Site of Gosnells Child Health Clinic

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Site of Griffiths Hardware

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Basham House (fmr)

Condition

Reasonable

Uses

Historic Themes

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Statement of Significance

Basham's House (fmr) has historic value for its association with the establishment and development of the Gosnells area for orchards and market gardening. The place has historic value as it illustrates the evolution of the district from a remote agricultural scattered settlement to a high density suburb. The place has social value as an illustration of homes of professional men and their families.

Physical Description

Basham House is a single storey brick and iron property located in a raised position on the western side of Albany Highway across from the City of Gosnells Administration Offices. The property has a symmetrical façade to its northern aspect overlooking planted gardens. The central doorway is flanked by timber framed sash windows. Casement windows are positioned on the eastern façade overlooking Albany Highway. The roof is hipped clad with painted corrugated iron and two tall brick chimneys project from the southern side of the roof. The perimeter verandah has a skillion canopy positioned approximately three brick courses below the eaves to the house. The canopy is open and supported on chamfered timber columns.

History

A subdivision map of this area, known as the Cargeeg Estate in c.1905 shows this house already existing on the plan and designated 'Barnsley's House'. Further information cannot be determined as all the early records of the City of Gosnells were destroyed in a fire. The earliest documentary evidence records William Barnsley living in Gosnells in 1908. He may have built the house for himself, or as a speculative project as Post Office Directories record he was living in Woodlupine during the 1910s. In the early 20th century the region was used primarily for agriculture with many orchards being established along the Canning River. Between 1928 and 1940, the property was owned by Alice Basham. Alice was married to George Henry Basham in 1905 and the Electoral Rolls record that George was a bank manager in Katanning during the 1920s. George and Alice retired to the property in Gosnells but sadly George died in 1930. Alice and her sons lived on at the property during the 1930s which they named 'Waarina'. The name, 'Waarina' which has an unknown origin, continued into the 1940s when the place was used as a poultry farm by proprietor Ernest Knowles Rothwell. Aerial photographs of the property in 1953 show that several farm buildings were located behind the house with a few mature trees around the house. There does not appear to be significant planting of fruit trees on the property. The house was originally part of Lots 10 and 11 of Canning Location 14, (approximately 5.5 acres) which have been subdivided over time, with the final subdivision occurring during the 1960s-70s.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree: continual residential Authenticity: Moderate to high degree

Condition

Good

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City Council Group

Child Places

• 13841 Weeping Mulberry Tree, Grounds of City of Gosnells Admin Centre
• 13823 Pioneer Park
• 13837 Albany Highway Bridge
• 13812 Gosnells Council Offices
• 13825 RSL Monument, Council Offices

Uses

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Child Places

• 13841 Weeping Mulberry Tree, Grounds of City of Gosnells Admin Centre
• 13823 Pioneer Park
• 13837 Albany Highway Bridge
• 13812 Gosnells Council Offices
• 13825 RSL Monument, Council Offices

Statement of Significance

The place has strong links with the early agricultural development in Gosnells. The Weeping Mulberry, various artworks and orchard in Centennial Pioneer Park provide a reminder to the rural way of life that was once a major part of the economic development of the district; The parklands and mature plantings scenically located on either side of the river provide an aesthetically pleasing cultural landscape and a rich variety of natural and landscaped experiences, spatial qualities and micro-environments for the enjoyment of its users; The place is strongly identified and highly valued by the local community as a venue for passive recreation, social interaction and as a venue for events, festivals, private ceremonies and memorial services, both informal and those formally focussed on the War Memorial; The place incorporates civic buildings, which represent the growth of local government in the later part of the mid twentieth century in the State generally. The incorporation of a historic boardroom element reflects an understanding of historical continuity of a local government office in the district; The place has the potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural and natural history of Gosnells. The landscape may retain evidence of the site’s Aboriginal occupation and of farming practices as the land was adapted by settlers for agricultural purposes;

