Federation house

Item details


Name of item:	Federation house
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Residential buildings (private)
Category:	House
Primary address:	71 Edgbaston Road, Beverly Hills, NSW 2209
Parish:	St George
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Georges River

Boundary:

Property boundary. Both the house and its setting (current lot) contribute to the heritage significance of the Item.

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
71 Edgbaston Road	Beverly Hills	Georges River	St George	Cumberland	Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The property 71 Edgbaston Road is of historic and aesthetic heritage significance to the local area for the evidence it provides of the pattern of Beverly Hills’ development. The 1903 house is a locally rare example of a timber Federation bungalow with notable original detailing. This, together with its setting forward on the lot relative to its neighbours, allows it to make an important contribution to the streetscape of Edgbaston Road. The property is historically significant for the evidence that it provides of the pattern of development in the former Hurstville LGA as it transformed from undeveloped bushland to a suburban cultural landscape between 1900 and 1950. It was one of the first houses to be built north of Stoney Creek Road as part of the large Penshurst Park subdivision of Robert Townson’s 1810 grant, the site being purchased and the house occupied by 1903. The original site was large (c.1 acre in area) and its re-subdivision in 1931 provides evidence of the increasing suburbanisation of the Beverly Hills area following the opening of the East Hills Railway line. The curtilage of the property has therefore been significantly reduced from the original 1 acre, but the current boundary has existed for nearly 90 years and forms an appropriately scaled setting for the property in the context of the rhythms of the development in Edgbaston Road. The house is aesthetically significant to the local area as very good, substantially intact and rare surviving example of a timber Federation bungalow with return verandah and distinctive detailing to the gable ends. The addition to the rear has retained the traditional typology of this style with the rear rooms under a simple skillion roof. The dormer to the rear plane of the roof is large but is well hidden from casual view by the volume of the original roof and does not significantly impact the Item’s heritage values. The property demonstrates historic and aesthetic heritage values that satisfy the NSW Heritage Council’s Criteria for local heritage significance.
	Date significance updated: 30 Oct 20
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Unknown
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Physical description:	A substantially intact (exterior, interior not inspected) Federation-style timber shiplap cottage with return verandah and distinctive detailing. The roof form is characteristic of the Federation style, being hipped and rising to a short ridge with gablet vents set parallel to the front boundary and gabled terminations to the short wings that bracket the verandah. The rear plane has recently had a dormer-style addition which is large but not prominent in views from Edgbaston Road. A traditional skillion roof extends over the rear of the house, including the addition. Chimney/s appear to have been removed prior to 1943, not being visible in the aerial photo of the property from that year. The roof is clad in original short-sheeted corrugated iron with red oxide paint which is peeling. The gable ends feature rare and distinctive fretwork with a geometric character that appears to be original. The face of each gable continues to form the plane of the wall below, with insets at each end creating simple bay window footprints. Windows appear to be original and are a variant on the usual Federation detailing, with the upper sash being divided by glazing bars into 4x2 coloured glass panes to the bay windows and 3x3 to the window opening to the verandah. The front door is difficult to see from the street (hidden by a screen door) but the door case is Federation in style with narrow side panel, currently infilled. Window sills are simple with decorative carving to the base of the sill below. The windows to each gable are sheltered by awnings with ripple-iron roof supported by carved timber brackets with spindle-turned fringe detailing. The verandah roof is a traditional bullnose profile. The verandah posts are timber with chamfering to the lower half. Any decorative valance has been removed, but closer inspection may reveal more information. The verandah floor was skimmed on concrete at some time in the past and is now damaged to the edges, with the outer corner showing some collapse. The setting is simple and includes an early (pre 1943) garage accessed via a pair of wheel tracks with grassed central space and an outhouse (WC) in the back garden. The house is set well forward of the prevailing building line (which was established via covenant at the time that the property was re-subdivided for suburban development). Landscaping is minimal and the garden space largely grassed. An earlier (non-original) chainlink front fence and nondescript planting in the front setback was removed as part of the alterations and additions.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Fair. Repairs and maintenance required to roof (peeling paint) and subsidence at the outer corner of the verandah floor in particular. Need for maintenance to other elements also likely given the timber construction.
	Date condition updated:18 Jan 13
Modifications and dates:	c.2016-2017 additions to the rear including dormer window. c2018 front fence (stretched wire, not original) removed and vegetation from front garden removed.
Further information:	This assessment of heritage significance is based on inspection of the property from the public domain, which may include the street, nearby accessible places such as parks and/or publicly available aerial photographs. It is a summary only and may not mention all fabric that informed the assessment of the property's heritage significance. More detailed investigation may reveal that fabric described in this form as original was added later in traditional form and/or materials. This will not necessarily affect the assessed heritage significance of the property. Heritage Inventory sheets are based on the information available at the time of their preparation. This information can be limited and may not include interiors, fabric not visible from a public place, landscape elements or research into social or built archaeological heritage potential. Potential Aboriginal heritage values applicable to the particular site have not been identified. Further research and detailed investigation of fabric may reveal new or altered aspects of significance, and the inventory sheet may be updated by Council as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with limited information does not mean that items or elements are not significant.


