Holdsworth Street, 8, Fremantle WA 6160
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleSITE OF FORMER FEDERAL SAW MILL, 8 HOLDSWORTH STREETAddress8 Holdsworth Street FREMANTLE WA 6160Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No24604Location DescriptionStreet Number8Other NamesSite of TerracesConstruction Commenced1898Year Of Demolition1989Construction MaterialFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesStatement Of SignificanceSite of Six Terraces, 8 Holdsworth Street, dating from 1882 and demolished 1955, is significant for representing the former residential development of the inner city area of Fremantle, and the changing use of land over time. Site of Federal Saw Mill, demolished 1989, is significant as a site because from 1898 to 1970 it operated as a saw mill, and it marked the development of the Bunnings timber and hardware commercial enterprise, having been owned from 1901 to 1970 by brothers Arthur and Robert Bunning.ArchaeologyConditionSite OnlyHistorySix Terraces, 8 Holdsworth Street (DEMOLISHED) Already in 1880 there were five cottages on Lot 534. In 1881-82 one was demolished and six new cottages were erected. Ten cottages were listed in the ratebooks until 1902-03, being one 1-room weatherboard cottage, three two-room cottages and the six 1882 3-room cottages. The smaller cottages began to be demolished in 1902, with only two of these, facing the NW-SE oriented section of Queen Street (which remains Queen Street today) extant in 1903. The six stone cottages facing the NE-SW aligned section of Queen Street, later Holdsworth Street, remained. A 1913 PWD plan shows six stone or brick cottages at the western end of what was then Queen Street, later renamed Holdsworth Street. The street at the time turned from running WSW to closer to SW such that the six cottages are aligned with the Artillery Drill Hall opposite (now Fly-By-Night Musicians Club). The Terrace was demolished in 1955. Federal Saw Mill (DEMOLISHED) From 1898, a sawmill operated from the rear of the lot, behind the cottages. The original proprietor was Bailey & Son. By 1900 the timber yard was owned by Mrs J Pickering, but Frank Bailey continued to operate the business, which in some records is referred to as Federal Saw Mills. The following year the place was owned and occupied by Bunning Bros, who operated a saw mill, works and timber yard. Plans from 1898 and 1904 show no buildings associated with the timber operations. A 1908 sewerage plan shows the yard as containing a workshop (corrugated iron), brick and iron office, and timber yards. The Bunning brothers, Arthur and Robert, arrived in Western Australia in 1886, became respected as builders, and expanded their family business to become one of the largest timber companies in the State, still trading under the Bunnings name into the twenty first century. Sometime in the 1920s the Bunnings purchased the cottages. A 1947 aerial photograph shows the cottages apparently little changed from 1913. A newspaper article from March 1955 describes the demolition of six stone cottages in Holdsworth Street to allow the expansion of the timber yard. The article speculates that convicts may have built the cottages, but this appears unfounded, as they were constructed in 1882. A new machinery shed was built at the rear of the lot in 1957. In 1960, the southwest corner of Lot 534 was transferred from Bunnings to the Fremantle City Council. Two remaining cottages facing Queen Street were demolished in 1964-65. The dogleg in Holdsworth Street was removed in 1968 and the street realigned across the site of the former cottages. Bunnings amalgamated with Hawker-Siddeley in 1970, and ceased operations at the Holdsworth Street site. The yard near Newmarket Hotel took over the functions of this yard. The sawmill office was then used by the Salvation Army as their Fremantle meeting place. The Salvation Army extended the building in 1971-72. It was demolished in 1989, along with remnant sheds relating to the timber yard. Three-storey offices for the State Housing Commission were erected on the southern corner of the site in 1979. A court complex was constructed adjacent to the east in the late 1990s. Note: Street names changed in 1901; 1913 PWD plan shows Doonan Street (east of Parry St) and Queen St (west of Parry Street) for what was later Holdsworth Street. Physical DescriptionDEMOLISHEDAssociationBailey & SonBunning BrosMrs J PickeringPlace UseOriginal Use – FORESTRY: SawpitArchitectural StylesIntegrity/AuthenticityPlace TypeHistoric Site
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 CategoryHistoric/Archaeological Site
RELATED
Holdsworth Street, 8, Fremantle WA 6160. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 28/04/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/28590