Port/plumbersworkshop.html
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Plumbers workshop
Jack Kent, 1991:
EXISTING BUILDINGS ON VICTORIA QUAY
BUILDING NUMBER 13
PLUMBERS WORKSHOP
HISTORY
The plumbers workshop building at its present location on Slip Street first appeared on a photograph dated 1 April, 1954. According to Mr. Stan Limpus (retired FPA maintenance employee) the plumbers workshop was moved to its present site in 1954, and that it was previously located opposite 'A' ramp. The plumbers workshop is shown on PWD plan No. 17630 dated 1916 revised 1920 located opposite 'A' shed and as construction work 'in hand' . The original plumbers workshop is therefore dated c. 1920. However, by comparing similar scale plans, it is deduced that this original shed was significantly smaller than the existing one on Slip Street. It is probable therefore that extra accommodation was required and even though some building posts may have been rescued, at least some 'new' construction was provided for the workshops in 1954. However, site investigation did not reveal any apparent evidence of building extensions.
CONSTRUCTION
The building is a single storey framed construction of simple form, with corrugated asbestos-cement roof cover and corrugated pressed metal cladding on external walls. Concrete floor.
ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The simple form and construction of the plumbers workshop has industrial aesthetic qualities that are typical at the seaward end of Victoria Quay. The building contributes positively to the streetscape of Slip Street creating a narrow street rich in wharf related activities.
The building is still used for its original function that dates back to c. 1920, and it is likely that some physical building elements from this date are incorporated in the existing building.
References and Links
Hutchison, David, Jack Kent, Agnieshka Kiera, Russell Kingdom, Larraine Stevens, Tanya Suba, 1991, Victoria Quay and its Architecture its History and Assessment of Cultural Significance, City of Fremantle; Part II: Jack Kent: 'Architectural evaluation of existing buldings and assessment of their cultural significance', 54 pp.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 19 November, 2022 and hosted at freotopia.org/port/plumbersworkshop.html (it was last updated on 27 April, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.