Fothergill Street, 29, Fremantle WA 6160
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleHOUSE, 29 FOTHERGILL STREETAddress29 Fothergill Street FREMANTLE WA 6160Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No20653Location DescriptionStreet Number29Construction Commenced1901Construction MaterialRoof – METAL: Corrugated IronWall – BRICK: Pointed BrickWall – STONE: LimestoneFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesDEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY: Land allocation & subdivisionStatement Of SignificanceHouse, 29 Fothergill Street is included in the precinct listing for Fothergill Street Precinct. The houses and streetscape of the historic precinct have a strong collective and visually cohesive aesthetic presence, reflecting a narrow range of late nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural styles and palette of materials that form a significant streetscape. The precinct is an almost complete example of an early twentieth century streetscape, the historic precinct is a good historical record of how Western Australians lived in the early years of the twentieth century, and the way in which the residences of the elite, the middle class and the working class existed side by side in that period. The historic precinct demonstrates changing demographics, the need for replacing deteriorating material, changing technology, and changes in lifestyle without the loss of the overall Federation period character. The precinct also reflects a pattern of development whereby pressures for higher density development led to the area’s decline, and the subsequent removal of this pressure saw significant conservation and development of the area. Residents of the historic precinct, Sir Henry Briggs, Edith Higham and her husband, J. J. Higham; and George Henderson and George Thorpe, who built five of the residences at the north side of the street, and Frederick Instone, who built 30 Solomon Street, are all significant Fremantle figures. The newer street fences, additions to houses, street trees, pavements and replacement materials generally are of little significance. The house at 27b and the adjacent vacant land at 27a have little significance. This statement of significance was taken from the Heritage Council of Western Australia’s Register Entry for the Fothergill Street Precinct (June 2004).ArchaeologyConditionMost of the places are well maintained. All have been impacted upon bymaintenance and change to varying degrees and there is muchreplacement material along boundary fences, roofs, and verandahstructures. Some places have received some poor maintenance strategies.On the whole the maintenance has effected subtle changes but has notdetracted from the historic precinct to a significant degree. Fothergill StreetPrecinct is generally in fair to good condition.HistoryHouse, 29 Fothergill Street is included in the precinct listing for Fothergill Street Precinct. The precinct comprises Nos. 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 27b, vacant lot, 28, and 29 Fothergill Street, and nos. 28 and 30 Solomon Street, Fremantle, (i.e. Fothergill Street between the east side of Solomon Street and Swanbourne Street). The majority of these 11 residences were constructed in the decade 1898-1908, of limestone and brick with iron roofs. The street was formerly called John Street. During the 1880s and 1890s, many of the Fremantle merchant class, having acquired the necessary degree of wealth, moved from homes located in the heart of Fremantle, close to their business premises, to the 'more exclusive area… using to advantage the high ground above the township on the east side of High Street.', where they built substantial family homes, generally on large lots, which displayed their wealth and their status. In contrast to the simple dwellings of the majority of the populace of Fremantle, 'the homes of many merchants were of two storeys or more, with basements, towers, and wide shady verandahs.' In the wake of the Western Australian Gold Boom, the population increased dramatically, and there were increased sub-divisions in the areas to the south, north, and east of the town of Fremantle. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, there was residential development in these areas, including John Street, present day Fothergill Street. Around the turn of the nineteenth century, two of the largest houses in the historic precinct were built were on vacant land at the top of John Street, at the corners of Swanbourne Street. In 1899, Henry Briggs was recorded as the owner of Lots 25, 30, 31, and 32 of Fremantle Town Lot 798, and in the following year, a residence in the Federation Queen Anne style was built for him at the place (the present 28 Fothergill Street). It was constructed of brick with an iron roof, on a limestone foundation, and with limestone walls to the basement. The Hon. Henry Briggs, JP, MLC, President of the Legislative Council, (b. Kettering, Northamptonshire), later Sir Henry Briggs, was educated in England, and reached the position of Head Master of the Mottram Grammar School before being nominated