Murray Street 111
| Place type: | Building |
|---|---|
| Address: | 111 Murray Street |
| Town or Locality: | Gawler |
DESCRIPTION:
This double-storey, parapeted, mid-Victorian shopfront was constructed in c.1885. The rendered façade includes original moulded parapet, and reconstructed concave verandah on timber supporting posts and non-original balcony with timber supported verandah to the second storey. The timber-framed glazed shopfront and door at street level have been reconstructed to match original detailing. The hipped roof is clad with corrugated metal and one overpainted brick chimney with corbelled capping is evident. A single-storey wing to the rear, of face sandstone and overpainted brick quoins, is also of note.
STATEMENT OF HERITAGE VALUE:
The shop at 111 Murray Street Gawler is associated with the phase of substantial commercial growth of Gawler township during the mid-nineteenth century based on Gawler’s position as an important service town in parallel with its development as an industrial town which occurred as a result of substantial economic stimulus and growth. It demonstrates a combined retail and residential use with the combination of street-fronting shop and attached dwelling to the rear. Used as a retail premise for over 160 years, the shop has provided a service to the local community for an extended period. The combined shop and residence is a good and substantially intact example of a double story commercial premise constructed of local stone and brick.
BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The Gawler township was planned by Light, Finnis & Co and laid out by William Jacob in 1839; the Deposited Plan No. 138 of 1863 confirms this plan. The original allocation of Allotment 196 on the eastern side of the street was to Thomas Stubbs. Murray Street was established as per Light’s plan and was set out as a continuation of the main road from Adelaide, across the South Para River, Murray Street became the main commercial centre and focus of Gawler township.
Rate assessment books indicate that Lot 196 contained a number of rateable buildings from at least 1859; in 1860 there were eleven, of which one faced High Street and the others addressed Murray. The southernmost of these was rated as ‘Shop 2 rooms & stable’ to John Wran (owner Melbourne) occupied by Edward Tassel. The historic title for the property shows its transfer from Joseph Parker to Owen Lynch on November 7th 1864. Joseph Parker came to South Australia in the early 1850s and opened a pharmacy business at Kooringa (Burra), which he sold before heading to Victoria during the gold rush. Parker then returned to South Australia and established a pharmacy in Gawler.
An article in ‘The Bunyip’ dated September 3rd, 1864 states ‘Mr, Parker, the Chemist, has erected a neat two storey building, the lower part of which forms a small but handsome shop, possibly in relation to this structure. Owen Lynch was a watchmaker and jeweller whose son, Michael Lynch, was a councillor and Mayor of Gawler between 1925-1926. A plan of Murray Street prepared in 1886 indicates the building form and general block layout as exists today and that ‘Lynch – Jeweller’ was the owner. The property remained in the Lynch family until around 1935.
Changes to the original structure including the removal of the verandah and timber shopfront, have occurred over time. For a time, the upper level façade was concealed by a sheet metal cladding, which was removed, and the façade restored to the design of architect Rob Williams in 1989. This also included the reconstruction of the verandah and new balcony.
Please <click here> to view photos 111 Murray Street.
Acknowledgments
This report has been prepared by the following people:
• Nancy Cromar (Flightpath Architects)
• Deborah Morgan (Flightpath Architects)
• Kate Paterson (Flightpath Architects)
• Douglas Alexander (Flightpath Architects)
The study team would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following people:
• David Petruzzella (Strategic Planner; Town of Gawler)
• Jacinta Weiss (Cultural Heritage Centre Coordinator; Town of Gawler)
• Jane Strange (Senior Development and Strategic Policy Officer; Town of Gawler)
Gawler History Team Inc. thanks:
Flightpath Architects, Ryan Viney and the Town of Gawler for allowing us access to this important document of Gawler History.
www.flightpatharchitects.com.au
.
References
- LTO Certificate of Title CT 58/103
- LTO Certificate of Title CT 2304/167
- Gawler Rate Assessment Books East Ward
- ‘Gawlertown
- [[plus details of original ownership of Gawler lots’ [Edited from LTO GRO 138/1863]]]
- ‘Plan of Gawler South Australia surveyed and drawn by T Pierce’ 1886
- Bunyip 3 September 1864 p5 ‘Improvements in Gawler’
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