42-46 Henry st, Moore's Building

42-46 Henry St (was 74-80 pre 1938)

The Moores Building is located on the eastern side of Henry Street and is situated between High Street and Marine Terrace.

A store was established on the site by Samuel Moore in the 1840s. William Dalgety Moore later established a general merchant business there in 1862. Constructed between 1868 and 1899 the complex comprises a residence, warehouse, factory stable, offices and shop, built between 1862 and 1899, in the Victorian Georgian and Victorian Academic style of architecture by architect John McNeece (1906) and built by Abbott and Rennie. The oldest building, dating from the 1830s, is a three-storey storehouse in the rear courtyard. It was built by George F Johnson, but the occupant is unknown.

The buildings are mainly constructed from rubble limestone and have brick quoined openings. Roof materials comprise of corrugated iron and some shingled cladding. The façade was cement rendered during the gold rush years with rusticated coursings to the ground floor. The two storey stucco frontage also features an asymmetrical triangular pediment over the entrance at the northern end of the façade with decoration to the tympanum. The present facade dates from 1900.

William Dalgety Moore gained substantial wealth from a wide range of activities: merchandising, timber, pearling, fish canning, shipping, flour milling and agencies and exercised political power in both Fremantle and in the newly formed Legislative Council.

The complex was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978.

In 1985 the City of Fremantle purchased the property and restored it through 1985/86 with a grant from the Commonwealth Government as part of the preparations for the America's Cup defence. The Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery was originally administered by the Artists Foundation of WA (AFWA)- now ARTSOURCE) for the Fremantle Council and was then passed back to the Council in c 2004, and is now run by the Fremantle Arts Centre along with a Cafe- Moore & Moore and an arts residency programme in the back-store.

“Opening our doors in 2016, Paper Bird has found a nest among friends at the historic Moores Building… Close by to other independent bookshops, New Edition, The Map Shop and Bill Campbell’s Books, along with Notre Dame University, Paper Bird is helping create a literary precinct in the West End of Fremantle. The specialist children’s bookshop, focuses on Australian writers and illustrators. Indigenous stories feature strongly at Paper Bird…And we have twice weekly story telling under the beautiful tree in the courtyard.” (reference) Director of Paper Bird, Jennifer Jackson (Founding Director of Woylie Project, Australia’s first dedicated Aboriginal story festival for kids focusing on Noongar stories amongst a diverse range of Aboriginal stories from across Australia in collaboration with Magabala Books.

OCCUPANTS

Lot 89 & 90 owners:

1829 - 1837 Henderson, H E

1855 - 1879 Moore, William Dalgety

No. 42-46 (was 74-80 pre 1938)

1899 - 1949 Moore & Co. Ltd., W.D., merchants and importers, bulk stores and machinery sheds

No. 42 (was 74 pre 1938)

1919 - 1922 Brooke & Sons, C M, manufacturers

No 44-46 (was 76-80 pre 1938) Gallery Space

1938 - 1940 Hough & Co C J, wool merchants

1956-The Moore family sold the premises to the Stevenson family transport company.

1983 Fremantle City Council

2016 Paper Bird Children’s Book shop

42-46 henry st.JPG

Lilly's Building

Lilly's Building 34-42 Cliff St was designed by architect Herbert Nathaniel Davis and built in 1896.

Architecture Lilly's Buildings is a two storey stone building with rendered façade, bracketed parapet and a zero set back from the pavement. Engaged pilasters (ashlar effect on the ground floor) flank the doors and windows. The timber windows have stucco arches and keystone above transoms, on the ground floor. The first floor has stucco aedicule surrounds (there are alternating triangular and semi circular pediments), above the timber sash windows.

History Lots 23 and 24 were originally owned by W & P Chidlow (1829-1879). There was a stone house on the site as early as 1844. The first Customs House was built on these lots in 1853. A new Custom's House was built in 1903 on Phillimore St, and the old Custom's House became a warehouse (No. 40 Cliff St).

In the 1880s, the site was owned by Capt James Lilly who established a shipping office.

