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Nairn Street
Nairn Street is named after Major William Frederick Nairn of the 46th, original grantee of Grass Valley near Northam. He arrived on the Egyptian in 1831. The street is notable for the high proportion of early (1880s) dwellings, for a street so close to the city centre, running as it does the one block between Market and Pakenham Streets. Some of the houses are used for commercial/professional purposes. There was a major fire around 1901 at the Eureka Flour Mill, most of which still stands.
Heritage Council:
Nairn St was named for Major William Nairn of 46th Regiment, original grantee of land in Grass Valley, east of Northam. Nairn was born in England in 1767 and died in Fremantle in 1853. In 1839 he was appointed one of the guardians to minors sent to the colony from the United Kingdom. He died at Fremantle on 8 June 1853, aged 86.
1 Nairn Street, on the corner with Pakenham Street (and would be 58), is a modern building comprised of 2 residential units and one commercial (thanks to the owner for that information).
3 Nairn Street is a pair of semis which are let as dwellings.
Hutchison has this: "Semi-detached residences. Nos 3 and 3a. Little information is available about this building. It appears to have been constructed in the Federation period when Fremantle was being substantially rebuilt as a result of the gold rushes."
Heritage Council: A single storey semi-detached (pair) of residences, roughcast rendered walls and hipped corrugated iron steeply pitched roof, extending over the veranda. There are timber bungalow sash windows and a rendered veranda balustrade that has piers supporting the roof, which has two chimneys.
2-4 Nairn Street would be what is now Pakenham Apartments, at 56 Pakenham St, on the corner with Nairn Street, which in 1898 was a warehouse and offices for W.D. Moore. It later provided accommodation for a confectionary manufacturer, a wool broker, a skin and hide store, a ship repairer, a panel beater, a designer, and an oyster supplier, tho not all at the same time.
5 Nairn Street. Since about 2015 there has been a restaurant called Strange Company at 5 Nairn Street, in a new building.
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6 Nairn Street. Hutchison../fremantlewalks/index.html: W.D. Moore bought the property in 1864. Possibly in partnership with W.E. Marmion, he established the Diamond Flour Mill on the site in c. 1870. That mill was burnt down and a new mill built in 1876, and known at that time as the Phoenix Mill. The property was bought by Fremantle Milling Company in 1891 and renamed the Eureka Mill. The company moved to Cottesloe in 1905. In 1950 the former mill and warehouse were used by Westralian Farmers Ltd as a woolstore. In the 1980s the building was altered to house a restaurant with accommodation on the upper level, and in the 1990s the former warehouse was converted to apartments.
Heritage Council:
Lot 442 & 443 was registered to George Lazenby in 1834, and to W. D. Moore in 1864. The Diamond Flour mill was erected on the site after 1869, by Moore and W. E. Marmion. The mill was situated between Nairn and Bannister Streets on land which had been described by the engineer as "practically swamp". The mill was destroyed by fire, but in 1876 it was rebuilt and renamed the Phoenix (legend says that the phoenix rises, born anew from the ashes of its own immolation). Rates records of 1880 describe the property as "mill and buildings", still owned and occupied by Moore and Marmion.
By 1891 the mill had changed hands, purchased by Fremantle Milling Co, and renamed the Eureka Mill. In c. 1901 the mill once again caught fire, the event captured on film (LHC photo 715). The Eureka Flour Mill was then relocated to Cottesloe in 1905.
Later rates entries c1910 refer to a cottage and stables on the property as well as the old mill. In the 1950s it was a wool store for Westralian Farmers Ltd.
The building was converted to a restaurant in 1980, with a residence above. Renovations were undertaken in 1985.
Currently (2002), Residential-Flats/apartment block.
Two storey lime washed stone building returning on the north side with car bays around a courtyard. There is brick quoining around door and window openings. The building has a zincalume hipped roof. External stairs on the east side are recent. The building has been converted to apartments.
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8-12 Nairn Street. 1880. One-storey single private dwelling, originally three.
Heritage Council:
Terrace, 8-12 Nairn Street is a row of 3 cottages on lots 445 & Pt 444 dating from c1. 880. Eureka Mill adjacent at no. 6 owned the cottages c1900, followed by A E Davies c. 1908-1926. There is a full title search in Fremantle Local History Collection Files.
Currently (2002), residential.
Terrace, 8-12 Nairn Street is a single storey terrace with rendered walls and terracotta low pitched hipped roof (one rendered chimney) extending over the verandah. The west side of the façade has an additional section of the building that fronts onto pavement, without a verandah and has a higher roof. The verandah has rendered balustrades with engaged piers and columns above.