by the Board of Governors to come to Western Australia in 1882, to establish Fremantle Grammar School, where he remained until 1897 He maintained a lifelong interest in education, and served as a member of an early Commission into technical education, served as a Trustee of the Public Library, Museum, and Art Gallery from 1903, and he was also a member of the Royal Commission on the establishment of a University in Western Australia. In 1895, Henry Briggs was appointed a Justice of the Peace; and in 1896, he was elected to the Legislative Council. He was President of the Fremantle Branch of the Western Australian Federation League; and in 1897-98, he was one of the Western Australian representatives at the Sydney and Melbourne Sessions at the Australian Convention, which framed the Constitution. From June 1900 to June 1906, he was Chairman of the Committees; and in 1906, he succeeded Sir George Shenton as President of the Council. On completion of 28 Fothergill Street, Henry Briggs took up residence at the place in 1901, where he continued to reside until 1920. Following the introduction of street numbers, the place was numbered 60 John Street from c. 1904. A Sewerage plan (1908) shows the place with a verandah at the front, extending to the front boundary, and a verandah at the western side, at the northwest corner of the house. In the rear yard, there are two water tanks located at the north of the house; an earth closet located by the eastern boundary; and two galvanised iron outbuildings adjacent to the rear boundary at the north-east and north-west corners of the yard. At the east side, the residence is built to the boundary of the lot and Swanbourne Street. In February 1920, the place was transferred from Sir Henry Briggs to Edmond Power Dowley, who took up residence at the place. The place continued to be occupied by the Dowley family, and was transferred to his daughter, Agnes Mary Elizabeth Dowley. In 1939, she was granted approval to have a garage constructed of jarrah timber with asbestos lining and with a corrugated iron roof erected at an estimated cost of £20, and it was duly built by A. Vernede. She continued to own the place after her marriage to Arthur Trevorah (c. 1941), until it was sold in the mid 1960s. After a brief ownership by M. Del Popolo, during which it was rented to a tenant, the place was transferred to Mary Irene Miragliotta who occupied it from the mid 1960s, and through the early to mid 1970s. In the 1960s and 1970s, various health orders for the place were issued by the Fremantle City Council. In 1962, the order included works to repair and make sound the verandah, repair and replacement of the roof to render it waterproof, and demolition of a shed adjacent to the rear door of the dwelling; and in 1977, the order included repairs to the fretted brickwork and eroded limestone in the walls, repairs to the roof and the corroded guttering on the verandah. The second large residence to be built in the historic precinct (the present no. 29 Fothergill Street) was built on vacant land at Lot 1 of 796, at the south corner of John Street and Swanbourne Street, which had been owned by John Bateman, merchant, of Fremantle, before being transferred to his daughter, Edith Elizabeth Higham, wife of J. J. Higham, in 1901-02. In this year, a large two storey 'villa residence' was built for her. Constructed of limestone and brick, with an iron roof, in the Federation Filigree style, the place was in a commanding position, on a large block of land. The ground level of the residence is some depth below the street levels of both Fothergill and Swanbourne Streets, suggesting that the limestone may have been quarried on site, or alternatively that quarrying had taken place there at an earlier date. John Joseph (Jack) Higham (b. Fremantle, 1856, d. 1927), after his education in Perth and Sydney, returned to Fremantle and entered the family mercantile business, at that period styled M. Higham & Sons. Mary Higham and her husband, John, had commenced business in Fremantle as bakers and confectioners after their arrival there in 1853; and, after his death in 1856, it was continued and expanded by her into a highly successful mercantile business. In 1882, Jack Higham married Edith Bateman. As noted in Brown (1996), marriages within the second generation of the successful Fremantle merchant families were common, and 'often reinforced commercial bonds and created commercial family networks.' In 1886, the alliance between the Bateman and Higham families was further consolidated when Jack's brother, Henry, married Edith's sister, Maud. Jack Higham carried on the business as the surviving partner until 1890, when he opened his own business at Pakenham Street, servicing the newly discovered gold fields. Subsequently, he moved into business in house, land, and general estate agency and valuing business 'on a large scale.', in which he was later joined by his son, Frank Gayton Higham (b. Fremantle, 1886).29 J. J. Higham was active in public life, representing the business ward of the Municipality of Fremantle for seven years; from 1897, following the death of