Current use:	Residential
Former use:	Residential

History

Historical notes:

71 Edgbaston Rd is located within the 1605 acres granted to Dr Robert Townson in 1810. The Grant extended from Broadarrow Road in the north to Hurstville Road (south of the Illawarra railway line). It was purchased in 1832 by John Connell, after which the area between Forest Road, Stoney Creek Road, Dumbleton Road (King Georges Road) and Queensbury Road became known locally as Connell’s Brush (or Bush) in acknowledgement of its still undeveloped character without significant agricultural use apart from timber cutting and charcoal burning. After Connell’s death in 1849 the area east of today’s Queensbury Road was inherited by his grandson, Elias Pearson Laycock. Laycock retained the land and in 1867 converted almost all (except for 25 acres that had been sold to Longfield) to Torrens Title with a subdivision to create 30 small farm lots of up to 25 acres each. Early sales were mostly of the lots south of Forest Road. Almost the entire area of Connell’s Bush lying north of Gannons Forest Road (Forest Road) was acquired by Thomas Salter in 1879, who continued the large lot sales and started to also sell smaller parcels of 6-10 acres and some suburban-sized lots as the Penshurst Park Estate. The boundaries between the 6-10 acre lots formed the current street pattern as each was re-subdivided for residential development in the following years by early purchasers. The majority residue was purchased by the Penshurst Park Estate. The size of the Estate necessitated a controlled series of land releases, and the area north of Stoney Creek Road (known at the time as Kingsgrove Road) which included Lots X1 and Y, U1, V1 and W1, plus part of Lots A, A2, B, E, F, I and Z of Laycock's original subdivision (DP53) was not opened for sale until 1894, at which time the 25 acre lots were re-subdivided into c.1 acre parcels advertised as being suitable for small farms and activities such as poultry and pig keeping with future development potential. The distance from Penshurst Station ensured that the sales of these lots were slow, with the first sales not recorded until the turn of the century.

Sales of this northern area remained slow and do not appear to have been promoted actively until after 1894, with the first purchases recorded c.1900. Lot 10 of Section E (DP3421) was finally purchased by Emily Sophia Kirk, wife of Arthur Kirk, a gasfitter, on 28 October 1903. The house was completed in the same year, with both the 1903 Sands Directory and the 1903-1904 Electoral Roll showing the Kirks living at Edgbaston Road.

The subdivision pattern of the third release was oriented to the north-south streets, meaning that Lot 10, a corner block, had a long boundary to Edgbaston Road and short boundary to Mercury Street. For many years the subdivision pattern remained intact, with only one dwelling on each c1acre lot. In 1924 Emily Kirk sold the property to retired farmer, John Joseph Stephens of Belmore. The Kirks had also purchased the adjoining Lot 9 to the east which included a smaller weatherboard cottage in 1924 and then on the same day on-sold it to John Joseph Stephens. Stephens re-subdivided lots 9 and 10, plus several other lots on the northern side of Edgbaston Street, as DP13578 in 1931, likely in response to demand anticipated from the opening of the East Hills railway line the same year. The cottage at 71 Edgbaston Road became Lot 36 and was included in the advertising for the 1931 subdivision as being for sale. Most of Stephen’s subdivision was purchased by William John Charles Wellman in 1931, but it appears that Lots 36, 37 and 38 were amongst those that were not sold, with Stephens retaining Lot 36 and the two lots to the east (37 and 38) until 1939. The Sands Directory entries suggest that the house was let to Joseph Watson in 1927 and then again in 1932-1933, with Watson purchasing Lots 37 and 38 (which were still undeveloped) in 1939, followed by Lot 36 (71 Edgbaston Rd) in 1941. Watson then converted the Title to Joint Tenancy with his wife Matilda Jane Watson. In 1949 the property was purchased by Bruce Bernard Newman Warrington, a teacher of Vaucluse, In 1954 Warrington sold to Mr Warren Ashley Trutwein (clerk), Lawrence Arthur Peter Trutwein (Naval airman) and Mrs Edith Trutwein who retained joint ownership into the 1960s.

