Captain Stirling Hotel Explained

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Mapframe-Marker-Colour:
  1. BE1596
Mapframe-Stroke-Colour:
  1. C60C30
Mapframe-Zoom:13
Building Type:Hotel
Architectural Style:Inter-War Mediterranean/Spanish Mission
Location:80 Stirling Highway Nedlands, Western Australia
Completion Date:1935
Height:Two storey
Main Contractor: Allwod
Architecture Firm:Clifton Parry
Ren Architect:Overman & Zuideveld
Embedded:
Embed:yes
Designation1:State Register of Heritage Places
Designation1 Type:State Registered Place
Designation1 Date:30 August 2016
Designation2:RNE
Designation2 Offname:Captain Stirling Hotel
Designation2 Type:Historic
Designation2 Criteria:A.4, H.1, G.1, D.2
Designation2 Date:26 October 1999
Designation2 Free2name:Place File Number
Designation2 Free2value:5/11/018/0018

The Captain Stirling Hotel is a heritage-listed building located at 80 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, Western Australia. The building was designed by Marshall Clifton in 1935,[1] and is an Inter-War Mediterranean/Spanish Mission style two-storey hotel.[2]

History

The Captain Stirling Hotel is situated on Stirling Highway between Stanley Street and Florence Road. It was constructed between April and December 1935 for Edward Bartram "Bertie" Johnston. The newspapers at the time reported that the hotel was constructed for Robinson,[3] however Robinson was actually Johnston's solicitor (from the legal firm Abbott, Abbott, Andrews & Robinson) who made the license application on Johnston's behalf,[4] whilst he was out of the state.[5] It was designed by the architectural partnership of George Herbert Parry and Marshall Clifton.[6] The Captain Stirling Hotel was the first of three Inter-War Spanish Mission style hotels designed by Parry & Clifton, the second being the Inglewood Hotel (1935)[7] and the third was the Big Bell Hotel near Cue (1936).[8] The hotel was constructed by Allwood for a cost of £10,000.[3] [9] Allwood was also responsible for constructing the Inglewood Hotel, the Capitol Theatre, New Oxford Theatre and the Plaza Theatre.[10]

During the 1950s, the eastern end of the building was extended with an office, associated entrance area, manager's quarters and a staircase.[11] In 1958 the owners opened the state's first drive-through bottle shop with vehicular access from Stirling Highway.[12] It was designed with a modern butterfly roof by Bill Evans, from Marshall Clifton's architectural practice.[11]

In 1986 Marie Wordsworth, the daughter of Bertie Johnston, commissioned architects, Overman & Ziudeveld, to undertake extensive remodelling of the building, which included landscaping works and the expansion of the ground floor space to make it larger and more viable for functions.[13]

Architectural character

The Captain Stirling Hotel and drive-through bottle shop comprises a two-storey rendered masonry and tile hotel and a single-storey rendered masonry and asbestos bottle shop, adjacent to the hotel. The hotel is located close to Stirling Highway, with a courtyard below footpath level at the front of the building. The bottle shop is located in the car park, and accessed from Stirling Highway and Stanley Street. A carpark behind both buildings is accessed via Florence Road and Stanley Street.[11]

The hotel displays characteristics of Inter-War Mediterranean/Spanish Mission style of architecture, with arched openings, supported on pre-cast concrete twisted columns, first floor balconies, a central Dutch influenced gable, steel framed windows and arched entry supported on masonry columns. A balcony in the gable has a round arched opening with concrete moulding, and a juliet balcony with wrought iron tracery between the concrete balustrades.[11] The bottle shop has rendered and painted masonry walls, with a distinctive asbestos clad butterfly roof and steel framed windows.

Heritage value

The hotel was nominated for the Register of the National Estate by the Australian Heritage Commission in November 1997 and was permanently registered on 26 October 1999. On 22 April 1998 it was classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA), with the City of Nedlands including it on their Municipal Heritage Inventory (adopted 27 April 1999). The hotel and bottle shop received interim listing on the State Register by the Heritage Council of Western Australia on 9 February 2016[13] and was permanently registered on 30 August 2016.[14]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Duncan . Richards . Clifton, Marshall Waller Gervase (1903–1975) . 13 . 1993 . clifton-marshall-waller-gervase-9765 . 18 October 2016.
  2. Web site: Captain Stirling Hotel. Art Deco and Modernist Society of WA. 14 September 2014. 24 October 2016.
  3. News: Real Estate - Nedlands Hotel . . 51 . 15,234 . Western Australia . 20 April 1935 . 14 October 2016 . 12 . National Library of Australia.
  4. News: Licensing Notices . . 51 . 15,414 . Western Australia . 18 November 1935 . 14 October 2016 . 10 . National Library of Australia.
  5. Book: Rice, John C. . Senator Bertie Johnston . 2006 . Hesperian Press . 479 . 978-0-85905-384-6 .
  6. News: Building Enterprise - New Nedlands Hotel . . 51 . 15,205 . Western Australia . 16 March 1935 . 14 October 2016 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
  7. News: Current Work - An Inglewood Hotel . . 51 . 15,383 . Western Australia . 12 October 1935 . 14 October 2016 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  8. News: Big Bell Hotel . . VIII . 1,407 . Western Australia . 29 September 1936 . 14 October 2016 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
  9. News: Something New . . 15 . 801 . Western Australia . 11 September 1937 . 14 October 2016 . 20 . National Library of Australia.
  10. News: Experienced Builder . . LV . 19,496 . Western Australia . 17 September 1937 . 14 October 2016 . 2 (Supplement to "The Daily News") . National Library of Australia.
  11. Web site: Captain Stirling Hotel, 80 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, WA, Australia . Australian Heritage Database. Australian Heritage Council. 24 October 2016.
  12. News: WA's first Drive-in bottle department opens tomorrow. The West Australian. 18 September 1958. 17.
  13. Heritage Matters - Issue 04. October 2016. 31–33. 25 October 2016.
  14. Web site: Captain Stirling Hotel, Nedlands - Place No. 01832. Heritage Council of Western Australia. 27 February 2016. 24 October 2016.