W. E. Marmion, he represented Fremantle in State Parliament; and he served also as Chairman of the Technical School Advisory Board, and Trustee of the Fremantle Cemetery Board.30 He became a Justice of the Peace in 1897. On completion of the 'villa residence' Edith and Jack Higham took up residence, with their family of four sons and a daughter.32 In 1905-06, the place was recorded as 57 John Street, and in addition to the villa residence, outhouses were recorded. In 1907-08, the Rate Book recorded also stables and a cottage at the place. A Sewerage plan (1908) shows the large lot with the main residence of stone construction fronting John Street, near the corner of Swanbourne Street. Steps lead down to the place from John Street, and the house has timber verandahs at the west side and the front (facing north), with a return to the east side; a timber section extends across the rear; and extending from the south-west end, there are a brick addition and closet, with a further timber addition to the rear again.36 The outbuildings comprise four timber buildings, located to the southeast and south of the main building, in proximity to the eastern and the southern boundaries of the lot, and include the stables. At this period, Bellevue Street was re-named Higham Street and later reverted to Bellevue Street, its present name. The Higham family continued to reside at the place through the first decades of the twentieth century. In the 1940s, the place was occupied into flats, one at each floor. The present 27 Fothergill Street was also built at the turn of the nineteenth century, for one of the Fremantle merchants and his family. It was constructed of limestone and brick with an iron roof. In the 1990s, the place was extensively renovated, including re-roofing, re-plumbing, and re-wiring. The original front four rooms and entry hall retain some of their original features. At the rear, is a section with a pressed metal ceiling which may have been part of the original construction; and this opens to a modern addition, which has been built on two levels, made possible by the slope of the land to the south, which includes an undercroft, laundry, and cellar. In 1901-02, at Lot 2 of 28/9 of Fremantle Town Lot 799, owned by George Henderson, contractor, and George Thorpe, a 'cottage building' was built, probably by Henderson given his profession. It was one of a trio of cottages of the same design. The present numbers are 18, 20, and 22 Fothergill Street. The cottages were constructed of limestone and brick with an iron roof, in the Federation Bungalow style. On completion, the cottage with the present no. 20 was sold to John Alexander Naylor (b. Fremantle, 1867, d. 1940), baker. It is most likely that he purchased the place as an investment property as Fremantle Rate Books record that the place was rented to tenants throughout his ownership from 1901-02 to the mid 1920s. Among the early tenants was Harry Everard, traveller. In 1908, the sewerage maps show the dwellings in the historic precinct, and the stone cottage. Following the introduction of street numbers, the place was numbered 52 John Street, and then 52 Fothergill Street from 1922 to 1935-36, when it was re-numbered to the present number, 20 Fothergill Street. In 1925-26, 52 Fothergill Street was transferred to James Frederick Orton, who resided there throughout the period of his ownership of the place (1925-26 to 1935-36). Subsequently, the place continued to be owner occupied by successive owners for most of the twentieth century, other than for a short period in the early 1950s, when it was tenanted. Among the owners in the post World War Two period was Wilfred Ernest Green (1956-72), lumper. In 1963, Fremantle City Council gave approval for additions to 20 Fothergill Street, comprising an open verandah at a cost of £50, and replacement of part of the existing structure at the rear comprising dining room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry at a cost of £10,000. Comparison of the 1908 sewerage map and the 1984 Land Use Survey Plan indicates the extent to which the place has been extended. In 1901-02, Lots 2 and 3 of Fremantle Town Lot 798 (the present nos. 24 and 26 Fothergill Street), was vacant land, owned by George Henderson and George Thorpe, who were engaged in building the trio of cottages at the adjoining land on the west. In 1902-03, two 'dwelling houses' were built for them on the Lots; on completion, Henderson took up occupation of one of the houses (3 of 791), and the other was leased to tenants (2 of 791). The pair of villas was constructed of limestone and brick with iron roofs. In 1903-04, Henderson’s residence Lot 3 of 791 (the present 26 Fothergill Street) was transferred to Captain Percy Townley, Master Mariner, who took up residence at the place, which was recorded as cottage, 58 John Street, from c. 1904. He owned and occupied the residence until it was transferred to John Murray in 1916-17, who took up residence at the place. The place changed hands in the mid 1920s, early 1940s, and mid 1950s, and remained owner/occupied throughout the period 1917-60. In the latter