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Images of High Street

I've attempted to put these images of High Street in something like chronological order. Click/tap for larger size if provided.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1865.jpg|]]

Photo by Stephen Stout, c. 1865, in SLWA, Clifton Album. The original size of this carte de visite is 4" x 2.5" (c. 10x6 cm). See Dowson 2003, p. 88 for more information. To attempt to identify the buildings, you might consult Hitchcock's 1919 description of how he remembered the street as it was in 1869. The crossing street in the foreground (right) is probably Mouat Street. The sign on the end building shows J Capewell, possibly John Capewell, an expiree bootmaker.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1870.jpg|]]

Part of a panorama from 1870, taken the vicinity of the Harbour Master's house (the first courthouse) on Arthur Head, by an unnamed photographer. The first two buildings visible are the police station on the right and the Water Police station on the left. The prominent three-storey building is Daniel Scott's house, over the top of which is a glimpse of the observatory on the top of Manning's Folly, and the roofline of Lodge's Castle Hotel in Henry Street. I got this from LISWA from Facebook, where it was identified as 195B in their catalog. A slightly darker version lies across two pages of John Dowson's Fremantle Port, pp. 10-11. His source is given as Battye 100025PD. Again, you might consult Hitchcock's 1919 description of how he remembered the street as it was in 1869.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1044.jpg|]]

Library: Sketch of High Street, c. 1874, #1044; In the left background is the Harbour Master's house (1870s) with the Round House and flagstaff next. The flagstaff had already been moved once and was moved again when the second light house was constructed in 1876. In the centre, the light house (1850), with the convict bell in front. To the right is the second court house, designed by James Austin, [later] replaced by the third court house in Marine Terrace (1884). In front in High Street are the Police Quarters. The large building to the right is Daniel Scott's home, [later] demolished to make way for the Union Bank (1889).

[[Westend/streets/img/highst2044A.jpg|]]

Library: Early view of High Street, 1880s, 2044A; The Emerald Isle, later The Club, Hotel is on the left. The North East corner, on the right, was known as Albert's Corner. Here Mr Albert had butcher and bakery shops.
The nearest crossing street in the photo is Henry Street.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst2044B.jpg|]]

Library: High Street c. 1890, 2044B; Note the Criterion Restaurant; T Smith, Tailor; Holmes Brothers, Butchers and Frederick Wheeler, Watchmaker and Jeweller. A horse and cart are to the right.
The building to the right of centre, on the corner of Pakenham Street, was the Pearse brothers butchers shop. The Central Chambers building is now on that site.
Photo by A.T. Maywood.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1.jpg|]]

High Street looking east from the Round House c. 1890, RWAHS R2225. The 1898 Fremantle Hotel has not yet been built. The building middle right was the first dedicated police station. Opposite it is another police building, possibly that of the Water Police. Further east (on the right) on the corner of Cliff Street, is Mayor W.F. Samson's two-storey house which was in existence from the mid-1850s to 1954-55.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst2.jpg|]]

Library: High Street looking west, 1891, #743; On the right is Ken McKenzie, a leading saddler and supporter of all equestrian sports, whose business moved in 1901 to Adelaide Street. Next is the building of M.S. Mandelstam, with a dentist, stationers, and (the Good Beds sign) part of the Coffee Palace complex. The large clock projects from the premises of Fred Wheeler, who took over from Fred Mason, Goldsmith and Watchmaker, January 1886. In the centre, on the North West corner of Pakenham Street is Prosser's Shoe store.The clock on the South side is at the premises of Mr William C Hooper. Taken before July 1891.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1399.jpg|]]

Library: High Street looking west from Henry Street, 1895, 1399; On the right is W F Williams, hatter, hosier and clothier. The Round House is at the end of the street and on the left is the Club Hotel, formerly the Emerald Isle and later the site of the Orient Hotel (1903).

[[Westend/streets/img/highst3.jpg|]]

RWAHS collection, UNCR2223. This has been colourised by Muzza Guzzisti.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1613.jpg|]]

Library: High Street, looking west, Non Pareil Photographic, c. 1890, #1613; On the right are various businesses including A Muddock, Grocer; A Waldeck, Grocer; J McHenry Clarke, Draper; and the Commercial Hotel. The road surface at this time was of Macadam.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst4753.jpg|]]

Library: Roundhouse, looking east along High Street. On the left side is the Union Bank and the Hotel Fremantle. On the right side is the two storey house belonging to W F Samson, on the South west corner of Cliff and High Streets, and on the opposite corner of Cliff Street is the Bank of NSW. Taken 27 October 1900.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst5.jpg|]]

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1888.jpg|]]

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1895.jpg|]]

Photo of High Street from the first floor of the National Hotel, 1895. The building on the left of the photo is The Broadway which is still standing on the corner of Market Street.
Nixon Photographer's sign can be seen in William Street, and on the right, in the background, is the wall of the

Oddfellows Hall.

[[Westend/streets/img/highstunionstores.jpg|]]

c. 1897, Pickering. Bateman's Hardware/Union Stores on the corner of Henry Street, courtesy of SLWA #011525D (from Facebook).

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1897.jpg|]]

From Facebook. No further information except: '1897'.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1172.jpg|]]

Library: High Street looking west to the Round House; c. 1899; #1172; In the right foreground is Pellews. J H Pellew (drapers) first occupied a shop or rooms in 1898 and in 1905 the buildings between numbers 130 and 138 were demolished and re-erected in 1906. Pellew died in 1905 and Herbert Henry Oxbrow purchased the business from the executor.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1903.jpg|]]

High Street in 1903. SLWA in Facebook. The turret shown on the left is now missing from the Fremantle Hotel. On the other (south) side of the street may be seen, from the left, the turret also now missing from the P&O Hotel, the Bank of NSW building (still extant) on one corner of Cliff Street, W.F. Samson's house on the other (nearer) corner, the police station, guard box.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1906.jpg|]]

Library: High Street looking west, 1905, #590; The Fremantle Town Hall after 1905 (opened 22nd June 1887) is on the left: J. Flintoff, dentist, occupied the building on the corner of High and William Streets. This was replaced by Manning Chambers in 1906. Trams indicate photo is post 1905. On the right is the wrought iron fence of St. John's Reserve.

[[Westend/streets/img/highstreet1929.jpg|]]

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1683.jpg|]]

Library: High Street looking east; c. 1920, #1683; On the left is Dalgety's Bond Store: the Union Bank and the Hotel Fremantle with conical tower. In the background is the Town Hall. On the right are: from the front: Tramways Carbarn; Bank of NSW (1899) and Owston's Buildings (1903) with verandah.

[[Westend/streets/img/highst1924.jpg|]]

Izzy Orloff's 1924 photo, looking west from the corner of William and Adelaide Streets. Click/tap. SLWA 012189D (sourced from Facebook).

References and Links

Hitchcock J.K. 1919, 'Early days of Fremantle: High Street 50 years ago', published in 12 parts in the Fremantle Times 21 March - 20 June 1919.

Historical Panoramas: Curtin/SLWA site.

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 created on 5 March, 2023 and hosted at freotopia.org/westend/highstphotos.html (it was last updated on 12 January, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.