Physical Description

In 2010, the City's administration building was extended and upgraded, and the building was renamed City of Gosnells Civic Centre. The Boardroom elements were relocated to the rear of the building near the large function room. The Boardroom is comprised of the original jarrah panelled wall, a large jarrah table located in the centre of the room, surrounded by chairs and the original leadlight doors open into the room. Pioneer Park, declared in 1988, is a manicured park with landscaped gardens and natural vegetation along the banks of the Canning River. Within the park is an orchard surrounded by a post and rail fence. In another part of the park, near the Addie Mills Centre is a tiered amphitheatre, built in 1993, and a small stage for outdoor entertainment. Ornamental mosaic tiles with Aboriginal designs depicting the creation myth of the Darling Ranges decorate the park wall along Federation Parade. The tiered sections of the amphitheatre are also decorated with mosaics. Nearby metal silhouette sculptures depict pioneer motifs. Within the Centennial Pioneer Park is the Tree Top Walk which connects the top of the park, along Federation Parade, on a boardwalk down to the river where a raised board walk is located. The RSL monument, built in 1921, is a tall granite obelisk, set on a circular stone plinth. It is located at the end of a cement path, with flanking landscaped gardens. Set in rolling lawns, with a backdrop of mature trees, the memorial has dramatic impact. The Banyan Tree is located near the Albany Highway bridge within the landscaped gardens. The old Weeping Mulberry tree stands in a prominent position in a grassed area close to the eastern wing of the City of Gosnells Civic Centre.

History

The Gosnells Civic Group is located primarily on land originally established as an orchard by William James Bone and his family in 1922. The administration of the Gosnells district was originally under the Gosnells Road Board, whose offices were located in Maddington. By 1961, when the Board became the Shire of Gosnells, a larger and more modern building was required. Disagreement over whether this should be located in Maddington or Gosnells delayed construction until the early 1970s. In 1973, the Administration Centre was opened in Gosnells on the site of WJ Bone's orchard, which was purchased from the Caruso family in 1969. The jarrah panelling and leadlight doors salvaged from the 1929 Roads Board building and 1955 Board Room are located in the Councillor's Lounge facilities within the current Civic Centre. The large jarrah table is a later addition made for the Francis Brennan family on the occasion of their entertaining Prince Henry the Duke of Gloucester during a visit to Western Australia in 1934. Francis Brennan was the owner of Brennan's department store, which was a forerunner of Aherns/Bairds. Brennan became technically bankrupt during the Depression. The table was presented to the Shire by the Packer family in 1964. The Boardroom was retained in the 1987 extensions of the 1973 Council Offices. Associated with the centre are: Centennial Pioneer Park; RSL Monument Road; Weeping Mulberry Tree; and, Banyan Tree. Pioneer Park represents the past in the establishment of an orchard and bushland along the river. Part of the celebrations of Australia's Bicentenary was the establishment in 1988 (opened 26 November) of Pioneer Park. On 21 November 1993 the amphitheatre was opened. Over the years occasional Aboriginal artefacts have reported to have been discovered on the riverbank in the park area. In 2005, extensive works were undertaken as part of the Gosnells Town Centre Revitalisation Project which included removal of the rotundas, construction of a new public toilet and the new Federation Parade between Pioneer Park and the new Agonis Building. Extensive regeneration work was carried out along the river and many trees were returned to the waterway to allow the Canning River to re-establish itself. Further works are scheduled around the amphitheatre to make the area more accessible to people with a mobility or physical disability. The park was renamed Centennial Pioneer Park in 2007. The portion including the RSL monument, ponds and area adjacent to the administration building were deleted from the park. In 2007, to commemorate the Centenary of the City of Gosnells, an aerial tree top walk was built that connected to a series of wooden boardwalks in Pioneer Park. This was opened by the then Prime Minister, John Howard. The 1921 RSL Monument was originally erected on a site at the junction of Albany Highway and Mills Road. The memorial commemorated those people who lost their lives in World War One. Owing to the site being resumed by the Main Roads Department for road widening, the monument was relocated to its present position in the grounds of the City of Gosnells Administration Centre during the 1960s. Later the names of World War Two and Korean War casualties were recorded. Annual Anzac Day ceremonies continue to be held at the site. The Albany Highway Bridge near the Gosnells Hotel was originally built c.1868 in the time of Henry Passmore, the Engineer in charge of convict labour teams. The Gosnells Bridge was also known as the Upper Canning Bridge. A new timber bridge was built on the site in 1936 and in 1973 a new concrete bridge was constructed alongside. The original bridge carries southbound traffic and the newer bridge carries northbound traffic. Both bridges have been extensively adapted since their original construction. The Banyan tree (ficus benghalensis) was planted in 1991 in the grounds of the City of Gosnells Administration Centre. It was propagated at the Perth Zoo from a cutting taken from an enormous tree found in the province of Bengal, India. The canopy of the parent tree measured 1,000 square metres and was acknowledged as being of a significant size for the species. The juvenile propagated tree was a gift from Perth Zoo and it is believed that there are very few specimens of Banyan trees in Western Australia. WJ Bone planted the Weeping Mulberry tree in his orchard in 1924. It was located at the rear of the homestead and was described by Mrs Ruth Bone as 'being like a tent you could sit under on a hot summer day. The branches cascaded down to the ground'. It was transplanted to its present position in landscaped gardens about 50 metres away from its original site in 1971. In 2010, the City of Gosnells Civic Centre was extended and upgraded.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: Moderate to high degree

