Inglewood
With a name thought to have been derived from the Norwegian barque Inglewood (its late nineteenth century voyage was mentioned in The West Australian on 24 May 1904), the suburb of Inglewood began when land was first granted to John Gregory in 1831. It is also plausible to derive that the suburb was named after the Inglewood Gold rush region of California given the suburb was developed during the gold boom era of the 1890s by a company calling itself 'Gold Estates of Australia'. E.W. Hammer named part of the estate "Inglewood Estate" in 1895.
Regarded as part of Maylands in the early years, Inglewood was initially developed by a company called Gold Estates of Australia and a section now referred to as The Avenues was the first to be subdivided. This development included land from the railway line to North Street and eventually through to Eleventh Avenue and Dundas Road; the later subdivision was named Inglewood Estate.
Essentially an extension of the eastern end of Mount Lawley, the subdivision and settlement of Inglewood occurred in several stages from the 1890s. There had been speculative investment in land in the area from the construction of the railway in the 1880s. Proximity to the city and to the railway made the area attractive to city workers at the time of the growth of commerce and trade that followed the gold boom period. Inglewood a good example of a highly intact residential area close to the city characterised by typical homes occupied by the working people of Perth from the early 1900s to the 1950s.
Significant landmarks include the prominent clock tower on the corner of Beaufort Street and Dundas Road, highly visible to northbound traffic along Beaufort Street, and the Inglewood Civic Centre, opened in 1991, incorporating the local library, an autumn centre and children s centre. Inglewood Primary School, the major school for the area, is located just off Beaufort Street. The clock tower was originally part of a picture theatre - the Civic - and shopping complex designed, built, and owned by Tom Snooks (1890 1958) a local picture-show man and builder-developer from the 1910s to the 1940s. This heritage building complex has recently (2006 2008) been redeveloped for residential purposes.
The area was settled gradually from the 1890s with the area closest to Railway Parade settled first. Areas to the north closest to Walter Road were only settled in the 1950s. The style of houses varies over the area reflecting the changing styles in residential homes from the early 1900s to the 1950s.
Inglewood is laid out on a rectangular grid with lots of approximately equal size in individual streets, but with some variation across the area. Traditional lot sizes vary throughout the area, however the majority are between 650 and 750 square metres with street frontages between 13.0 and 15.0 metres.
The area comprises predominantly single residential buildings with one house to each block. Houses are generally single storey, located towards the front of the lot and with the front door facing the street. Houses are set back an equal distance from the front boundary from 5 to 9 metres in individual streets. Houses have front gardens with exotic plantings that reflect the period of construction. Most houses have low (0.9 to 1.2 metres) front fences in a range of styles including timber pickets, woven wire and low masonry fences. Mature trees, particularly in back gardens, provide an attractive tree canopy throughout the area.
Streets have pavements and grass verges on both sides and street trees planted at regular intervals. There is a variety of exotic species of street trees. Pavements are concrete slabs. Generally there is one single width crossover per lot.
There are some areas of public open space in the area. Generally they comprise grassed areas surrounded by mature trees. The main commercial area is located on Beaufort Street. Today there are a number of areas where the character of the traditional streetscape has been altered by the amalgamation or subdivision of lots for unit development which do not follow established set backs, etc.
Traditional houses in Inglewood were constructed predominantly in the period 1910 to 1950. All houses are single storey and are generally constructed of red brickwork which in many instances is partly rendered. There are some weatherboard and iron houses remaining. Houses are generally modest in scale and proportion and typical of middle class housing of their era. However wall heights are generally higher than contemporary standards with wall plates at around 3.5 metres above ground. Styles are predominantly Federation and Californian Bungalow with some examples of Mediterranean and Spanish Mission styles particularly in the more recently developed north western part of the area.
The Federation Bungalow architectural style, which began to appear towards the end of the Federation era, is one of the styles found in the Inglewood area. It has its origins in the single- storey vernacular houses, with commodious verandahs, that were found in colonial countries such as India, and is considered to be a transition between the more decorative Federation Queen Anne style and the later, more assertive Inter-War Californian Bungalow style of residential architecture.
Stylistically, the Federation Bungalow style was strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and the concepts of the 'simple life' found in the West Coast of the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was widely regarded as a style suited for the Australian 'bush architecture' due to its spacious verandahs and simple construction that provided for laid back lifestyles and easy accessibility to the outdoors.
The bungalow became popular in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. Expressed in earthy materials, these homes were low-slung and planned for a casual lifestyle, especially in the temperate climate of California.
Australian architects were designing individual interpretations of the Californian Bungalow, during the early years of the twentieth century and by the early 1920s many builders had embraced the style. In Australia, the Inter-war California Bungalow was generally built in brick with chunky carpentry details, rather than the fully timber construction that characterised the style in the United States. Residences built in this style are usually free-standing, single storey set on suburban blocks with informal lawns and gardens, often using natural materials and finishes.
