John Street, 10E NORTH FREMANTLE WA 6159
DESCRIPTION
Heritage TitleHOUSE (DEMOLISHED), 10 JOHN STREETAddress10E John Street NORTH FREMANTLE WA 6159Geo tag[1] Heritage Place No21057Construction Commenced1895Year Of Demolition1994Construction MaterialFormer W.A. Heritage ThemesStatement Of SignificanceArchaeologyConditionHistoryJohn Street was the main road surveyed through the parcel of land granted to Lt. Con. John Bruce in 1857. The land remained undivided and undeveloped until after John Bruce’s death, when his widow arranged for it to be auctioned as residential lots. A land sale was held in October 1890 to dispose of the estate of John Bruce. A large attendance resulted in all 88 lots being sold, for sums ranging from £21 to £102, at an average price of £33/16/0, well above the anticipated price. Towards the end of 1891, the new owners approached the Fremantle Council requesting that scrub be cleared so that they could access their blocks, and it is likely that this is when John Street, which had been marked on survey diagrams from at least 1833, was actually created. The area at this time was known as ‘Brucetown’. Pensioner Road, which ran from Stirling Highway (then Bruce Street) to the ocean and beach along the route of current Tydeman Road between Stirling Highway and the railway, and continuing beyond this point at the same angle, was renamed John Street in the late 1890s, being the continuation of the current John Street. This name remained until towards the end of the twentieth century, when roads were realigned to accommodate the expansion of Fremantle Port, and the current alignment of Tydeman Road was constructed. The present John Street, from Stirling Highway to the Swan River, developed as a predominantly residential area, with the exception of the Gresham Hotel (to 1934) and the North Fremantle Oval (later Gilbert Fraser Reserve). At the western end of the street a number of prominent homes were built, while the eastern end was characterised by workers cottages. Long residential blocks on the south side of the street, east of the oval, had a number of cottages built along their rear boundary, facing the water. These were reported to have flooded frequently. The street overall fell into disrepair in the decades following World War Two, with many of the larger residences used as boarding houses and the cottages rented out. Many German and Polish migrants took up residence in this period. From the 1980s, gentrification of the area began, with older places either being restored or demolished to construct higher density housing. In the 1990s, most of the older houses at the eastern end of the street were demolished to allow for new waterside developments, most notably Pier 21. House, 10 John Street, was one of three cottages at 6 to 10 John Street constructed close together in the 1890s, and demolished in 1994 to construct a new residential development. It was constructed c.1895 for George Caldwell of Fremantle, carpenter, as a three-room timber cottage. Caldwell did not live at the place, being resident for 45 years from 1893 in Louise Street with his wife Kate. The cottage was situated close to the eastern Lot boundary, and the western portion subdivided to allow for a second cottage on the Lot. No second cottage appears to have been built. By the 1920s, the place had been extended to a four-room cottage. It was owned and occupied by George Hutton and his wife Sarah Jane. George appears to have died some time in the 1930s, and in 1945 Sarah Jane remarried. She continued to own the place as Sarah Jane Kemp until her death in 1958. Ownership then passed to Lawrence George Kemp, waterside worker, until his death in 1989. This place was included in the 'North Fremantle Heritage Study' (1994) as a place contributing to the development and heritage of North Fremantle. It was also included in the list of heritage places in the City of Fremantle identified by the Fremantle Society (1979/80) - BROWN -significant for making a positive contribution to the built environment of Fremantle. Physical DescriptionDEMOLISHED. Retained on MHI for historical information only.AssociationPlace UseOriginal Use – RESIDENTIAL: OtherOther Use – OTHER: OtherPresent Use – RESIDENTIAL: Single storey residenceIntegrity/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 Date14/12/2016Local Government Non-Statutory Listing Local Heritage Survey Management CategoryHistorical Record Only
PARENT PLACE
Parent Place No22385
RELATED
John Street, 10E NORTH FREMANTLE WA 6159. City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 03/05/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/34690