Condition

Good

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Gosnells Police Station

Condition

Condition: Good Integrity: High Degree Authenticity: High Degree

Uses

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Polini House and Shop (fmr)

Uses

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value for its association with the Polini family who made a significant contribution to the community. The place has social value for its demonstration of a past way of life when shops and homes were closely linked and for the members of the community who visited the shop.

Physical Description

A single storey timber framed, weatherboard and iron dwelling with hipped and gabled roof forms and tall brick chimney. An extensive verandah has been constructed along the side elevation. The site is enclosed by a tall brick wall and is not clearly visible from the street. A concrete block and timber garage/shed is located at the end of the garden behind the house. The shop is adjacent to the house and has been boarded up [2016] obscuring much of the architectural form and detail of the façade. The tiled and hipped roof form is obscured by a boxed canopy projecting out over the former shop frontage. The façade appears to be clad with fibre cement sheeting.

History

This house and the adjacent former shop are associated with the Polini family. Emilio Polini was an Italian migrant who arrived in Adelaide in 1927 aboard the 'Palermo'. He made his way to Western Australia and in 1936 was working at the White Rocks Quarry in Gosnells. From the available information the house was built c.1942 for Emilio and Maria Polini and their children. Emilio Polini worked as a quarryman at the White Rocks Quarry for all his working life and he and his family were active in the community in a range of sporting and social activities. One of their sons, Angelo, operated a hairdressing salon in the shop premises until 1951 when it was taken over by Doug Angel. Members of the Polini family lived at the house until at least the 1980s although it has not been established if the shop continued to operate as a hair salon and for how long.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - Low Authenticity - Low

Condition

Poor

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Stidwell House (fmr)

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value for its demonstration of the type of housing available constructed in the early 20th century in the town of Gosnells. The place has social value for its association with Arthur Stidwell who was a well known identity in Gosnells.

Physical Description

A traditional single storey timber framed cottage with hipped and gabled roof. The place is of asymmetric plan form with the projecting section of the façade incorporated under the gable roof. The gable has a timber detail and finial. A single timber framed opening with ornate pressed metal canopy above. The recessed section incorporates a single timber framed sash window and the entrance which is sheltered by a timber verandah with separate skillion canopy, supported on square timber posts with a weatherboard balustrade. The house is positioned behind a well kept lawned garden enclosed by contemporary railings. The lawn continues beyond the railings creating a deep street verge with a mature tree.