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13 Nairn Street (1886) is the number shown in the centre of the pediment of a pair of 1886 terrace houses, which don't look occupied in 2021. Hutchison: "No. 13 (originally 11 and 13). The two four-roomed cottages were built in 1886 for William Back. John Bateman bought the property c. 1899 and it remained in his family until c. 1920, although in partnership with Frederick Hollis from c. 1910. No. 15 became a lodging house in 1876 as did 13a ten years later. In 2005 the cottages were used as offices." The western cottage was used by a solicitor as his rooms.
Heritage Council:
The two four-roomed cottages were constructed in 1886 for William Back, a mariner. By 1899 the property had been purchased by John Bateman and remained in the family until c. 1920, although ownership was shared with Frederick Hollis from 1910. No. 13 became a lodging house in 1976, and No. 11 in 1986. Both since renumbered as No. 13.
Currently (2002), Garton Smith & Barrett-Corporate & Commercial lawyers.|Duplex, 13 Nairn Street is a single storey residence (former semi-detached pair) with roughcast rendered walls and zincalume low-pitched hipped roof, with three corbelled chimneys. The veranda has a low decorative and rendered balustrade with piers and columns supporting the low-pitched veranda roof.
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14-16 Nairn Street. 1890. The first building on the site was a cottage for the Higham family, built between 1873 and 1880. In the late 1880s a new owner, Edward William Davies, a prominent Fremantle businessman, demolished the cottage and had two semi-detached six-bedroom townhouses constructed. The property remained in the Davies family until 1940. In 1983 the residences were restored by the architect Carl Payne and extensions were added in 1995. Hutchison../fremantlewalks/index.html, 2006. In 2021 the westerly house is owned by another architect.
Heritage Council:
Duplex, 14-16 Nairn Street: Lot 446 was the property of the Higham family from 1873 to c1880. The six-roomed terrace houses replaced earlier dwellings in 1890-91. By c1906 the property belonged to Arthur Davies and Frederick Jones.
Restored in 1983, with additions to No. 16 in 1987 by Carl Payne Architect.
Currently (2002), residential use.
Duplex, 14-16 Nairn Street is a two storey rendered pair of houses with verandahs and decorative parapet with a segmental pediment. The verandah has a corrugated iron roof supported by columns with cast iron lacework brackets, fringe and balustrade on the first floor. The tall arched windows are recessed and double sash.
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18-20 Nairn Street. 1887. Pair of one-storey terraces. 20 is the premises of Ian R. Farquhar & Co., solicitors.
Heritage Council:
Duplex, 18-20 Nairn Street is a single storey rendered limestone and zincalume hipped roof duplex constructed as a late example of the Victorian Georgian style of architecture. The duplex has a dividing firewall which extends through the corrugated iron clad steeply pitched hipped roof. There are four tall corbelled chimneys extant. The dropped verandah is supported by timber collared columns between cast iron brackets (probably not original) over a concrete floored verandah (not original). There is a front entrance with timber panelled front doors and pairs of timber framed double hung sash windows to each duplex. The metal grille front fence and gate are not original.
Duplex, 18-20 Nairn Street is two four-roomed cottages constructed in 1887 for Edward W. Davies. It remained in the Davies family until 1940.
A Heritage Assessment was prepared in May 2010 by the City of Fremantle for a DA submission to Council for signage at No 20 as the place is to be used as a Barristers and Solicitors office.
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This old building on the corner of Nairn and Market and Collie Streets was occupied in the 1950s by J.F. Graham Real Estate and Bell Bros Tyres. The original shingles were being replaced with iron when this photo was taken. Fremantle City Library Local Collection image ref no. 4717.
Post Office Directories
Pieressene 1893-4
Nairn st.—N side.
Packenham st.
Private Bond, W. D. Moore & Co.
Phoenix Mill
Cayley, Jas.
Hanham, P. H.
Turton, John
Gane, S, J.
Hanham, C. sailmaker
Foskett, Mrs.
Back, Wm.
Willis, Miss
Market st.
Nairn st.—S side.
Packenham st.
Morgan, Chas.
Petersen, John
Back, Wm.
Annear, D. S.
Market st.
Pieressene 1899
Nairn street.
Packenham to Market st.
Right hand side.
5 Morgan Charles
7 Petersen John
11 Luckman Ernest
17 Anderson George
19 Annear David
Charlston Charles
....... here is Market st ........
Left hand side.
Willshire & Feely, bulk store
EUREKA MILLING CO. flour millers & grain merchants (T. H. Thorn, mgr.). Tel. No. 861
14 Cunningham John
16 Barrett William C
18 Gane Samuel
20 Hanham Andrew
22 Tippett Jos
24 Maher Mrs. Sarah
26 Newton Jos. W
28 Torrance James
....... here is Market st ........
Off Nairn street:
Freeman Mrs. Harriet
References and Links
David Hutchison, Fremantle Walks.
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 13 November, 2015 and hosted at freotopia.org/streets/nairn.html (it was last updated on 18 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.