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Henry Street

North to south. Click on any image to see a larger version.
Henry Street includes Town Lots 55-61 (northwest), 62-72 (southwest), 73-81 (northeast), 82-93 (southeast).

Henry Street was named after Lt John Henry, of HMS Challenger. Mouat, Henry and Pakenham Sts, in that order, are the 'lieutenant streets' (my coinage) being named respectively after the first, second, and third lieutentants on board Capt Fremantle's ship: J.A. Mouat, John Henry, and H. Pakenham. Mount Henry is also named after John Henry.

The street might have been called 'Regent Street' in the early days of the Colony, according to Errington:
Charles Smith had Sydney pork, Irish butter and Van Diemen’s Land hams as well as port, sherry and bottles of claret for 25s a dozen. Smith regularly gave his address as Regent Street. As he owned lot 79 on the western side of today’s Henry Street it suggests that Henry Street had an earlier name. Steve Errington 2017, 'Fremantle 1829-1832: an illustrated history', Fremantle Studies, 9: 15-29. GG: It's possible that 'Regent Street' was Smith's name for his shop (only).

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Number 1 Henry Street, Lot 56, is currently a Notre Dame staff car park. It was formerly the site of Lodge's Castle Hotel, which became the Fremantle Workers Club, which had the building demolished for a carpark for members.
Next to it is the new building of NDU's building ND46: School of Health Sciences (no. 35?) Phillimore St on the corner with Henry St, on Lot 55. It was designed, like another two or three of Notre Dame's new buildings in the West End, by the firm of Marcus Collins, who died in 2015. In 1844, this was the site of Heard's boatshed, on lots 55-56.

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Former Falk Building. No. 2 Henry Street, on the corner of Phillimore and Henry Streets. Architect: F.W. Burwell (1896, 1903). Builder: James Brownlie (1903). When land was reclaimed from the river for railway construction in the 1880s, development on this site became possible.
[[img/customs2.jpg|]] Until 1986 the property was owned by Mr Harrod. It was purchased in 1898 by Mr Gallop, but Lilly and Co. were the registered proprietors. A new building was constructed in 1888-89 for P. Falk & Co. to F.W. Burwe1l’s design. Burwell was responsible for substantial additions in 1903; he was probably responsible for the gracefully curved facade which is all that remains of the original building.
At the corner of Phillimore St, no. 2 Henry St still has the curved [[img/customs3.jpg|]] facade of the Falk Building tho the interior - and that of several other buildings on a large site bounded by Phillimore, Henry, and Pakenham Streets - was completely rebuilt for the occupation of various commonwealth government departments - which have since moved out. At least this part of the building (if not all of 'it') is apparently now called Customs House, as that's what the sign on the building says. The facade is apparently also known as that of the Seppelts and also of the [[img/customs4.jpg|]] ACTA Building. There was a recent proposal for a new design inside the facade for NDU.
The whole of the eastern side of this section of Henry Street, from the Lance Holt School north, is occupied by a large complex constructed in the 1980s—during preparations for the Americas Cup—for the government departments mentioned. The complex occupies a large site bounded by Henry, Phillimore and Pakenham Streets and incorporates older buildings and the facades of older buildings including the former Falk and Co. warehouse.

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The NDU carpark at 1 Henry St, where the magnificent three-storey Lodge's Castle Hotel once stood until the owner at the time, Fremantle Workers Club, had it demolished in 1958 for a carpark for its members. The Club also proposed a new building on the site, but it did not eventuate, and the Club later sold the land to NDU, and it remains a carpark. Sic transit gloria.

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The buildings at 3-5 Henry St, collectively known as Quartermaine's Building, 1903 and 1936, are used as Power Labs office, and dwellings.

The image shows the lane which is part of 5 Henry St but I'm guessing is shared by both buildings.

The site extends at the rear behind part of the former Workers Club building.

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The building at 5 Henry St is apparently a dwelling.

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Lance Holt School. Architect: Phillip McAlister (2001-02). No.10. The Federal Coffee Palace operated on this site from 1892. The commercial and warehouse premises are believed to have been built for Fremantle businessman, hotelier and investor Phillip Webster. The place had various occupants including Adams Electric and Port Printing Works (from 1950 to c. 1970). The building was purchased by the City of Fremantle in 1972 and housed a Main Roads Department office and the city’s Planning Department.
Since 1974, it has been occupied by Lance Holt School Inc., an alternative community primary school established in 1970. It is the state’s oldest community school. The school bought the property in 1985 and has carried out various alterations and renovations to facilitate its use as a school and to preserve the site’s heritage.

[[Westend/clubs/workers.html|9 Henry]]

The Fremantle Workers Club was at 7-9 Henry St, its second clubhouse, 1956-2015.

It has been demolished, except for the facade

A four-storey apartment building is now on the site. It is called The Social on Henry, but should be called The Workers Club as that name is still on the facade. I suppose it can't while the organisation called the Fremantle Workers Club (Inc.) still exists.