History

This residence is believed to have been constructed in the early decades of the 20th century when the land was owned by Oscar Lauterbach. The first occupant was the owner of a local sawmill, W. H. Cook. It is possible that the house was constructed by Cook but this has not been confirmed. Around 1925 the property was transferred to Arthur Lewis Stidwell (1901-1968). Arthur Stidwell married Evelyn Greenway in 1927, she died in 1929. Later the same year Arthur married Emily Benson and the couple had three children who all lived at the house. The family retained ownership of the house until c2000 and during their ownership the family ensured that the property retained its original features. Arthur Stidwell was blind and was well known locally as he made his way to and from his workplace at the Institute for the Blind in Victoria Park. Stidwell's daughter Bettina was an active member of the Gosnells community most prominently as a member of the City of Gosnells Historical Society and the first curator of the museum at Wilkinson Homestead.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High Authenticity - High

Condition

Good

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Metcalf House (fmr)

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value as a demonstration of a family home built in the inter-war years in good condition. The place has historic value for its association with the Metcalf family who were leading members of the Gosnells community for many years.

Physical Description

A single storey timber framed property set back from the roadside behind a large garden area with mature trees. The property demonstrates a typical asymmetric plan form with projecting gabled bay and recessed section with verandah. The place is of timber framed construction with weatherboard and fibre cement sheet cladding. The main hipped roof extends down to form the verandah canopy with a slight change in the pitch. The canopy is supported by simple timber posts with colonial style cross balustrade spanning between the posts with a raised timber deck. A separate awning provides shade to the window in the gabled section. The roof, verandah canopy and awning are all clad with corrugated galvanised iron with short sheets to the main roof. The vented gables are adorned with painted finials. The windows are timber framed casements, three windows to the two openings to the façade. Each pane incorporates fan lights to the top section. The front entrance is timber panelled with wide leaded side lights.

History

This residence was built c.1933 for Fred and Ada Metcalf who had married in 1933. Fred (1906-1983) a sales clerk and his brother Stanley had been living and working in Astley Street Gosnells for several years. Fred Metcalf was very active in the community, serving on the Road Board from 1933 to 1938 and becoming one of the few JP's in the area in 1936. He instigated the formation of the Gosnells Bowling Club in 1937. The family had an unbroken occupancy of the house and following Fred's death in 1983, Ada continued to live on in the house for several years. In recent years the property has been refurbished for use as professional offices and it is understood that care has been taken to retain much of the original form and features of the property.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - Moderate Authenticity - Moderate

Condition

Good

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Seaforth Park (fmr)

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Seaforth Park (fmr) has historic value for its associations with early settler James Ross MacKenzie family who developed and cleared the landholding for agriculture in the early 20th century. The place has historic value for its association with the Salvation Army who have provided services at the site since 1921 and for their role in the development of educational and treatment programs for children in the first half of the 20th century. The place has historic value for its association with distinguished and lengthy service by Salvation Army members, Helen Jenkins and Harry Hunter. The place has aesthetic value as a complex of buildings in a predominantly natural setting. Seaforth Park (fmr) has social value for generations of people who served or resided at the place. The place contributes to the wider community's sense of place for its continual services since 1921.

