Parry Street, 14, Fremantle WA 6160
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleSt John Ambulance Station FremantleAddress14 Parry Street FREMANTLE WA 6160Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No26937Location DescriptionStreet Number14Construction Commenced1936Construction MaterialRoof – TILE: Terracotta TileWall – BRICK: Painted BrickFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesStatement Of SignificanceThe St John Ambulance Station in Parry Street Fremantle, a brick and tile single storey structure, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: the place has historic value for its association with community efforts to fundraise and build the station, and for the ongoing support by the community through fundraising and voluntary work; the place has historic and social value for the community for its association with the ongoing contribution by the St John Ambulance Service which has a widespread affect across the community; The original portion of the place, together with the 1940 addition, demonstrate simple styling of the Inter War period with much of the internal detail extant; and, together with Electricity Substation, Fremantle, along with the former garage on the corner of Queen Victoria Street form a suite of inter-war buildings that have some townscape value.ArchaeologyConditionHistorySt John's Ambulance Station was constructed in Fremantle in 1936 to plans prepared by local architect, and honorary architect for St John Ambulance, Claude Nicholas (1189-1966), from the firm Allen and Nicholas. The building comprised a garage for 4 vans, Board room where meetings, first –aid and home nursing classes were held, and ‘quarters for a married man and his family’. The construction of this building was the culmination of a significant community effort and fund raising in the Inter War period. The Lotteries Commission provided half the funds for the building with the balance met by local firms and citizens. Shortly after completion, a porch and offices were added to the east side of the building in 1940 and further additions were made to the rear sometime between 1965 and 1974. St John Ambulance moved out of the building in 2019. A Heritage Assessment prepared by Hocking Heritage Architects in February 2018. This assessment recommended that the place be included on the Heritage List and Municipal Heritage inventory as a Category Level 3 place. A second heritage assessment was prepared by Griffiths Architects in June 2019. This assessment recommended that the place be included on the Heritage List and Municipal Heritage inventory as a Category Level 3 place. 14 Parry Street was added to the City of Fremantle Heritage List and Included on the MHI as a Category Level 3 place on 17 July 2019.Physical DescriptionSt John Ambulance Station, Fremantle is a single storey painted brick and terracotta Marseilles tiled hipped roofed building (1936) designed in the Inter-war style. The building is set back from the lot boundary, with the forecourt being mostly bituminised for parking with some concrete pavers at the entrances. A low height rendered brick pier boundary fence separates the carpark from the narrow grass verge. The building has a hipped Marseilles terracotta roof with a gablet over the garage, sheer-line gutters, rectangular downpipes and a painted, rendered corbelled brick chimney. The garage has a rendered frieze with the words THE ST JOHN AMBULANCE. in bas relief which is integral to the facade. Eaves are asbestos cement lined with timber cover battens. A central garage is flanked on either side by entry points constructed of brick and terracotta tiled, gabled porticos with timber framed fixed glaze windows. The historic photographs show that formerly, a simpler timber framed, and tiled awning sheltered the original, southern entry door. Projecting brick pilasters with simple decorative brick articulation are located either side of the garage and at the corners of the front façade. Timber framed, double hung sash windows with paned glass and painted rendered sills are located either side of the entry doors. The doors are timber paneled with 4 paned rippled cast glass and 4 paned rippled cast glass hopper lights over. Entrance doors have timber sills. The single-room north extension which was undertaken in 1940 has much the same external detailing as the 1936 southern portion and converted the front façade of the building into a near symmetrical composition. The general arrangement of the floor layout consists of the central rectangular garage to the west of he building with the caretaker’s quarters located to the east, accessed by a connecting corridor. The accommodation quarters consist of two bedrooms separated by an office (former kitchen) that adjoins a verandah. Two externally accessed toilets are located to the rear of the building alongside the verandah. A washroom and shower are located to the south of the corridor. The corridor provides access to a kitchen (former lounge) which is located to the south west and adjoins the lounge (former boardroom) which was the original front entrance. The additions to the north consist of the 1940’s driver’s room, now offices. A single door through the office provides access to a training room and a further double door leads to the kitchenette, training hall and toilets, all located at the north east of the building. The current Kitchen located south of the hallway has a vinyl covered timber floor and plasterboard and cover batten ceiling with decorative cast plaster mouldings. The room has timber picture rails and a double hung timber framed sash window. The lounge located to the south of the kitchen is again accessed through a timber paneled door. The timber floor is carpeted, and the ceiling is highly ornate with cast plaster mouldings on a plasterboard and cover batten ceiling. Timber picture rails and simple splay timber skirtings run the perimeter of the room. Two projecting brick pilasters are located on the south wall. The room has three double hung timber framed sash windows and two paneled timber doors to the exterior, one to the front entrance and one to the south side of the building. The ornate detailing and grand nature of the room suggests that it operated formerly as a boardroom.AssociationPlace UseOriginal Use – SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL: OtherArchitectural StylesIntegrity/AuthenticityThe building retains a moderate to high degree of authenticity because although extended several times, the additive nature of the additions has left the 1936 and 1940 sections largely intact.Place TypeIndividual Building or Group
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Heritage EntryYes
Parry Street, 14, Fremantle WA 6160. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 18/03/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/30062