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At let's say 18 Henry St is this empty warehouse in temporary use for parking. All of these buildings are due for redevelopment, and you can see the sign to that effect.

This may be part of the development proposed for the Marich Building, qv.

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Note that the date is 2004. Parnell's phone number is so old it doesn't have the 9 at the front - and I believe that company has ceased trading.

This is part of the development proposed for the Marich Building, qv.

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The proposed redevelopment applies to all of this and includes the building on the corner with High St, all of which is known as the Marich Building and has the address 36-44 High St. At the moment there's an Asian imports store on that corner, with Rialto Apartments next door. The imports store currently has a closing down sign, so maybe something's going to happen soon. One of those derelict shopfronts in this photo, at 20 and 22 Henry St, was Southside Tattoos—maybe both. After the laneway to the right of the photo, there are two more previous shopfronts, which would have been 24 and 26 Henry St.

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This building was at 24 Henry St in 1914. (See the photo above for the same part of the street 100 years later.) The photo is no. 5194 in the Fremantle History Collection.

The accompanying text is as follows.

William Tucker and Samuel Thomson, tinsmiths, ironworkers and plumbers, had premises at Henry Street from at least 1895/96 to 1920. They were at 20 Henry Street in 1900 but at 24 in 1914.

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Marich Building, c. 1896/7, 38-50 High Street, on the northeast corner with High Street. The original name of the building was The Rialto. In 1906: "Saunders and Nathan were the premier hairstylists in Fremantle at this time. They also sold tobacco and were the chief suppliers of cigars. The first floor tenants included Charles Horrocks and Reg Wadham, the Reuters man" (Library) There had been a shop and residence on part of this site in 1844 and the Royal Hotel operated from one building. Other buildings were constructed during the 1880s and 1890s which had various occupants at a time when the site was owned by Edward Brockman. The property was then bought by Nicholas Marich and remained with his family until 1991. A development was proposed in 2005 for these buildings and for Nos. 28-20 in Henry Street adjoining. An application to build a 5-storey hotel/apartment complex at the rear was refused. The Rialto Apartments door is at 44, and they presumably occupy all of the upper floor. The original town lot numbers were 80 and 81.
Among other businesses in the Marich Building in 1897 were the Sydney Dining Rooms, and Ashton & Badham, Art Decorators and Signwriters.

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Orient Hotel. Architects: Cavanagh and Cavanagh. Builder: Atkins and Law. At the south-western corner at 59 High Street. The earliest name of the hotel at 39 High St, on the corner of Henry St, from 1849, was the Commercial. From 1851 it was called the Emerald Isle Hotel, where the publican for a time was Frederick Caesar, and where, in 1876, the escape of six Fenian prisoners was planned. The Fenians were members of a secret society plotting the end of British rule over Ireland. They recruited many Irishmen serving in the British Army to their cause; as soldiers they were liable to the death penalty for mutiny. Seventy-two Fenians arrived on the last convict transport, the Hougoumont, in 1868. John J. Breslin arrived in Fremantle from America in November 1875 and took a room at the Emerald Isle Hotel. He arranged for six Fenians to escape to south of Fremantle, on Easter Monday 1876, where they were picked up by boat and taken to an American whaler, the Catalpa. This vessel was able to avoid capture by the colonial steamer, the Georgette, which pursued it.
The former hotel, which was renamed the Club in 1888, was demolished in 1902-03. The proprietor, Thomas O’Beirne, commissioned the new (existing) building, which was considered one of the superior hotels at that time. The hotel underwent various restoration works in the latter half of the twentieth century, most extensively in 1995 when the two-storey verandas were replaced, and again in 2014.
In 2019, the levels above the ground floor are being operated as a backpackers hostel.

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The Adelec Buildings, 28-36 High Street. Architect: F.W. Burwell. Builder: J McCracken.

On the other side of High Street from the Orient Hotel. This was originally known as Fothergill's Building, as it was constructed for the Fothergill estate. It has had various occupants.

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On the SE corner of Henry and High Sts is the Union Stores building, 41-47 High Street, designed by architect Herbert Nathaniel Davis (Taylor; Hutchison has J. McNeece as the architect) for J & W Bateman, and formerly the largest hardware store in Fremantle, Bateman's Hardware. The building was commissioned by John Bateman and completed in 1895; a second storey was added in 1902, probably after purchase by Union Stores. The stucco embellishment of the facade includes engaged Corinthian columns, pediments, string courses and entablatures: elements that can also be seen on other West End buildings. This building was also restored, in 1986, with the aid of an America’s Cup grant. Restoration, supervised by the architects Duncan, Stephen and Mercer, included reinstatement of the verandas. It's owned by the City of Fremantle, and has just at the time of writing had more renovations completed. The tenant in the corner store is now the New Editions bookshop, which was previously on the other side of High St.

