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10 Market Square on Cockburn Island When he built this “Gothic Revival” house, Robert Gemmell constructed it to last. He used the method of “plank on plank” that gave walls 20 centimetres of thickness. The interior walls were just as thick, which made it difficult to add electrical outlets later. Originally, the outside walls were stucco, but most have subsequently been aluminum sided. The original wall construction can be seen at the front of the building. Some of the Victorian, Gothic-style windows contained the original glass into the 1980s. A beautiful Regency-style verandah was a feature of the house in much earlier years, but has undergone alteration to its present simplicity. Unlike so many homes of the era, this house had no fireplaces, but was heated by the innovatively new “Quebec” heaters and wood-burning stoves. Gemmell installed the very first doorbell in Perth on this house and claims to have had the first oil lamp in town. The original doorbell is still in use on the front door. One of the attractive features of this home is, of course, its setting. Overlooking the sweeping curve of Market Square, it has the beautiful scenery of Stewart Park practically at it doorstep. (Perth Heritage Designated Property, 1984)
Photograph, c1890s from
the archives of the Perth Museum |