Albany 2026: York Street’s mock Tudor building Albany Rest Centre, celebrates 100 years of public service

For a century, tourists and locals alike have walked past the quaint building at the bottom of York Street and wondered what sort of fairytale creature lived within it.

The magic of the whimsical mock Tudor building is somewhat removed when one realises it is a public toilet and shower facility, but the charm of its shingled roof, intricate stained glass detailing and charming timber-framing is undeniable

It has served a similar purpose since it opened in its current form 100 years ago on October 30.

The Albany Women’s Rest Centre started its life, ironically, as a place for men.

In the early 1900s, the Albany Town Council decided a place was needed for cabmen and their horses to rest, and with donated funds from the prominent Dymes family, opened a cabmen’s shelter.

This tiny structure, built in Federation Queen Anne style, consisted of a single room that spanned about 3m x 4m.

A decade or so later, a conglomeration of ladies’ societies, such as the Country Women’s Association, began fundraising for a similar facility to cater for mothers visiting from out of town who needed a place to freshen up, nurse their babies or simply sit down and relax.

A sum of £760 was raised over several years and the prudent decision was made to extend the cabmen’s shelter — in a scale that was six times the size of the initial structure — with the new section opened by Mayor P Lambert on October 30, 1926.

It wasn’t created with the same level of care as the original and thus its external walls have a rough cast finish, its window panes lack the curved decorative lead work and the gable details are simpler.

The cabmen’s shelter was later used to receive telephone bookings for taxis and to relay the information to drivers by radio.

Inside the addition was a hallway, a small office, a large rest room which now serves as a meeting room a kitchen, and a small veranda and yard.

Throughout the years it has hosted the Citizens Advice Bureau, Amity Taxi’s administrative centre, birthday parties, engagement dinners and many afternoon teas.

It was added to the State heritage register in 1996 due to its “specialised nature” and classification as “extremely rare example of its type”.

A women’s toilet and baby feeding area were added in 1976 and men’s toilets were incorporated in 1995, while more recent renovations included showers.

It is likely one of the more grand facilities in WA and is a unique reminder of the ways old buildings can keep their heritage aspect while serving a modern and practical purpose.