1896 To arrive on or about 31st December, by the Queen Adelaide From KARACHI. 400 EGYPTIAN CAMELS. The finest travellers and weight carried the world. This shipment comprises by far the selection of camels that, so far, have imported to this colony, being short and thick-boned animals, and, specially selected from districts climatic conditions are similar to this colony, will not be aflected by the weather experienced on our Eastern fields during the winter months. The Camels will be on view at the Quarantine Grounds, near Fremantle, during January, and the public are cordily invited to inspect same. JAMES LILLY & CO. (As Agents for Hassa & Mulchand & Co.), Fremantle. (reference)

1898 TRAGEDY AT FREMANTLE. BOY SHOOTS HIMSELF. SENSATIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. A terrible tragedy occurred at North Fremantle last night, when a boy named Henry Mason, aged 16, a clerk employed by McIlwraith, McEacharn, and Co, shot himself. The deceased was a son of Frederick Mason, an old resident of the colony, and one of the wealthiest men in Fremantle, owning the greater portion of the main street and a large number of other properties. For many years Mr. Mason, sen., has been residing at North Fremantle with a woman who was supposed to be his wife and by whom he had five children, Henry Mason being one of them. Great surprise was caused to friends of the family, and a painful scandal was occasioned, when Mr Mason, about a month ago, married Mrs Hillmer, who had been renting a hotel from him, and when it became known that the woman he had lived with so long was not his wife at all. (reference) (divorce of Mr Mason & Mrs Hillmer 5-years later is reported here)

1902 Amongst the passengers by the steamer Paroo, which arrived at Fremantle from the East yesterday, was Mr. Matvson, of the Melbourne staff of M. Glassford Proprietary. Ltd., who has come to relieve Mr. James Murdoch, the local manager, who is leaving in the G.M.S. Barbarossa on a trip to Scotland. (reference) 

1908- UNWHOLESOME FRUIT. SILBERT AND SHARP SUED. At the Perth Police Court yesterday. before Mr. A. S. Roe, P.M., Silbert and Sharp were charged with having, on Dec ceinber 23, offered for sale six cases of fruit, to wit apples, which were unfit for human consumption and deleterious to human health. (reference) 

1927 The Institute for Catholic Seamen, established by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, at 36 Cliff-street, Fremantle, was blessed and opened by his Grace Archbishop Clune on Sunday last. (reference)

1914 See Image - CAMEL TEAM LEAVING BOULDER FOR EUCLA, WHERE MESSRS. JOYCE, RODDA AND WATKINS, PROPOSE TO START A CATTLE STATION (reference)

1921 Mr Joyce takes a trip to Singapore - Fremantle Fragments {By Marcus). Back from a business trip to Singapore, Mr. A. Joyce, of Joyce and Watkins, a big man of broad ideas, Mr. Joyce is a pioneer in the movement to open up trade with the Orient. (reference)

1903 THE SMOKE NUISANCE. The Waterworks Board received a letter from Mcilwraith, McEacharn and Co., Ltd., Fremantle, in which that firm points out that it is quite possible to obviate the smoke nuisance connected with the use of Newcastle coal, at a very trifling cost… 'Science has for some time considered the possibility of abating the smoke nuisance, and, if the report is not exaggerated, a means has at length been discovered which entirely does away with the evil…’ (reference)

1905 The Labor Gov. Renews a Coal Contract - Without calling for competitive tenders within the Commonwealth - Pays Mcilwraith & McEacharn on the Higher Figures - Though the Price of Coal Was Considerably Lower at the Time of the Renewal of the Existing Arrangement. (reference)

1905 Mcilwraith & McEacharn- Information has been received at Fremantle in connection with the new excursion steamer being built in Sydney for Messrs. McIlwraith, McEacharn and Co. for use on the Swan River. Owing to the fact that several new bridges will have to be passed under, special attention has had to be given to the arrangement of the new steamer's funnel and mast. (reference)

The building was bought by the Council in 1973 and then sold in 1977 to Peter Grace and renovated by architect Ric Longley. After public pressure, a covenant was put on the title to ensure the façade was protected and the facade was classified by the National Trust in 1977. It was used as an art gallery for two years.

Nos. 34-36 then became the Cliff Street Gallery and Winery, with a residence upstairs for Grace. The adjacent warehouse (No. 40) was converted to living for Ric Longley. A dental surgery separated the two.

OCCUPANTS

1897-1898 DIAMOND & SON, merchants, customs & forwarding agents.

