Old Post Office — Streets of East Freo

ARCHITECTURE

Federation Free Classical / Federation Bungalow / Arts and Crafts Influences

The former East Fremantle Post Office is located at 101 Canning Highway in a prominent position at the corner of Canning Highway and Stirling Highway (formerly King Street). The former Post Office is a finely designed two storey Federation Classical style building. Most of its exterior and interior detailing are still intact. It is constructed in brick and rendered brick with a corrugated iron roof. There is a brick construction former mail room to the rear, which also accommodated amenities and cycle storage. The floor is replacement granolithic. The rear elevation features a two storey verandah that has been mostly enclosed. The roofscape features a stout rendered chimney. A large face brick house with upper surfaces of pebble and dash stucco, symmetrical street elevation with projecting central gabled bay. Arts and Craft influence in the mitred hipped slate roof, elevations and chimney design.

HISTORY

1906 East Fremantle Postal Requirements. To the Editor. Sir,—Information is given in your paper of this day that Mr. Angwin, mayor of this municipality, has written to his friend, Mr. Carpenter, stating that the delivery of letters is now made direct from Fremantle Post Office, and asking him to get the postal authorities to instruct the Deputy Postmaster General to have all mails for East Fremantle sent direct to the Canning-road Post Office. Unfortunately, a number of streets belonging to the Municipality of Fremantle, consisting of, from the boundary of one side of East-street, which ends East Fremantle Municipality, then run into Fremantle viz., Tuckfield-street, Cantonment-road, Burt-street, and others to James-street, are all on the electoral roll of East Fremantle, and as the post office authorities deal only with the divisions, all letters and parcels addressed to the residents of these streets have been sent to the post office, Canning-road, which caused great delay in their delivery… John McCleery (reference)
1906 Sir,—Mr. McCleery's statement in your issue of Saturday, that I requested my friend, Mr. Carpenter, M.H.R., to have all letters in the East Fremantle district delivered from the Canning-road Post Office must have been an assumption on his part, as no such request was ever made by me. It is a matter of indifference whether the delivery is made from the Canning-road or the central Fremantle office, if there is no delay in the delivery by the change… W. C. Angwin (reference)
1921 ...Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Stedman will leave the district for East Fremantle, where Mr. Stedman has been transferred to take charge of the post office in that centre. During the past five years Mr. Stedman has been postmaster at Leonora and by his courtesy and obliging manner has given much satisfaction to the public. Both himself and Mrs. Stedman will be much missed in the social life of the town, and were most enthusiastic golfers—rarely missing an opportunity of having a round or two of golf… (reference)
1923 Mrs. Davies, of Melbourne, who is on a visit to her daughter, Mrs. Stedman, of East Fremantle, will return to Victoria by the Katoomba on the 20th inst. (reference)
1924 Death on May 25, at Perth, Martha, dearly beloved wife of George Gaunt ...sister of Mr. H. G. Stedman (East Fremantle), Mrs. B. Farrell (Maylands), Mrs. S. McMahon (Claremont); aged 46 years. (reference)