tile houses on larger lots, as opposed to the timber workers cottages on narrow lots in most areas of Subiaco and Shenton Park. As with most suburban railway stations at the time, Daglish Railway Station served as a ticketing and parcels office until WAGR changed their freight practices in the late 1960s. The station was unattended by WAGR staff after January 1970. The station was closed between 1979 and 1983 when the Fremantle-Perth line was decommissioned. The hedge that spells ‘DAGLISH’ has been in existence sporadically since the 1930s, and Daglish has in the past been well known for this hedge and its ornamental gardens. Latrines (1924) and a bike shed (1946) have been removed from the platform, and a timber footbridge (1936) to the east of the station was demolished c1975 in favour of a level crossing. Apart from bricking in of the windows and a doorway, and the stripping of the interior, the Daglish Station building, platform and the subway remained as constructed in 1924. Aside from regular maintenance to roof guttering and plumbing, the only recorded change to the fabric of the station building itself between 1938 and 1975 was that in September 1968, at the request of Station Master A E Gear, the top portion of the booking office window was blanked off to minimise drafts. Daglish station received its own ‘Park-N-Train’ car parking facilities, with the Stubbs Terrace side built in 1966-67 and the Railway Road improvements made in 1969. On 5 October 1970 Perth Goods Depot was officially closed which meant a change in the way WAGR handled freight and therefore Daglish, along with the rest of the suburban stations, no longer needed a Station Master or a parcel’s office. The station closed its doors on 31 January 1970 and was no longer attended by WAGR staff. At this time the windows and parcel room door were removed and bricked in to make the disused building secure. The footbridge which was constructed in 1936, was removed c1975 in favour of a level crossing. The Fremantle Rail Line was decommissioned on 1 September 1979 with the resumption of the service on 29 July 1983. During this time many of the stations fell into disrepair. In 1985, the Government announced its intention to electrify the entire suburban railway system with electric rail cars commenced operation in 1991. In 2007 PTA introduced the Smart Rider system, the first public transport authority in Australia to use the technology. Station platforms throughout the metropolitan area, including Daglish, were fitted with columns for Smart Rider detection, cameras, PA speakers and associated communications services. The following year, the station benefited from lighting and power systems upgrade. The main impact on the station building for these recent changes had been the installation of cabling conduits in various locations, and the bracket mounting of speakers and cameras to the side of the roof purloins. A wall mounted junction box was installed in the subway underpass. In 2010 the car parking on both sides of the line were improved.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - Daglish Railway Station and Subway has a high degree of integrity. The site has served as a functioning station since 1924. The platform and Station Building still operate for passenger services. Due to the changing nature of WAGR freight handling, the building is no longer accessible to passengers, windows have been bricked in, and the place now houses communications equipment. Authenticity - Daglish Railway Station and Subway has a high degree of authenticity externally. The internal spaces of the former ticket office have low authenticity and the former Ladies Waiting Room moderate authenticity.

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