B Shed

In 2022 this houses the B Shed Ferry Terminal, The Freo Merchant cafe, a large event space, and the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation offices. Also, it is getting a new roof.

From David Hutchison's [[../fremantlewalks/w1.html|Fremantle Walks]], 2006:
A and B Sheds
These sheds were rebuilt in 1925-26 to cope with increase in the size of vessels and the greater tonnage of cargo handled. When constructed they were of the latest design and included facilities such as electric hoists and improved ventilation for the storage of perishable goods. During the America’s Cup (1986-87) the Australian Broadcasting Corporation set up an outside broadcasting van at B Shed to coordinate radio coverage nationally. From 1987 the WA Maritime Museum exhibited boats in the shed until the new Maritime Museum was constructed. It is the only shed on the quay with surviving dormer roofs intersecting the main roof, which adds to its aesthetic quality.
In 2005 B Shed was occupied by the Motor Museum and the offices of the Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation and Rottnest Ferries; A Shed housed a wooden boat workshop.

Photo of the interior of B Shed courtesy of Alan Pearce, Fremantle Ports, from Facebook 2023.

Jack Kent describes B Shed in the 1991 report:
HISTORY
In 1925/26 'A' and ' B' sheds were completely rebuilt to cope with the increase in vessel size and greater tonnage of cargo handled. 50, 000 more tonnes were handled in the year June 1925 and June 1926, than in the previous financial year (FHT Report 30/6/1926). ' B' Shed was completed very shortly after ' A' Shed. They were constructed to the latest design and facilities included electric hoists which could handle up to 5 tonnes. Special attention was also paid to the ventilation of the two sheds based on experience gained with the storage of perishable goods in the older sheds.
During the America's Cup (1986-87) an outside broadcasting van was established at ' B' Shed by the ABC to co-ordinate radio coverages for the national network. In 1987 significant improvements were carried out and a substantial area of the building was leased to the West Australian Museum for the purposes of a Maritime Museum.
CONSTRUCTION
B Shed is simple in form and construction, consisting of two main longitudinal compartments, curving gently with the line of the wharf. The double gabled roof is crossed by four upper level dormer roofs. The timber columns and roof trusses are clad in a variety of materials. Weatherboard is used on the lower wall up to window head height, with corrugated pressed metal sheeting above. Similar profile sheeting is also used on the roof. It is probable that the metal sheeting replaced corrugated asbestos which in turn may have replaced cast iron or more weatherboards. The original timber joinery is largely intact. A canopy runs the whole length of the building on the land side, which is supported by cantilevered trusses.
ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The simple form and construction of B Shed is complemented by an unusually high standard of detailing for wharf architecture. The building, in essence, is industrial in character but is also attractive in its own right. B Shed is the only shed on Victoria Quay that has surviving dormer roofs intersecting the main roof which adds to its attractiveness. It forms part of a group of similar wharf sheds that are constructed along the quayside and as such, are visually significant, both in terms of their aesthetic value and in defining the north western edge of the city centre and its interface with the Swan River.
Historically, the wharf goods sheds have been most adaptable, and thereby successful survivors of the many buildings that have been constructed on the quay, and are consequently rich in physical evidence of past and present wharf activities. B Shed can therefore be seen as a very significant building on Victoria Quay.

References and Links

[[../people/hutchison.html|Hutchison]], David 1999, [[../fhs/fs/1/Hutchison1.html|'Shedding light on sheds in transit']], Fremantle Studies, 1: 66-76.

Hutchison, David[[../fremantlewalks/w1.html|, 'Walk 1: Victoria Quay]]', Fremantle Walks.

Hutchison, David, Jack Kent, Agnieshka Kiera, Russell Kingdom, Larraine Stevens, Tanya Suba, 1991, Victoria Quay and its Architecture its History and Assessment of Cultural Significance, City of Fremantle; Part II: Jack Kent: 'Architectural evaluation of existing buldings and assessment of their cultural significance', 54 pp. These are pp. 24-25.

Garry Gillard | New: 20 May, 2022 | Now: 22 October, 2023

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally hosted at freotopia.org/port/bshed.html, and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.