Sources include search of Land Title records relating to the property 1867-1965, including: 53-186; 389-224; 395-205; 690-217; 880-107; 890-170; 1499-171; 5219-148.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The property at 71 Edgbaston Road (the house and its setting) is of historic significance to the local area for the evidence that it provides of the early patterns of development in the Beverly Hills/Penshurst area as it underwent transformation from undeveloped bushland to a settled suburban cultural landscape over a period of 40-50 years. The house was built in 1903 on land that had remained undeveloped until the third release of the Penshurst Park Subdivision in 1894-6. It was still the only structure on the c. one-acre lot when it was re-subdivided into nine smaller suburban lots in 1931 to coincide with the opening of the East Hills railway line, the catalyst for the suburbanisation of much of the Beverly Hills area. The style, materials, detailing and siting of the house on the lot (the 1931 subdivision placed covenants on the other lots requiring greater setbacks than at no.71) provide readily interpretable evidence of its early 20th century origins, particularly when compared with the patterns of later infill development associated with the 1931 subdivision. The historic heritage values of the property are demonstrated by both the house and its setting. Together they satisfy the Criteria for historic heritage significance at the local level.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	71 Edgbaston Road is of aesthetic heritage significance as a rare and substantially intact example of an early 20th century timber house in the Federation bungalow style with distinctive textures and detailing such as the ship-lap boards, the geometrically inspired fretwork bargeboards to the gables and turned spindle fringes to the awnings represent an unusually decorative expression of the style that is rare in the local area. The underlying form is characteristic of the Federation bungalow, including the steeply pitched hipped and gabled roof with original (or early) short-sheet corrugated iron cladding; the return verandah with bull-nosed roof which is bracketed by short return wings under the gables; and the timber-framed windows with coloured glazing in panes to the upper half and plain to the lower. The recent addition to the rear is well hidden behind the volume of the original roof in views over the property and although not consistent with the typology of dormer windows in the Federation period has had only a modest impact on the aesthetic heritage values of the property. It has also retained the overall original form and detailing of both house and garden. Its impact on the overall aesthetic heritage values of the property are modest. The setting reads as intact, with early garage and wheel-track driveway with planted central strip, despite the original one acre of Lot 10 in section E of the Penshurst Park Estate being re-subdivided in 1931. This subdivision can still be interpreted though the contemporary streetscape rhythm and the greater front setbacks of the infill development which allows no.71 to be physically and visually prominent in views along Edgbaston Road. This prominence, and the distinctive form, fabric and detailing of the 1903 house with early garage, driveway etc. contributes to the significant contribution that the property makes to the streetscape and the local area. The aesthetic heritage values of the property are demonstrated by both the house and its setting. Together they satisfy the Criteria for aesthetic heritage significance at the local level.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The integrity of most of the visible fabric and the rarity of surviving timber structures from the early 20th century in the former Hurstville area suggests that the property may have the potential to provide information about local construction techniques.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	71 Edgbaston Road is a very rare surviving example of a timber Federation bungalow with substantially intact form and timber detailing in the local area. It also provides rare evidence of the first layer of development in the part of the former LGA lying north of Stoney Creek Road.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The house and its setting is a very good representative example of an early 20th century timber Federation bunglalow.
Integrity/Intactness:	Form is substantially intact, aesthetic typology is substantially intact and interpretable although some fabric detailing lost. Building volume reads as intact. Rear additions include dormer. Garden layout and some structures are intact to 1943.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

The original fabric and its contributory setting should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. Archival and photographic recording, in accordance with Heritage Council guidelines, should be undertaken before major changes. The replacement of lost fabric and detailing to the verandah is encouraged should the opportunity arise during future works.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Georges River Local Environmental Plan 2021	I7	07 Dec 12

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Hurstville Community Based Heritage Study Review	2012		City Plan Heritage	Kerime Danis	Yes
Review of State Heritage Inventory Forms for the former Hurstville Local Government Area	2019	2	Conroy Heritage Planning	RC	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Hurstville Council		Rate and Valuation Books
Written	John Sands Pty Ltd		Sands Directory
Photograph	NSW Land and Property Information		SIX aerial mapping
Written	NSW Registrar General		Land Titles
Written	Pedr Davis	1986	The Hurstville Story
Graphic	various		Hurstville Subdivision Plans
Written	various		TROVE- Historic newspaper collection

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1810069

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