Corkhill Street, 15, North Fremantle WA 6159
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleSITE OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT DEPOT, 15 CORKHILL STREETAddress15 Corkhill Street NORTH FREMANTLE WA 6159Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No20536Location DescriptionStreet Number15Construction Commenced1940Construction MaterialFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesSOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Government & politicsStatement Of SignificanceThis place is significant for being the location of the Public Works Department Depot, buildings demolished c1940. It has historic significance as a marker of development of infrastructure in the Fremantle area.ArchaeologyConditionDEMOLISHEDHistoryCorkhill Street was originally gazetted as Elizabeth Street, with the name change occurring in the 1930s. The majority of the street north of Harvest Road has no facing lots. It runs along the side boundaries of properties facing the perpendicular streets and was not included in early surveys for the area. A 1904 plan shows only one house in the street between John Street and Harvest Road, but by about the end of the decade, the entire west side of the street in this section was occupied by residences. The east side of the street, where the land backs onto the river and Point Direction, was the site of Browns Shipyards in this period. A.E. Brown had a large Federation-style residence at 1 Elizabeth Street (corner of John Street), which was later demolished, and used the grounds of this house as a holiday camp for disadvantaged children. Rate books of the 1920s and 1930s suggest that a number of the Corkhill Street houses were primarily rented out rather than being occupied by their owners. The land bounded by Harvest Road, Corkhill and John Streets was entirely taken up with sheds and shipyards for most of the twentieth century, with occupants including Northwest Whaling Company, BradFords Insulation (1954 to 1970s), Precision Marine (late 1970s), and the Public Works Department. During World War Two these shipyards were used for the construction of timber vessels for the Australian Navy. No evidence of the shipyards now remains, as the area was subdivided in the late 1990s and redeveloped as a high density residential area. (See related entry Site of State Shipbuilding Yards.) This site was a PWD Depot (c. 1940s). No evidence of the PWD buildings remain, and information relating to them was not located while undertaking research for this project.Physical DescriptionDEMOLISHEDAssociationPublic Works Department of Western AustraliaPlace UseOriginal Use – GOVERNMENTAL: Office or Administration BldgPresent Use – OTHER: OtherArchitectural StylesIntegrity/AuthenticityPlace TypeIndividual Building or Group
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
PARENT PLACE
Parent Place No22385
RELATED
Corkhill Street, 15, North Fremantle WA 6159. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 06/04/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/33953