period, the owners were Salvatore and Maria Travia who owned the place from 1956 to 1990, leasing it to tenants for part of the later period. During their ownership, in 1959, Fremantle City Council approved an application for a verandah at the place. In May 1992, when the place was advertised for sale at $275,000, it was reported that restoration work on the place was 'almost complete', the only remaining areas on which work was required being the verandah and the original tuck pointing, and the rear garden. In 1992, the present owners, Katherine Price and David Cyril Phillips bought the place. In 1899, Frederick Instone, plumber of Fremantle, purchased Fremantle Town Lot 797 1A (30 Solomon Street) from Clara Ulrich, who resided with her husband, Joseph, at a four room dwelling (1898) on the adjacent lot, which fronted Mary Street (the present Solomon Street). This is the present 30 Solomon Street. Circa 1902-03, Instone built a cottage on his lot, at the corner of John and Mary Streets, fronting the latter. It was built as an investment property, and let to various tenants throughout Instone's ownership, including Wallace Elias Solomon (b. Fremantle 1878, d. 1950), son of the prominent Fremantle merchant, Mayor of Fremantle and parliamentarian, Elias Solomon. Having resided there as a tenant from 1908-09 to 1913-14, he continued to reside there after the place was purchased by Anna Rosetta Solomon, from 1913-14 to 1920-21. In that year, the place was transferred to Theodore Back, who took up residence there with his family, in whose ownership and occupation the place continued until the mid 1980s. It has not been possible to date to establish the construction date of the present 28 Solomon Street. However, the place had been built by 1905-06, and is shown on the sewerage map of 1908, as 70 Mary Street. In 1922, John Street was re-named Fothergill Street, possibly to end confusion with John Street, North Fremantle. The new name honoured a former Mayor of Fremantle (1909-10), Mr. E. H. Fothergill. Mary Street was re-named in 1951-52. There appear to have been relatively few changes to the buildings in the historic precinct in the period 1925-60. In the post World War Two period, there was an influx of European immigrants, many of whom took up residence in areas in proximity to the urban centres of Fremantle and Perth, leading to a change in the demographic composition of the local populace. Some of the residences within the historic precinct were purchased and/or occupied by such families; however, the exteriors of most of the residences show little if any evidence of the change. On the south side of the street, the large lot sizes at nos. 27 and 29 Fothergill Street appear to have remained unchanged from the 1920s to the 1960s. In the 1960s, the area of the former lot was reduced, when a new residence was built at 27b. The exterior of the place is covered in limestone brick to blend with the neighbouring residences. 27b Fothergill Street was re-designed by Ken Norrish, and has been described as 'homely stressed funk'. In the late twentieth century, at a number of the residences in the historic precinct 'extensive work' was carried out. The street had been in decline while under pressure for the development of high-density residential purposes. During the 1960s, while this matter was being decided, the housing stock fell into decline in anticipation of redevelopment. Following the failure of the move to achieve higher densities, these properties offered relatively cheap alternative accommodation for younger poorer and better educated people. The foundation of the Fremantle Society, the stimulus of interest in conservation, and the re-discovery of Fremantle lead to the revival and conservation of houses in Fothergill Street. The front facades of the majority of the residences within the historic precinct retain the features of their original construction. The streetscape has been described as conjuring up 'a striking image of how it must have looked at the turn of the nineteenth century’. The dates err somewhat, as a number of the residences in the historic precinct were constructed after the turn of the century; however, the streetscape has retained much of the aesthetic quality of the place in the pre-World War One period. It is representative of a historic precinct of residences built almost entirely in the Federation period, in the Federation Bungalow, Federation Filigree, and Federation Queen Anne styles. In 2005, all the residences in the historic precinct continue to be occupied as residences. The Heritage Council’s documentation contains Management Strategies for the precinct as follows: There should be no demolition of significant places within the historic precinct. All of the houses in the historic precinct are considered to be significant places. Fothergill 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 historic precinct should be conserved and strengthened, and new development should be controlled to retain the heritage significance of the historic precinct. The need for the evolution of the historic precinct should be recognized and change