Heritage Houses of New Junction – 41 Sayer Street

Council, at its meeting of 03 August 2022 resolved to include 35 new properties into the Local Heritage Survey. This included 9 properties within the New Junction precinct.

History

In 1886, the Midland Railway Company took up significant landholdings in the area and established its operations to build its planned railway north to Geraldton. The townsite of Midland Junction was gazetted in 1890 and private investor James Morrison, subdivided and sold large parcels of land to new settlers.  With gold discoveries in the mid 1890s, Midland Junction became a hub of the state road and rail system and was a logical site for the government railway workshops which relocated there in 1904.

This portion of Sayer Street was formally subdivided in 1914 but homes had been constructed prior to this date.  Sayer Street was named in honour of William Frederic Sayer, legal advisor to the Midland Railway Company. This house was previously designated as 31 Sayer Street.

From the readily available sources, this residence was built in 1908.  Given the similarity of form it is possible this residence and the two adjacent at 43 and 45 Sayer Street were constructed at a similar time by the same builder as property development.  This was not an unusual practice in metropolitan Perth in the early 20th century. It is probable the houses were originally tuckpointed brick on the main façade, face brick on the other elevations, with red corrugated iron roofs. No detail of the builder or architect has been found in this research.

This place had short term occupants until 1912 when labourer Albert George Aymer (c1867-1939)and his wife Ellen (Nellie) nee Collett (c1869-1919) occupied the place.  The couple, originally from Victoria, had married in 1888 and settled in Western Australia with their two children. Sadly Ellen died in 1919, another victim of the Spanish Flu Epidemic aged 50. After her death, Albert returned to Victoria and the house was occupied by their son Herbert Edgar Aymer (c1894-1973).  Herbert, who designated his occupation as a planer, and his wife Ethel May lived there until the mid 1940s.

Aerial photographs since the mid 20th century indicate the place underwent major changes in the late 1960s.  The building was extended to the rear, changing the roof form, removing the chimney and changing the roof cladding to tile.  It is likely this is when the external walls were rendered.

Statement of Significance:

The place has some aesthetic value for its remaining form of modest Federation era housing.

The place has historic value for its association with the establishment and development of Midland in the early 20th century.

This place and the adjacent houses at 41 and 45 Sayer Street have historic value for their association with small scale development which was common in the early 20th century.

The place has social value as a demonstration of the form and scale of housing for working families in the early 20th century.

Management Category:  Category 4 Limited significance

This is an extract from the Local Heritage Survey Place Record Form.  For the full Place Record Form  please visit www.newjunction.com.au/about/heritagehousesof newjunction