Baker Street church
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The former Presbyterian Church in Baker Street
Baker St (originally Leah St)
By 2020, the owners have removed the porch which was a later addition, and probably restored the entrance to its original condition.
From the Heritage Council site
Statement of Significance. Church (fmr), 12 Baker Street, a simple single storey, limestone, brick and iron building constructed in the 1890s is a simple example of the Federation Gothic style of Architecture. It is an example of a simple early church building in the Fremantle area. The place has aesthetic value for its contribution to the streetscape and the surrounding area.
History. Baker Street was originally called Leah Street. The change occurred in the 1908/09 rate period.
The Presbyterian Church had been established in Fremantle in the 1880s and the Scots Church in South Terrace was completed in 1890. This building is first recorded in the Post Office Directories for 1897 as the Presbyterian Church and in 1902 as the Presbyterian Sunday School. The Rev. Robert Hanlin (Presbyterian Minister) built a hall for the church on Baker Street in the early 1900s. In 1908 the building is designated as a 'Presbyterian Chapel' on a sewerage plan. It does not have the porch entrance, which is later shown. The only additional structure is a brick closet in the rear of the lot.
In 1974, a photograph of the place shows it was in a relatively poor condition. The stone work is rendered and the surrounding plantings are overgrown. A cyclone mesh fence is evident on the front boundary.
This place was identified by the Fremantle Society in 1979/80 as being of cultural heritage significance. (Coded: Red: "Significantly contributing to the unique character of Fremantle") A photograph of the place at this time shows the building was substantially unchanged although some additional buildings on the site have been demolished.
In 1994, the building was used as premises for the Jaguar Car Club of WA. It was in good condition with rendered stone walls and a corrugated iron roof. The timber floors and ceiling were still in evidence.
By 1997 the building had been converted to a residence with the addition of kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities. In 2000, the building was referred to as 'Beaconsfield Hall' but there is no recorded origin for this name.
Plans approved by the City of Fremantle for additions at the rear and replacement of entrance in 2008.
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 created on 19 December, 2014 and hosted at freotopia.org/churches/bakerst.html (it was last updated on 20 November, 2023), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.