Physical Description

Seaforth Park (fmr) consists of a complex of buildings including the original MacKenzie House, a further stone house, the chapel and an inter-war timber house set amongst a natural environment accessed from Albany Highway and across a small bridge over the Canning River. The grounds are semi landscaped with lawns and a small lake. MacKenzie House is a single storey granite stone and terracotta tiled property with extensive verandahs and faceted bays. The elevations are predominantly stone with red brick quoining around the window and door openings whilst the rectangular and faceted corner bays are the opposite with stone quoining and brick walls. Although the bays are different in their expression, they do create a sense of symmetry to the façade with the bays on the corner of the elevation, with further sash windows either side of the original entrance. The entrance has been blocked up which has a negative impact on the aesthetics of the place. The roof is hipped and clad with terracotta tiles. The roof above the bays reflects the faceted nature of their design. The main roof continues to form the verandah canopy which is supported on timber columns. The verandah is clad with the stone and has a paved deck with no balustrading. Concrete steps with dwarf piers lead to the former entrance and provides access to the remainder of the verandah. A stone, brick and tile wing extends to the east from the rear of the house, expressing many similar design features including hipped roof and red brick quoining around opening. The chapel is located to the east of MacKenzie House and the administration office, across a small lawned area. The chapel utilises the same building materials of stone and brick with the brick forming the quoining around the openings and to the corners of the building. A full height multi-paned window is the dominant feature of the south elevation with red stained glazing. Two former window openings have been bricked up in the façade. The chapel is in three sections with the front (southern) section being higher than the remainder of the body of the church and a small porch entry to the north elevation. The roof form over the entire church is gabled. Vented gables can be seen in the apexes of the roof. The roof is clad in green/grey Colorbond. The main entrance is on the north side of the church via brick porch and double timber and glass doors. Brick steps lead up to the entrance. A further brick and stone house is located to the south east of the chapel with a hipped corrugated iron roof, gabled features and a broken pitch verandah canopy. Additional accommodation was built by Dale Alcock c.2010 in a sympathetic style to the earlier structures. A c.1920s timber framed weatherboard clad house with perimeter verandahs and a hipped tiled roof is evident on the west side in proximity to MacKenzie House. There are more recent buildings to the south and north of MacKenzie House. There is a large dam to the northeast of MacKenzie House.

History

Seaforth Park (fmr) was established by James Ross MacKenzie who settled on 2000 acres in Gosnells in the early 1900s when the property stretched from Martin through to Ranford Road. MacKenzie named his estate 'Seaforth Park', the name of the ancestral family home in Seaforth, Scotland, established in 1623. MacKenzie was born in Victoria, moved to Queensland then to WA in search of pastoral land. Attracted to the WA goldfields in 1893, he became a successful mining entrepreneur. He developed a mixed farm on his land in Gosnells, married Dahlia Lohrmann in 1907 and they had two children. MacKenzie and his family were living on the site in 1912 and he built the substantial stone and tile residence in 1906. The grand scale of the home lead it to be known as 'MacKenzie's Mansion' by the locals. It has not been established if MacKenzie was responsible for the construction of the other masonry house on the site. MacKenzie was a director of Emu Brewery, a committee member of the WA Turf Club, and Vice President of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA. His community service included two years as Chairman of the Gosnells Road Board from 1913 to 1914. After his death in 1915 the family moved to the city. In March 1921 the eastern portion of Seaforth Park was sold to the Salvation Army on the proviso the name 'Seaforth' be retained. MacKenzie House became the Seaforth Boys' Home which housed orphans and intellectually disabled children, and which also had a reform section. During World War Two, under threat from bombing, the Nedlands Boys' Home residents were moved to Seaforth. The boys of Seaforth worked on the surrounding farm lands, successfully producing crops considered outstanding by the local agricultural society. The boys were trained as farmhands and were much in demand for employment on local farms. During the 1920s a large building program expanded facilities for the Home. It involved new accommodation units, a school house, workshops, a gymnasium and a library. It is during this period that the chapel and the timber cottage were constructed. In 1955, the Salvation Army closed the Boys' Home and it re-opened in 1961 for the rehabilitation of alcoholics. Salvation Army officer, Major Helen Jenkins had a long history of service with Seaforth Boys' Home and, after retiring in 1962, continued to live in Gosnells for many years. Since the mid 1980s it has operated as the Harry Hunter Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre, named after Harry Hunter, a Salvation Army Officer.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: Moderate to high degree

Condition

Fair-Good

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Norfolk Island Pine Tree (Wise's)

Condition

City of Gosnells advises one tree was removed suddenly in 1998 due to termite infection. Despite much local protest, the fellers were vindicated when the cross-section of the tree trunk revealed only a crescent of sapwood holding the tree upright. A second tree was felled in 1999 because of the same reasons.

