The Old Kerosene Store is located at Bathers Beach in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

, Western Australia, adjacent to the ruins of the original

Fremantle Long Jetty Fremantle Long Jetty was constructed in 1873 to replace the smaller South Jetty which had become too small for the large amounts of vessels entering the colony in Western Australia. The jetty lies in Bathers Beach, Fremantle, Bather's Bay which ...

. It is a single-storey limestone building and forms part of the historic Arthur Head Reserve precinct.

History

The building was constructed in 1884 by Harwood & Son as a dangerous-goods store, for the storage of

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

. At the time, kerosene was used extensively for street lighting and heating. It is a single-storey

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

building with a hipped iron roof. In 1919 it was used by the state government's Harbour and Light Department as a

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

and later as a

shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces i ...

's shed. In 1972, the building was saved from demolition and restored as a space for the creative arts. In 1975 it was used by local artist and potter Joan Campbell as a pottery studio and gallery until her death in 1997. The site and building were vested in the

City of Fremantle The City of Fremantle is a local government areas of Western Australia, local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district. History ...

in 1982 and restored as part of the Commonwealth-funded Arthur Head

Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe * French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

Project in 1986–87.

Heritage value

The Old Kerosene Store is classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA) with the following statement of significance: The building was given an interim listing on the State Register of Heritage Places by the

Heritage Council of Western Australia The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state. Prior to its creation, considerable variance in policy and p ...

on 20 November 1992. It is also listed on the

's Municipal Heritage List.

Current use

In 1998 it was leased by the artist Joanna Robertson, founder of the Kidogo Art Institute, who established a popular, multidisciplinary independent art centre there. In 1998 the building was renamed the Kidogo Arthouse. is

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

for 'small'. In 2010 the City of Fremantle received a Lotterywest grant to undertake conservation and interpretation works at the Old Port precinct, including the former Kerosene Store, prior to the 2011

ISAF The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...

Sailing World Championships The Sailing World Championships (formerly ISAF Sailing World Championships) are World championships in sailing for the 10 events contested at the Sailing at the Summer Olympics, Summer Olympics, organized by World Sailing (formerly ISAF) and hel ...

. During the event, as a result of temporary relaxations to the liquor licensing laws, the Kidogo Arthouse housed a small bar, the Kelp Bar.

Kelp Bar

Since the success of the Kelp Bar during the ISAF Championships the operator of Kidogo Joanna Robertson has been endeavouring to have the bar operating as a permanent fixture of the gallery. One of the major issues in obtaining a license for the premises has been the inclusion of ablution facilities, as of November 2013 the City of Fremantle still declined permission to apply for the installation of toilets facilities within the heritage building, on 13 December 2013 the City of Fremantle granted permission for an occasional liquor license without the requirement for permanent toilets. Kelp Bar re-opened on 20 December 2013 and operated on weekends through to January 2014.

History

Heritage value

Current use

Kelp Bar

References

Further reading