managed to conserve the visual harmony of the historic precinct. To achieve these aims the following management strategies should be implemented: • The Historic 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 an overall context for the precinct. • Guidelines should relate to the broad historic 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 Fothergill Street Precinct. The documentary evidence was compiled by Robin Chinnery, Historian. The physical evidence was compiled by Philip Griffiths, Architect. The above is gratefully acknowledged as their work. Physical Description29 Fothergill Street was built in 1901-02 in the Federation Filigree style. It is built on the largest lot in the street and is set well back from its boundaries, leaving generous areas of land for gardens. The land falls away from the street towards the south so that the ground floor of the house is well below street level, and the siting at the lower level reduces the visual presence of the house in the overall streetscape. 29 Fothergill Street is a two storey tuck pointed brick and black tuck pointed ashlar limestone and stucco construction house, with concrete tiled main roof and corrugated asbestos verandah roof. There is a bagged brick and face brick retaining wall and fence along Swanbourne Street and Fothergill Street, with piers at intervals. There is a generous amount of open space around the house that has no formal landscaping, but there is a large number of trees scattered around the space including Peppermint Trees, Pepper Trees (Schinus spp.), Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), Eucalypts and Olive Trees. The street trees comprise a young Siberian Elm in Fothergill Street and new plantings in Swanbourne Street. The front of the house is symmetrically arranged around the front entry doors at both ground and first floor level, with the flanking rooms emphasised with pairs of double hung sash windows. A set of steel steps leads up from street level to the verandah and the main front entry at the first floor level. The verandah, which extends along the full width of the Fothergill Street elevation and the western elevation, is separately pitched off a wall plate and pitched corrugated asbestos roof. The house has a hipped roof set at about 30 degrees pitch and stout stucco finished chimneys. The principal walls are constructed in tuck pointed ashlar limestone with brick quoins, reveals and arches. The front door is panelled and glazed with sidelights and a hopper light over the door and all the glazed panels are filled with stained glass leadlights. The verandah has a concrete floor at ground floor level, but all other elements are timber. It has a simple timber balustrade and decorative lacework fixed to the verandah posts and beams at both levels. The Swanbourne Street side of the building comprises the original house and a substantial two-storey addition to the rear, with a masonry ground floor and framed and fibro clad upper storey. A steel stair leads from the garden to first floor level. The addition appears to replace a rear verandah. The appearance of the house has been altered by the replacement of the iron roof with tiles and corrugated asbestos, remodelling of verandahs, the replacement of the boundary fence and the addition to the rear.AssociationEdith Elizabeth Higham, wife of J. J. HighamJohn Bateman, merchant of FremantlePlace UseOriginal Use – RESIDENTIAL: Two storey residencePresent Use – RESIDENTIAL: Two storey residenceArchitectural StylesIntegrity/AuthenticityINTEGRITY All houses in the historic precinct remain in use as residences, retaining their original use. The prospect for future conservation remains good and the degree of integrity high. AUTHENTICITY All residences in the historic precinct have been subject to internal and external change. Change has included additions to most residences, alterations to verandahs, boundary treatments, and roofing finishes. The substance of all but one of the houses remains substantially intact. The precinct as a whole retains a moderate to high degree of authenticity.Place TypeIndividual Building or GroupState Registered1
Statutory Heritage Areas
Statutory Heritage Area CustodianHeritage Council of WAStatutory Heritage Area Forthergill StreetHeritage Area StatusState RegisteredHeritage Area InHerit Number9241Statutory Heritage Area Date25/06/2004
Local Government Statutory Heritage Listings
Local Government Statutory Listing CustodianCity of FremantleLocal Government Statutory Listing TypeHeritage ListLocal Government Statutory Listing StatusYesLocal Government Statutory Listing Date8/03/2007
Local Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey
Local Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey CustodianCity of FremantleLocal Government Non-Statutory Local Heritage Survey Date18/09/2000Local Government Non-Statutory Listing Local Heritage Survey Management CategoryLevel 1A
PARENT PLACE
Parent Place No22724
RELATED
Fothergill Street, 29, Fremantle WA 6160. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 12/04/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/27980