Find Lewis' House at 8 Barsden Street. View it from the public footpath, leaving the private house and garden to its residents.
Lewis began the house at 8 Barsden Street in 1937, working on it in stages until 1939. He enlisted in 1940, was captured following the fall of Singapore in 1942 and spent more than three years as a prisoner of war, including at Changi. After returning to Australia he resumed work on his unfinished home, completing the later stages between 1947 and 1950.
The architecture is an unusual Cottesloe example of the Inter-War Mediterranean style. Lewis used poured concrete walls rather than the limestone common in many older local houses, with low-pitched tiled roofs, arches and terraces stepping with the sloping site. Because he was both architect and owner-builder, the house also provides a particularly direct expression of his architectural ideas.
Lewis and his family lived here for many years, and the house is recognised on the State Register of Heritage Places for both its architecture and its close association with his life and work.
This remains a private home, so enjoy it quietly from Barsden Street. Look at how the levels step down the hill and how the solid concrete walls, arches and tiled roofs create a little touch of the Mediterranean in suburban Cott.
Heritage Council of WA - Lewis' House