3 Turner Street 

The house at 3 Turner Street was designed in the Federation Arts and Crafts style of architecture and is double-storey face brick, painted brick, timber and iron house (reference).

The house at 3 Turner Street was one of the first residential homes designed by the architect Eustace Cohen after he arrived in Western Australia in 1904 due to ill health (reference; reference). Eustace was born in London in 1881 and worked for Thomas Lockwood and Sons at Chester before working for Guy Dawber, who was a president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (reference; reference). After arriving in Western Australia, he set up a practice in Bunbury and Busselton between 1906 and 1913 (reference; reference). He moved to Perth in 1914 and formed a partnership with Joseph Eales called Eales and Cohen (reference). Eventually, the firm expanded into Eales, Cohen and Fitzhardinge (reference). Cohen was instrumental in bringing the Arts and Crafts movement to Western Australia (reference). The earliest examples of his work in Bunbury and Busselton display his interpretation of vernacular homes in the Arts and Crafts manner (reference). The architectural style of 3 Turner Street reflects Eustace’s previous architectural experiences in England (reference). 

Turner Street was named for a local surveyor, George Russel Turner, who came to Western Australia in 1882 from the Eastern Colonies (reference). He built the first brick house in the street. He left Western Australia for South Australia aboard a ship in 1889 (reference). However, he had returned by 1893 when he was appointed as the Government Land Agent in Bunbury (reference). 

John Leonard Walker had the house built in 1907 (reference; reference). Walker was a solicitor and partner in a legal firm and a benefactor to the Anglican Church in Bunbury, leaving up to £40 000 to the church when he died in 1953 (reference). Walker was a prominent citizen and noted sportsman, particularly horse riding, fishing and sailing (reference; reference). The Church of England Hall built in Oakley Street in 1964 was named Walker Memorial Hall in honour of John Walker (South Western Times 5 November 1964).

In 1940 John was looking for someone to purchase and remove tuart timber from standing and fallen trees from a block on the Blackwood Road (reference). In 1945 John’s wife, Rose Elizabeth May, was looking for some household help, and John was looking for someone to paint his roof (reference; reference). In 1949 John was advertising the sale of his double-barrel English shotgun (reference). 

The house remained in the Walker family until 1962, when it was auctioned for Rose (reference). The house was purchased by Reginald Withers, a former senator and minister and mayor of Perth, who also served as a councillor on Bunbury Municipal Council (reference; reference). At the time of the auction, the house had a tennis court at the front and was described as ‘built on spacious lines and standing in almost half an acre within sight of the shopping centre (reference).’ The first floor had four bedrooms, a box room, bathroom and sun balcony, while on the ground floor were the lounge, dining and sitting rooms, kitchen, maid’s room and cloakroom (reference).

Later, 3 Turner Street was occupied by the Blessed Sacrament of Fathers, a community of priests. It has also housed a women’s refuge operated by St Vincent de Paul, South West Financial Management and is now a private home (reference).

Residents of 3 Turner Street

 1907 John Leonard Walker

-1962 Walker family

1962- Reginald Withers

Blessed Sacrament of Fathers

Women’s refuge operated by St Vincent de Paul

South West Financial management

This article was produced in assistance with Museum of Perth volunteers Nikki Young and Brayden Bascombe.

Information retrieved from Inherit with permission.