20 Fullagar Road, Wentworthville  

War Service Homes Group
Inter-War bungalow
Constructed: 1920
Listings: Holroyd Heritage Study 1993; Holroyd Heritage Review 1998; Heritage Conservation Area 2 - Fullagar Road Conservation Area; RAIA Register of Twentieth Century Buildings of Significance

Statement of Significance

The Fullagar Road War Service Homes Group has local and state significance as the largest and most intact representative example of Inter-War service homes and provides evidence of contemporary social and architectural attitudes to housing service personnel in the years immediately following WWI.

The buildings are significant individually and as a group as fine and largely intact examples of Inter-War Georgian style constructed in quality materials with good layouts and style. This group is one of the earliest War Service Homes estates so far to the west of Sydney and one of the few groups which were constructed in this distinctive style.

Recommendations

This group of War Service Homes should be retained intact on the LEP. The group is significant for the integrity and quality of the style, form and detailing of the buildings and their integrity as a group. There should therefore be no redevelopment within the group which impacts on this integrity particularly from the streetscape quality. There should be no roof additions allowed or any modifications which alters either the visible facades or the form or fabric of the roofs.

Those buildings in the group which are face brick should remain unpainted or unrendered. There should be no modifications to either the classical detailing or fenestrations to the front of the buildings. Additions could be allowed at the rear of the houses but proposals should be consistent with the character of the building and existing fabric.

Description

The subject building is a single storey rendered brick 1920 Inter-War bungalow which forms part of the War Service Homes Group of 6-38 Fullagar Road, Wentworthville. The group has two distinct styles - rendered or face brick with classical style details, or face brick with Federation style details. The subject building belongs to the first category.

A single hipped roof has concrete tiles, and features a pair of hipped bays projecting to the street. There is a rendered chimney on the western side. A central flat roofed verandah is supported by pairs of rendered classical style columns, similar to other columns in the group, and extends in front of the hipped bay. The verandah has retained the original metal sheeting, and has a pebblecrete floor and decorative metal frieze.

A central recessed double door has an aluminium fly screen. Each hipped bay features a pair of timber framed casement windows located off centre to the bay, with painted brick sills and non-original timber shutters. There are no visible rear extensions, with the exception of a metal carport at the south eastern corner.

Located on a large block, the property appears to retain its original boundaries. A driveway along the eastern boundary swings in front of the house. There is a decorative concrete fence to the street boundary which appears early.

There are a number of large pines to the rear of the property. To the east and west and similar 1920s rendered brick Inter-War bungalows of the same category. Opposite are a number of single storey fibro or weatherboard cottages dating from the 1940-50s.

Modifications / Condition

Largely intact and in good condition. Minor modifications include addition of timber shutters to the front windows, metal frieze to the verandah and carport. An application in 1984 was for a pool.

History

The subject property formed part of the 1065 acre Government Domain which was subdivided into 20 and 50 acre allotments from 1859. In 1859 William Fullagar purchased over 37 acres between Fullagar Road, The Great Western Highway, Toongabbie Creek and Bridge Road. Fullagar acquired extensive tracts in the present day Westmead and Wentworthville, particularly during the subdivision of the Government Domain.

In 1920 the land along Fullagar Road was subdivided and purchased by the War Service Homes Commission, and the present property boundaries were formed. The Commission was established in 1919 specifically to construct houses and provide loans at low interest rates for returned soldiers. The Commission purchased large areas of land in suburban Sydney during and after the war, and by 1920 a group scheme on Fullagar Road had been completed.

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