West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Friday 24 May 1929, page 18


AN HISTORIC SITE.

Demolition of an Old Building.

Men are working on an historic site at the corner of Newman and William streets, Fremantle, dismantling an old building that has stood for about 60 years, and pre-

paring the foundations for additions to the Fremantle Town Hall. Those addi-tions, which will cost about £10,000, will be opened, it is hoped, during the Centen-ary celebrations at Fremantle later in the year. The site occupied by the old building was at one time the south-eastern corner of King's Square. When interviewed yester-day concerning the conditions under which the square was broken up, Mr. J. K. Hitchcock, who has lived all his life in Fremantle, said that in the early days King's square was bounded by Adelaide, Queen, Newman, and William streets, but in some manner, which was never satis-factorily explained, the square came to be regarded as the properly of St. John's Anglican Church, which was then situ-ated on that portion of the existing High-street between the present church and the Town Hall. At that time there was a gaol at one end of High-street and a church at the other. Later the civic autho-rity at Fremantle entered into negotia-tions with the church to secure from it sufficient land to continue High-street up the hill. That deal was closed when the erection of another church on the present site was contemplated, and the town authorities bought from the church that portion of the square south of the exist-ing enclosure, and, after setting apart sufficient land for a Town Hall, sold the area to the east and south-east.. Private enterprise was responsible for the erection on those blocks of buildings during the late seventies and the early eighties.

An historic site at Fremantle: This old building, which was built about 60 years ago, is being pulled down to permit of additions being made to the Fremantle Town Hall. It is situated at the corner of William and New man streets, which at one time was the south-eastern corner of the old King's Square. (See Letterpress).