Waymouth Street Explained

Type:	street
Road Name:	Waymouth Street
State:	sa
City:	Adelaide city centre
Urban:	yes
Length:	1.1
Est:	1837
Direction A:	West
Direction B:	East
Coordinates A:	-34.9264°N 138.5877°W
Coordinates B:	-34.9258°N 138.5997°W
Pushpin Label Position A:	left
Pushpin Label Position B:	right
Alternative Location Map:	Australia South Australia City of Adelaide
End A:	West Terrace
End B:	King William Street
Exits:	Light Square Morphett Street
Lga:	City of Adelaide

Waymouth Street, often spelt as Weymouth Street in the early days, is an east–west street running between King William Street and West Terrace in the Adelaide city centre in South Australia. The street is named after Henry Waymouth, a founding director of the South Australian Company, whose name was also sometimes spelt as Weymouth.

Description

The street runs between King William Street and West Terrace, on the western side of the city centre. It is intersected by Light Square.^{[1] [2]}

Eastern section

The section of Waymouth Street from King William Street to Light Square is lined by commercial office buildings with many restaurants and cafes at ground level. It is the location of the state headquarters of organisations including ANZ, the Department for Environment and Water, Beyond Bank Australia, EY and News Corp Australia. At the intersection with King William Street, there is a pedestrian scramble crossing and a Glenelg tram line stop named after Pirie Street, which continues to the east.

Central section

Waymouth Street forms the southern boundary of Light Square, an open grassy park in the centre of the north-west quadrant of the city centre. This section of Waymouth Street is one-way traffic to the west; east-bound traffic must detour around the square. Traffic signals control the intersection with Morphett Street where it divides to go around the square. A few bars, nightclubs and restaurants are located on the southern side of Waymouth Street and around Light Square.

Western section

The section from Light Square to West Terrace has lower scale retail and residential buildings, including several hotels, hostels, car and furniture dealerships. Across from the intersection with West Terrace is a service road for Adelaide High School and an entrance point to shared pedestrian and bicycle tracks in the western parklands.

History

The street was named after Henry Waymouth, a founding director of the South Australian Company, by the Street Naming Committee in 1837.^{[3] [4]} Until 1863 it was almost invariably spelled "Weymouth"; the eponymous director was then given either spelling interchangeably.^[5]

Incidents

On 2 March 1994, a bomb exploded in the National Crime Authority offices in a building on Waymouth Street, after being sent to NCA Senior Investigator Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen, killing him and severely injuring lawyer Peter Wallis. The initial suspect, Domenic Perre, who was released for lack of evidence shortly after being arrested, was re-arrested in 2018. Perre was standing on top of a nearby carpark and was later arrested at his house.^{[6] [7]} He entered a plea (of not guilty) for the first time in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 17 February 2020 but his lawyer conceded that there is a case to answer and he was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court of South Australia.^[8]

Historic buildings

There are several locally heritage-listed buildings on Waymouth Street, and two on the South Australian Heritage Register:^[9]

• Woodards House, originally an office building designed by prominent architect F. Kenneth Milne (then in practice as F. Kenneth Milne, Evans & Russell) for Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society, which included ground floor offices for the Commercial Bank of Australia.^{[10] [11]} The building contractor was prominent local builder Frederick Fricker, who died suddenly while on holiday, in Port Said, before the building was completed.^{[12] [13] [14]} The building was officially opened on 5 June 1929, after a dinner the previous night attended by many local dignitaries.^[15] The building was state heritage-listed on 23 August 2013, and described as "an outstanding example of a building constructed in the Inter-War Commercial Palazzo style". An additional floor was added in 1953.^[16]
• The Cumberland Arms Hotel, at no. 205, was designed by Henry Colls Richardson for Sir Edwin Thomas Smith and built in 1883. It was heritage-listed in 1986.^[17]

Further reading

• Trove search results for newspapers

-34.9261°N 138.5937°W

Notes and References

1. Book: 2003 Adelaide Street Directory, 41st Edition . UBD. 2003 . 0-7319-1441-4.
2. http://www.soulunderground.com.au/national_files/CBDMAP.pdf Map
3. News: Family Notices . . XII . 841 . South Australia . 7 June 1848 . 3 December 2019 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
4. Web site: Nomenclature of the Streets of Adelaide and North Adelaide. State Library of South Australia. 3 December 2019.
5. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=weymouth+street+adelaide&exactPhrase=weymouth+street&anyWords=&notWords=&requestHandler=&dateFrom=&dateTo=&sortby= This Trove newspaper search
6. Web site: View to a kill: Alleged NCA bomber tours crime scene.
7. News: ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Domenic Perre plea over NCA bombing murder charge delayed for legal aid negotiations. Isabel. Dayman. 14 Sep 2018. 2 December 2019.
8. News: Domenic Perre pleads not guilty to murder, attempted murder over 1994 NCA bombing . Meagan . Dillon . ABC News . 17 February 2020 . 17 February 2020.
9. Web site: Heritage Places, keyword search "Waymouth". The South Australia Heritage Places database: SA Heritage Places Database Search. 21 April 2024.
10. News: Home Plots and Houses . . XII . 1,795 . South Australia . 17 April 1929 . 22 April 2024 . 10 (Home edition) . National Library of Australia.
11. Web site: Woodards House. Heritage Places of Adelaide. City of Adelaide. Experience Adelaide . 16 September 2019 . 22 April 2024.
12. News: Mr. F. Fricker. . . LXXI . 3,762 . South Australia . 27 October 1928 . 26 April 2024 . 36 . National Library of Australia.
13. News: Death of Mr. F. Fricker . . XCIII . 27,205 . South Australia . 24 October 1928 . 26 April 2024 . 19 . National Library of Australia.
14. News: Norwich Union Building . . South Australia . 6 June 1929 . 22 April 2024 . 11 . National Library of Australia.
15. News: Norwich Union Building . . South Australia . 5 June 1929 . 22 April 2024 . 12 . National Library of Australia.
16. Web site: 47-49 Waymouth Street Adelaide. The South Australia Heritage Places database: SA Heritage Places Database Search. 22 April 2024. ...an outstanding example of a building constructed in the Inter-War Commercial Palazzo style... additional floor constructed in 1953....
17. Web site: 205 Waymouth Street Adelaide. The South Australia Heritage Places database: SA Heritage Places Database Search. 22 April 2024. originally licensed as the Crown and Anchor Hotel on a site further along Elizabeth Street, the current Cumberland Arms Hotel building dates from 1883 and was designed by H C Richardson for Sir E T Smith, brewer and philanthropist. It is a typical corner hotel with chamfered corner and verandah/balcony, but features some ebullient detailing which makes it out of the ordinary. It also serves as a reminder of the once dense residential development in the west end of Adelaide. The interior is significant for its fine entrance hall and staircase and for its upstairs rooms being largely intact..