Cavanagh M. F. & J. C. architects, Mcdowell J. contractor

ROCKLIFFE & CO. (H.), customs & forwarding agents, ironmongers, wine, spirit & general merchants

1897- 1898 MCILWRAITH, MCEACHARN & CO. LIM. steamship owners, coal merchants

First floor:  Rockliffe & Co. (H.), customs, shipping & forwarding agents

BELL'S ASBESTOS W. A. AGENCY LIM. manufacturers & importers of asbestos, packings, lubricants, Yorkshire iron, tools, portable railways, windmills, pumps & co

HARDCASTLE S. H. consulting engineer

Detmold & Co. (William) (Charles M. Hird, manager), manufacturing stationers

BELL & CO. (JAMES), merchants &c./ S.S. Co. (James Bell & Co. Agents) / Australian Alliance Assurance Co. (fire & marine) (Jas.Bell & Co.agts)

Lilly & Co. (James), accountants & shipping agents / Australian United S. Nav. Co. (Jas. Lilly & Co. agents) / Orient Steam Nav. Co. (James Lilly & Co. agents) / Currie & Co.'s (Archibald) Line of Steamers (James Lilly & Co. agents)

1897-1898 Right of way off Cliff St:  Knappstein J. H. produce merchant

Moorehouse & Co. (C. L.), carriers & forwarding agents

Rosser A. Gra. Pier Hotel 

1898

Orr & Forrest, commission agents,

McDowell, J. contractor

Watson Brother, merchants

Ferguson Mephan, consulting engineer

Bell's Asbestos W. A. Agency Lim. mfrs. & importers of asbestos & Hardcastle S. H. consulting engineer. / Bell & Co. (James), merchants

Detmold Limited (William), wholesale & manufacturing stationers

Lilly & Co. (James), accountants & shipping agents

1899 - 1904 (38) New Zealand Insurance Co. (1899-1904: L. Samson & Son, agents; 1904-1905: Irwin M. Moyes, agent)

1897 - 1907 (36) Glassford M. Proprietary Ltd.,  produce merchants, (J Murdoch, manager)

1902 - 1908 (34) Wigmore & Co. H. J., mercantile brokers , Wigmore, Fred E, customs agents

(40) Barrow & Reynolds, grain & produce merchants

South British Fire & Marine Insurance Co. (Frank Cadd, agent)

Cadd Company Ltd. Frank, customs & shipping agents

1902 MYERS & HARDIE, mercantile brokers, insurance & manufacturers' agents & indentors

Ducout Jne. & Co. (sample room)

Tijou, A J, customs agent

Blackwood & Bryson Ltd, merchants & agents

1904 - 1905

(40) Graves & Co. H. carriers &c. (Henry Goodwin, manager)

1904 - 1907 Sewell, C E, barrister & solicitor

1905 Allnut Lea, mercantile broker

1907 (40) Lehmann & Co. C. A., produce & provisions merchants

1907 - 1908 (42) Murphy W. A ., customs & forwarding agent

1908 - 1912 (36) Silbert & Sharp, fruit merchants & produce merchants

1911 (42) Nicholson & Morrow, agricultural implement makers

1915- (34) Elare Gasper

Douglas Roy O, case maker

1915 (42) W.A. Producers' Union Ltd., James Carter, manager

1916 (38) Gasper Elare

1917 (34) Hildyard, Mrs Mary

1918 - 1920 (34) Greenwood, John

1918 - 1920 (42) Waddingham, F, carrier

1920 (40) Marchese, Antoni, Elari, Gaspare

1920 - 1928 (36 and 38) Joyce & Watkins, import and export merchants

1929 (36) McAuliffe, John

1930 - 1935 (38) Mrs Rosa Solomon

1931 - 1934

(42) Indiabus, Mick

(off) Morris & Co. M, marine dealers

1934 - 1938 (40) Larosa Santol

1936 - 1938 (36) Nicola Candatore

1938 - 1940 (34) Italian Club

1938 - 1939 (40) Giangaspro (G.), importer

1938 - 1940 (38) Mr. Nicholas Tattoli (aka. Nicola Tattoll)

1939 - 1940 (36) Mrs Gloria Svirich

1939 - 1942 (40) Salvemini & Co. (M.), importers

1934 - 1938

(off 42) Morris & Co. (M), marine dealers

1938 - 1942 (42) Camba (A.), sail maker

1946 - 1949 (34) The Swan Providoring Co. Ltd., ship providores

1946 - 1949 [40-42] Grayson & Co., shipwrights & repairers

1949 (38) Brice (A. G.), customs agent

1949 (42) Navy Club, club