Uses

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Weeping Mulberry Tree, Grounds of City of Gosnells Admin Centre

Parent Place or Precinct

23943 City Council Group

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Addie Mills Centre and Royal Poinciana Tree

Condition

Condition: Good Integrity: High Degree Authenticity: High Degree

Uses

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

Addie Mills Centre has historic value as an illustration of the changing demographic of the Gosnells community through the provision of aged care facilities. The Addie Mills Centre has historic value for its association with Audrey Mills and her husband, former Mayor Arthur Mills who together provided many years of community service. The Addie Mills Centre has social value for the seniors in the City of Gosnells who have attended the centre for over thirty years. The Royal Poinciana tree has rarity and aesthetic value as a excellent example of the species.

Physical Description

The Addie Mills senior citizens centre was constructed in the 1970s and extended in the late 1990s to provide important facilities for the local community. The single storey buildings are located on the north-eastern side of Astley Street close to the junction with Albany Highway to its south and the Canning River and natural environment to the north. The brick buildings are simple in design with regularly placed tall windows in a pale brick façade. There are two gabled port cocheres to the place providing sheltered cover for vehicular drop-off. The roof is predominantly gabled forms with skillion raised dormers, clad in Colorbond. The rear of the Addie Mills Centre has a garden setting with gazebo. The Royal Poinciana Tree is located to the front of the building opposite the main entrance. The mature tree is a good example of its type and provides a landmark in the streetscape due to its rarity.

History

The Addie Mills Centre was established in 1977 as a social centre for seniors and people with disabilities. The place was named to honour Audrey (Addie) Mills, wife of Mayor Arthur Mills who served as Mayor 1973-1979 and contributed forty two years to public service in Gosnells. Addie Mills was well known for her commitment to the district. She died in a motor vehicle accident in 1976. The centre provides a social club and support services including in-centre dining, podiatry, hairdresser, Meals On Wheels, information and referral services and free bus to the centre. The centre underwent a major extension to the south west in 1996 at a cost of $1.2 million. The original building was also renovated at this time including the replacement of the original Marseilles pattern roof tiles. The roof tiles were replaced with Colorbond in 2012. The Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) is located at the front entrance of the Addie Mills Centre. This variety is also known as peacock flower or orchid tree. It is a native of Madagascar and has a spectacular show of orange/red orchid-like flowers all over the umbrella shaped canopy. Because it normally grows in subtropical conditions this specimen, while it flowers well, rarely produces seeds in its large long seed pods.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: High degree

Condition

Good

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Pages Park and Norfolk Island Pine Trees

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value for its association with the Pages family who were active members of the Gosnells community. The place has aesthetic value as a group of mature trees in an urban environment.

Physical Description

A small pocket park located along Astley Street with mature trees including pines and eucalyptus, soft landscaping, pathways and park furniture creating a small green space along a residential street. The mural on the adjacent building shows a chemist store and garage which had been owned and operated by the Pages brothers on this site.

History

This park acknowledges the contribution of the Pages family to the Gosnells community. Michael and Fermina Pages left Spain in 1904 with their six children and arrived in Western Australia. Michael worked on farms in Darlington before selecting a block in Martin which they developed into a successful farm. Andres Pages established a store and in the 1920s with the rapid uptake of motor vehicles, installed a petrol bowser out the front of the store which developed into a garage. The Pages garage was very successful and other family members worked as carriers until the 1950s. This site of the park was a former residence which was cleared in the late 1960s. The mature trees on the site were evident within the former garden. One of the walls facing the park has public art work depicting the Pages garage.

Condition

good

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Loton House (fmr)

Uses

Historic Themes

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value for its association with local MP Anthony Loton MLC. The place has aesthetic value as a good and well maintained example of a post WW II residence.

Physical Description

This post World War Two brick and tile residence now forms part of the Amaroo Village retirement complex along Astley Street. The former house has been sympathetically extended towards the rear enabling the façade of the original dwelling to remain visible and legible. The property is of asymmetric plan form with a complex hipped roof form creating a series of hips over each section of the building. The main entrance faces the street and sits under a flat verandah canopy with a curved edge popular in 1950s design and wraps around the front and side elevations. The canopy is supported by slender steel columns. The concrete verandah deck merges into the red paving that threads through the site. The windows are predominantly timber framed sashes with additional security screens. The elevations are of face brickwork construction to the lower sections and rendered brick to the upper two-thirds of the elevations, the sill line marking the point of change between materials.

