43 Pakenham St (was 89 pre 1938), Felton, Grimwade and Co., Bread in Common
The building at 43 Pakenham Street is a single storey, face brick Federation Free Classical style warehouse building. A panelled parapet is set above a slightly projecting cornice and a frieze tops the façade. The façade contains a large centrally located doorway. It is thought that originally the face of 43 Pakenham Street would have been similar to the façade of 31 Pakenham Street. The ceiling is of beaded T&G Oregon boarding, suggesting that the enclosure is original.
In 1898 Benjamin Fysh was an Importer of all brewers, sundries and produce:
1899 FIRE AT FREMANTLE. WAREHOUSE DESTROYED. At about five minutes before 11 o'clock on Feb. 3, a young man named Rowland Long, who resides in one of a terrace of houses in Packenham-street, Fremantle, on the south side of High-street, observed flames issuing from an arched right-of-way in a building occupied by Mr. Ben. Fysh, the agent for the Euroa Butter and Ice Factory, on the opposite side of the street… The horse-brake was speedily got out, and dispatched to the scene of the fire, and was immediately afterwards followed by the hose-reel from No. 2 station. Three lines of hose were run out from plugs at the intersection of Packenham and Nairne and Collie streets. The front door of the building was burst open, and the fire was found to be burning fiercely in the midst of large quantities of corks, staves, hops, bacon, and cases of lime-juice.
Though the pressure of water was excellent, the three streams directed on to the flames were for a time insufficient to cope with the conflagration, which had evidently originated in a corner of the office, and everything in the front portion of the warehouse, which was constructed of brick, was destroyed. The flames rapidly spread to the rear portion of the premises, which was constructed of galvanised iron… The firemen, under Superintendent Fraser (read bio) and Fireman Hartley, combatted the flames until midnight before they could assure themselves that the water had subdued them. The front portion of the building was gutted, but very little damage was done to the rear portion, by reason of the work performed by the members of the brigade. A perfect deluge of water was poured into the shop, and the passage into Packenham-street became a rushing stream of water several inches deep, on which innumerable corks, with large quantities of hops, were floating out into the street. The building, as well as that on the north of the archway, which was similarly built, are both owned by Miss Alice Illingworth, a sister of Mr. F. IIlingworth, M.L. A….There were vegetables and butter stored in Mr. Fysh's ware-house at the time of the fire…Mr. Fysh carries on several agencies besides that of the Euroa Butter and Ice Factory, among them being that of Messrs. Smith, Kenihan and Co., prominent Victorian bacon-curers. (reference)
1901 Felton, Grimwade and Co. were wholesale druggists and manufacturing chemists who expanded from their Melbourne office following the mining boom in Western Australia.
1899 Visitors to the Exhibition, particularly those interested in mining, will at once notice the excellent display of Messrs Felton, Grimwade and Co., embracing particularly ASSAY MATERIAL AND CHEMICAL AND SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS. They make a specialty of supplying the mines with all requirements -in Cyanide, Assay Material, or in Chemicals. In regard to cyanide they are now daily booking large orders… (reference)
The bulk store was established in Fremantle to enable its Western Australian orders to be supplied promptly, particularly to the goldfields where a branch was also established. The firm was well known for Kruse’s fluid magnesia and Bosisto’s “parrot Brand” eucalyptus oil. Felton, Grimwade and Bickford Ltd opened a new laboratory and works, in Subiaco in 1954 ( reference)
During 2013 the building was restored and adapted for use as a bakery and restaurant operating as ‘Bread in Common’. The project with Spaceagency architects won several architectural awards by the WA Institute of Architects in 2014.
OCCUPANTS
Lot 114 owners
1829 - 1837 Johnston, G F
1855 - 1877 Lefroy & Vigors
1898 - 1900 Fysh, Ben, importer, agent for Euroa Butter & Ice factory
1901 - 1949 Felton, Grimwade & Bickford Ltd (1901 - 1919 bulk store, 1920 - 1947 wholesale chemists)- 1920 - 1922 L L Herring, manager
1933 Mrs. C. Ceasar. 89 Packenham-st. Fremantle (reference)
