Bishop's House, Perth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bishop's House |
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Bishop's House, Perth
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| General information | |
| Type | Heritage-listed building |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°57′15″S 115°51′05″E / 31.954192°S 115.851390°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 5 January 2001 |
| Reference no. | 2093 |
Bishop's House is a very old and important building in Perth, Western Australia. It used to be the home of the main Anglican Bishop of Western Australia. You can find it at 78 Mounts Bay Road, right on the corner of Spring Street. This building is now protected because of its special history.
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Discovering Bishop's House History
Bishop's House is a two-storey building. It was built in 1859. Its style is called Victorian Georgian. This means it has a classic, balanced look.
Who Built Bishop's House?
The house was built for Mathew Blagden Hale. He was the very first Anglican Bishop of Western Australia. Bishop Hale was quite wealthy. In 1856, he bought five plots of land. This land was on St Georges Terrace. He wanted to build a home for his family.
He liked the spot because it had large grounds. There was also a natural spring that flowed all year. The land already had a house and stables. Bishop Hale hired "ticket-of-leave" men to build his new home. These were people who had been given permission to work.
The construction started in 1858. Bishop Hale and his family went to England. They returned in April 1860. The house was finished while they were away. It cost £2,486, which was a lot of money back then. Bishop Hale paid for it himself. The old house on the land became the kitchen. The stables were used for laundry and other tasks.
Gardens and Other Buildings
Bishop Hale also made the gardens beautiful. He planted fancy trees in the front. He created a fruit garden at the back. He also had a garden wall built.
In 1860, a small cottage was built next door. It cost £360. This cottage was for visiting church leaders. It was called Clergy House or Bishop's Cottage.
Later, in 1872, Bishop Hale built another house. It was on the same land. This two-storey building was called Hale House. It was used to house and teach Aboriginal children.
Changes in Ownership and Use
In 1875, Bishop Hale gave all his properties to the Perth Diocesan Trust. He then moved to become the Bishop of Brisbane.
The next bishop, Henry Hutton Parry, moved in during 1876. But he found the house too expensive to keep up. So, he moved his family into Bishop's Cottage. He rented out Bishop's House to Judge Hensman. Bishop Hutton passed away in 1893.
Charles Owen Leaver Riley became the next bishop in 1895. Bishop's House was fixed up for him. In 1904, Bishop Riley made the house bigger. Money for this came from people in the Church. After he died in 1929, Henry Frewen Le Fanu lived there. More renovations were done in 1930 for him.
After Bishop Fanu died in 1946, later bishops chose not to live there. In 1959, a group called Legacy Australia rented it. They used it as their Perth office. It was known as Legacy House for a while.
In 1974, the house was used by Anglican Health and Welfare Services. This group is now called Anglicare. They stayed until they moved to a new place.
In 1982, the land was leased to a company. An English businessman, Lord Alistair McAlpine, used the house. He lived and worked there. As part of the deal, Bishop's House and its gardens were restored. This work happened in 1984.
What is Bishop's House Used for Today?
In 1999, two property companies bought Bishop's House. They also bought the land around it. These companies built two modern office towers nearby. One tower has nine floors. The other has twenty-seven floors.
Since November 2010, the building has been a multi-level restaurant. It is called Lamont's Bishop's House. It is run by Kate Lamont. So, now you can enjoy a meal in this historic place!
Why is Bishop's House Important?
Bishop's House is very important to Western Australia's history. It is recognized as a heritage building. The National Trust (WA) classified it in 1998. The City of Perth also listed it in 2001. On January 5, 2001, it was officially added to the State Register of Heritage Places. This means it is protected by the Heritage Council of Western Australia.
