Response to community protects Cottesloe heritage

16/12/00
Community concern over the possible demolition of Trafalgar House contributed to the site being given heritage protection.
Heritage Minister Graham Kierath today announced that Trafalgar House at 15 Barsden Street, Cottesloe, had been entered in the State's Register of Heritage Places.
Mr Kierath said Trafalgar House was built in 1915 and formed part of a precinct of late nineteenth and early twentieth century houses in central Cottesloe
"Trafalgar House is a good example of a substantial, well composed, single storey traditional bungalow with encircling verandahs and embellished elements of the Federation Queen Anne style," he said.
"In 1995 Trafalgar House was included in the Town of Cottesloe's Municipal Inventory and recommended for possible entry into the State's Register of Heritage Places.
"The building is quite clearly of genuine heritage value and deserves the full protection from demolition."
When the sale of the property became public knowledge in 1998, there was much community concern over the future of Trafalgar House, in particular of possible demolition and redevelopment.
Mr Kierath said in response to community concerns the Heritage Council assessed the building for inclusion on the State Register.
Trafalgar House was associated with the development of Cottesloe as a prestigious suburb primarily as a result of its beachside location and the large amount of wealth generated by the State's gold boom in the 1880s and 1890s.
"It has a landmark quality on Barsden Street and contributes to the aesthetic value of Cottesloe and the local and wider communities' sense of place," the Minister said.
Trafalgar House was built in 1915 for William Oswald Liddell, manager of Hoskins Foundry and Kalgoorlie Foundry, who lived there from 1915 up until his death in 1950.
Hoskins Foundry was a major Western Australian engineering company from the late 1800s and became Vickers Hoskins in the 1960s.
After Mr Liddell's death, Trafalgar House became the residence of the Commanding Officer of the Royal Australian Navy in WA from 1952 until its sale in 1998.
Mr Kierath said he had been advised that the current owners were committed to the conservation and adaptation of Trafalgar House for use as their private residence.
"The on-going use of genuine heritage buildings helps ensure that they are preserved and exist for future generations," he said.
Media contact: Zac Donovan (08) 9213 6400