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At 32 Henry St is a colonial cottage between Sadlier’s and the Union Stores. This was built as a cottage and warehouse for the Bateman family in the 1890s. It was bought by Union Stores in c. 1902 and remained in their ownership until 1972. The City of Fremantle bought the remaining facade in 1981 and had the cottage restored during 1995-98 using a National Estate grant. A modern apartment has been built above and behind it.

Plaque on the building.

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NDU School of Medicine offices and St John of God Hall at 21 (21-27?) Henry Street.

This is the next building to the south after the Orient Hotel.

Unknown provenance atm.

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This is 25-29 Henry St, shown on the NDU map as part of the School of Medicine, which applies to the two downstairs sections, 25A and 25B.

The apartment upstairs at 29 was for sale in 2015 for c. $2mill, and in March 2016 offered for rent @ $1200/week.

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This is NDU's main library, known as St Teresa's Library: a modern building, at 35 Henry St. Unknown atm what was there before.

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Part of the NDU School of Medicine is at 45 Henry St, over the road from Fowler's Warehouse which is now the major part of this School.

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Part of the complex of Bateman buildings, 47 Henry Street, corner of Croke Street. This is one of the Bateman family’s extensive holdings. John and Walter Bateman’s business was established in 1860, initially involved with the shipping industry. The business expanded and they became ship chandlers, wholesale grocers, shipping and insurance brokers, wine and spirit merchants and ironmongers. They had branches in Perth and Kalgoorlie. By the 1910s a substantial two-storey facade enclosed the premises, which then occupied about 5575 square metres on a site of 1.2 hectares, which would have included the buildings from No. 47 as far as the Orient Hotel. There is now a courtyard behind No. 45.
2005: NDUA School of Law, Prospective Students Centre and Marketing Office, St Joseph’s Hall and Community Relations Office. Hutchison.

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Moore's Warehouse, 34 Henry St, 1883. A pair of semidetached cottages and a store building were on this site in the 1840s. A warehouse was built on part of the site in 1880 and was bought by W.D. Moore in 1881 and, two years later, he built a second warehouse for machinery. It was essentially a roofed open space and modern apartments were built within the space in 1992, to a design by architect Brian Klopper. At that time rendering that had obscured the facade brickwork was removed.

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Sadlier's Warehouse/Customs Agency, 36 Henry St; built 1880, bought by W.D. Moore in 1881. A pair of semidetached cottages and a store building were on this site in the 1840s. Unit 1/36, including the rooms in the photo at the front of the building on the right, was sold for $1.1 on 1 April 2014.

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Fowler's Warehouse, aka the Fremantle Furniture Factory, 1700, 38 Henry St. Fowler established at the site in 1854, then purchased adjoining land (through to Pakenham St) and built the current building between 1899 and 1700. Architect: F.W. Burwell. This is the most imposing building in this section of the street. D & J Fowler was one of the chief wholesale merchandise firms in the state when this site — which extends through to Pakenham Street — was redeveloped in 1900. The main frontage is in Henry Street; with a bold, massive stuccoed facade which features rusticated pillars with foliated capitals and panelled and moulded bases supporting the main entablature which incorporates moulded architraves, a frieze and cornice. The balustrade with piers and pedestals still bears the name of the firm. The large gateway — 5.5 metres wide — was designed to admit 2 loaded wagons. During the 1980s and 1990s it was occupied by the Fremantle Furniture Factory. 2005: NDUA School of Medicine. Hutchison.

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Moores Building, Lots 89-90, 42-46 Henry St, is now an art gallery and coffee shop (called Moore & Moore).

The facade is from about 1900.

The City of Fremantle owned and restored the building 1986-7.

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A modern building now stands at 48 Henry St.

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The former warehouse at 52 Henry St is said to have been the offices of Elias Solomon, and was an auction room in 1880, then Manning's warehouse. At one time it was Pietro Porcelli's workshop. Later it was Greg James's - coincidentally, as it was he who sculpted the bronze of Porcelli in King's Square. The Fremantle City Council owned it 1970-1993; it is now a private residence. (Davidson 2007: 216)
An unusual building with relatively massive columns. The first record of a building is in 1880, an auction room, which later became a bonded warehouse, the property of Charles Manning. Offices and stables were added by 1900. Manning sold the property in 1921 and there were several occupants until the building passed to city council in 1970, which sold it in 1995 after which it was converted into residential apartments. (Hutchison)

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At 54 Henry St, an old commercial facade has been retained in a modern dwelling complex. The next building to the south is in Marine Terrace.

References and Links

Davidson, Ron 2007, Fremantle Impressions, FACP.

Hutchison, David 2006, Fremantle Walks.

Note about the saving of the street in Fremantle, the newsletter of the Fremantle Society: Vol 3 No 2 1975.

Freotopia

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 28 September, 2014 and hosted at freotopia.org/westend/henry.html (it was last updated on 25 November, 2023). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.