Bateman Hardware
| Industry | Hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | Fremantle (1834) |
| Founder | John Bateman |
Area served | Western Australia |
Key people |
John Bateman John Wesley Bateman Walter Bateman |
Bateman Hardware was the earliest hardware shop established in Western Australia (and the second-oldest commercial enterprise of any sort),[1] and until its demise in the 1980s was the longest-running.
The business was founded by John Bateman in 1834 on property that he bought in the second round of land sales in the nascent Swan River Colony.[1] This land on Henry Street was to be the home of J. & W. Bateman Ltd. for the next 150 years. Initially it was a shipping and warehousing business (including lighterage and river transport), and 1840 is given (in a 1951 company prospectus) as the "early start of trading, with the help of his young sons, John and Walter".[1]
In 1895 the company built a new warehouse and office building (the Union Stores Building[2]) on the corner of High and Henry Streets.[3] This extended 120 feet (37 m) along High Street and 104 feet (32 m) along Henry Street. It was designed by local architect Herbert Nathaniel Davis.
References
- 1 2 3 Henderson, Charles W. (1981), The Bateman hardware enterprise in Western Australia, archived from the original on 18 March 2014, retrieved 18 March 2014
- ↑ Garry Gillard (11 February 2016). "Fremantle Stuff > People > Herbert Nathaniel Davis". Retrieved 20 March 2016.
- ↑ "NEW BUILDINGS AT FREMANTLE.". The West Australian. 11, (2,887). Western Australia. 20 May 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 20 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.