History

This former residence is now located within the Amaroo Retirement Village and provides administration offices and function rooms for residents. The house was constructed in the early 1950s as 1953 aerial photographs shows it is present within a large landholding which appears to be a former orchard. The property was purchased by Anthony Lloyd Loton (1904-1998) on 13 August 1955. Loton was a member of the Western Australian parliament, representing the South-East province in the Legislative Council. He was 40 when elected in 1944 and had a long career culminating in his appointment as President of the Legislative Council between 1954 and 1958. Loton and his wife Jean lived at the house with its small orchard until 1990 when it was purchased by the State Housing Commission and subsequently became part of the Amaroo Retirement Village. It has not been established who was the architect or builder of the residence.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Good

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Gosnells Uniting Church

Uses

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Arum Lilies, John Okey Davis Park

Parent Place or Precinct

13830 Wilkinson's Orchard (fmr)

Uses

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Lander Farm

Condition

Overall, Lander Farm, Gosnells is in good condition, considering many elements are constructed from salvaged, homemade or raw materials. Harold’s First House, the freestanding Shower Room and toilet, and adjacent Bush Shelter are in fair condition. The freestanding structures are gradually deteriorating, as they are no longer in use. Both the Equipment Shed and Shed, and their internal elements including Charles’ original annexe room, are in good condition. The Main House and the Transportable House were not inspected internally but externally appear to be in very good condition. The Duck Farm area is in good condition and appears well maintained although some fabric, such as pen fencing, has been removed. Most of the ephemera on the site continues to be in good condition despite much of it no longer being in use.

Uses

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value as an excellent representative example of the diverse, small-scale agricultural and market-gardening enterprises that dominated the Gosnells area from the 1890s until the area began shifting from rural to suburban land uses in the post-World War Two period, having since its establishment in 1946 successfully produced commercial quantities of flowers, ducks, firewood and honey, in addition to domestic agriculture including horses and cattle. The place has scientific value as it retains innovative home-made structures and machinery developed over fifty years in a context of limited financial resources, demonstrating the agricultural traditions of making-do, salvaging and recycling, and the manner in which informal local and domestic knowledge produces devices uniquely designed for very specific situations. The place is a rare example of a duck farm. The place has social value as the business operating there particularly employed local women, who could work flexible working hours which enabled the women to structure their work around family commitments. The place has historic value as it was established by notable Gosnells resident Harold Lander, who was later joined by his brother Charles Lander.

Physical Description

Lander Farm, Gosnells, a farming landscape containing Harold’s First House, a vernacular timber-framed asbestos and iron cottage (c.1945) and outbuildings; rustic timber, hand-made concrete block and iron sheds (1950s & 1960s) containing equipment and machinery relating to a flower nursery, an apiary, timber cutting and duck farming; duckling huts, breeding huts and incubators in various materials; a relocated Nissen Hut (n.d.); a pre-painted steel Transportable House and a brick and tile Main House (1993) in a partially reforested setting. There is an extensive sprinkler system on the property to defend against bush fires. The property has many structures such as sheds and pens associated with the duck farm that were made on site using recycled and salvaged materials which was an essential agricultural practice. The duck farm produced meat and eggs and was very labour intensive. Charles later mechanised some of the work, such as mixing feed, as the farm grew in size. The farm was divided into sections with ducklings, with and without mothers, in rows of pens and nesting boxes, and adult ducks in another area.

