TATTERED receipts dating back to 1911 are a fascinating snapshot of the lives of the original owners of this Taylor Street, White Gum Valley home.
The two hand-made metal spikes of paper lay in a corner of the roof cavity until the vendors discovered them recently.
Payments for a piano for the Bibra and North Lake Progress Association, accounts from High Street haberdashery Pellews, bills from the long-defunct Colonial Bakery in North Fremantle and receipts for slates, powdered milk, kerosene and a Christmas tree indicate a comfortable middle-class family.
Suddenly the words “bastard child” leap off what used to be called a “bluey”; a blue court summons. The neat, flowing hand-writing of the unknown bureaucrat was in stark contrast to the harshness of the term, and it made you wonder what scandal lay behind the application for paternity, which had been “made by a women after birth”.
From its white picket fence to the white weatherboard exterior this classic early 1920s home is picture perfect.
And it just gets better once you step through the dainty stained glass front door to discover half-timber dado walls in the hall, lovely jarrah floors and high ceilings.
Three of the four bedrooms are inside, with a fourth a granny flat/studio in the terraced rear garden.
Timber dados in most of the rooms give them a warm touch, and a couple have lovely pressed tin ceilings, while one of the bedrooms has tin walls as well.
The spacious kitchen is thoroughly modern, with a sweep of blonde-timber tops and a suite of white drawers and cupboards, including a tall, double pantry.
Old and new mix charmingly with a timber ceiling, dado wall and an old Metters wood stove.
When it comes to alfresco dining there’s the covered patio off the dining room, set in a very pleasant garden with mature trees,
A limestone terrace separates this area from the pool with its glass fencing, and a swathe of grass.
An original tin shed, with a fantastic thick old jarrah plank floor, was just asking to be explored. And the studio is nearby.
There’s plenty of shops and a couple of cafes a couple of minutes away by car, and of course there’s the delightful local primary school just up the road.
by JENNY D’ANGER
18 Taylor Street, White Gum Valley
offers from $815,000
Jordan Marshall
0438 298 100
Locate Real Estate
9335 9007
open Saturday August 6, 11–11.45am