History

During the early twentieth century much of the locality was used for agriculture and market gardens. Many landowners in Gosnells on smaller properties had an orchard or livestock such as cow or chickens and worked in Perth, commuting by train. Later much of this land became subdivided for residential uses. Harold Lander's parents, George and Alice, migrated from England in 1912 and established a farm in Southern River. In 1946, following his demobilisation from the army Harold Lander, one of George and Alice's eight children, took up a parcel of land on the east bank of the Southern River as a flower nursery from which he supplied cut flowers to florists in Perth. Initially Harold planted poppies, chrysanthemums and carnations, but later moved into producing gladioli and was a successful and well respected grower. When Harold secured his land he built a small hut and dug trenches for an irrigation system which he ingeniously designed and constructed from available materials. In 1949, Charles joined his brother on the property and developed a commercial duck farm which was in operation until 1995. Charles employed local women at the farm on flexible working hours due to their family commitments. The duck farm was a successful business with Charles taking a scientific approach to the breeding and care of the produce despite his lack of formal education or training. George Lander, Harold and Charles' brother operated a firewood business and kept bees on the property for the commercial sale of honey. The buildings on the property were built by the brothers from available materials including manufacturing bricks from concrete. Harold retired from his business in the 1970s and the area under cultivation for flowers was returned to bushland, or a contrived 'wilderness' which Harold planted with trees, shrubs and ground covers. Harold Lander was a respected member of the local community and was a leader of the Southern River Progress Association which campaigned for local infrastructure. He was also an active member of many sporting and community groups. He died in 1995 and his ashes were scattered on the river bank. In the late 1980s suburban development of Southern River did progress, until that time the western side of the Southern River was still largely rural. A new house was built on the property in 1994 for Charles Lander and his wife and since that time the other residences on the site have been continually leased. In 2004, the City of Gosnells gave approval for a portion of the land to be used for a 'non-conforming' use within a residential area to allow the existing firewood business, cattle, horses, poultry and farm machinery to remain at the place as the remainder of the property was developed as thirteen residential lots.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: High degree

Condition

Overall: good condition

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Corfield Street Bridge over Southern River

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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St Munchin's Catholic Church (fmr)

Condition

sound

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Captain Williams' House (fmr)

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Statement of Significance

The place has historic value for its association with Captain Thomas Williams one of the inaugural members of the Gosnells Road Board, and a major investor in the Gosnells Estate Company. The place has aesthetic value as a good, although compromised by later additions, example of the Federation Queen Anne style in a prominent location.

Physical Description

Captain William’s House is an extended Federation Queen Anne style house with a two-storey addition to the rear of the ridgeline. The house sits on a corner position at the roundabout junction of Dorothy Street and Hicks Street. Although the address is Dorothy Street the front entrance to the house appears to be on Hicks Street adjacent to the projecting wing. The house is of brick construction with a replacement corrugated roof. The verandah canopy which extends around the north-east and south-west elevations is a separate skillion canopy positioned approximately three courses below the eaves of the house. The canopy is supported on timber columns. A faceted bay is positioned at the corner of the building wrapping around the corner with timber framed double hung sash windows with rendered decorative scrolls under the sills. The shape of the bay is reflected in the roof form. The main roof is a combination of hips and gables. The second storey addition was constructed in the early 2000s, and is located to the rear of the original house, on the roof between the original chimneys. The detailing of the addition replicated the original house form with a hipped roof and faceted bay above the original bay. The vented gablet above the small windows replicates that seen in the original house. The house is enclosed behind a high rendered wall with brick piers.

History

Captain Thomas Williams (1850-1910) constructed this residence in 1907. The property comprised three and a half acres made up of ten quarter-acre blocks, and a substantial orchard was developed on the land. Captain Williams was one of the inaugural members of the Gosnells Road Board, being first elected in 1907. He became a full partner in the Gosnells Estate Company after buying out Thomas James and C. Mofflin. Originally from Cornwall, Williams came to Western Australia via South Australia, working as a mine manager in both states. He obtained his title from the Cornish practice of calling mine managers 'Captain'. Thomas Williams died in May 1910 and his widow Margaret, sold the house to John Cleave in September 1910. John Cleave was a bank officer and he and his family lived at the residence until at least the mid-1920s. Later owners included Chadwick and then Murray (station owners from the north of WA). It appears that the house was also used as the Manse for the Church of England at one time. In more recent years it was owned by Yvonne Henderson local Member of Parliament 1983-1996. The house has undergone significant change since 1998, with the addition of a second storey. The surrounding brick fence has been rendered.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: Low degree

Condition

Good

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