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The Stockade Perth:
A Study of Time
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Architecture
The Design
The Stockade, better known as the Trouchet Building in earlier years, was designed in the Federation Free Classical style, a look that flourished in Perth during the 1890s and early 1900s.
Federation Free Classical was not rigid like strict Greek or Roman architecture. Instead, it borrowed freely from the classical language of columns, cornices, arcades and decorative friezes, while allowing architects to adapt and stylise them to suit the scale and budget of a modern city block. The Stockade was originally constructed in red brick, with its architectural details (cornices, pilasters and friezes) finished in smooth rendered masonry to add contrast and refinement. It presents a strong corner presence, symmetrical façades and layer upon layer of carefully considered detail.
Inside the building, the design was practical. The ground floor contained five separate shops with wide street frontages, while the upper floor was arranged into showrooms and living quarters, with a basement below. Outwardly, however, the building was unified into one imposing block, an effect achieved by its classical detailing.
Constructing the Building
In the early 1890s, the land on the corner of Barrack and Wellington Streets was purchased by John Charles Griffiths Foulkes, a solicitor who later became a Member of Parliament. Recognising the value of this prominent corner site, he sought something more than a row of simple shopfronts.
Foulkes engaged architect Henry S. Trigg to design a building that would serve both commercial and residential purposes. The project requirements were ambitious for the time - five shops, professional showrooms with accommodation above. It wasn't long before the tender for the project was advertised in April 1895, with the successful contract priced at £4,000 (around A$1.1 million today). Work proceeded quickly and the building was complete by December that year.
Henry Stirling Trigg (Architect)
Henry S. Trigg – The Architect
Henry Stirling Trigg (1860–1919), a Perth native, was the first architect both born and trained in Western Australia. Trigg came from a well-known local family. His grandfather, also called Henry Trigg, had been Superintendent of Public Works in the early days of the colony but he forged his own path in design. After training in Perth, he gained experience in Sydney before returning home in the 1880s to establish his own practice.
Trigg quickly established a reputation for producing buildings that were practical in layout yet visually striking, often enriching simple commercial blocks in classical detail. The Stockade is a textbook example: pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals, arcaded friezes, projecting cornices and parapet piers gave the façade a sense of grandeur and respectability.
His career coincided with the boom years of the gold rush, when Perth was focused on becoming a modern and independent city. Among his best-known works are the Trinity Congregational Church (1893) with its Romanesque Revival façade, the Commercial Union Insurance Office and a string of ambitious buildings including the Rechabite Coffee Palace, Goldfields Club Hotel and Zimpel’s workshops. The Stockade fits neatly within this body of work, standing as one of the most refined commercial premises through which Trigg helped reshape the city’s streetscapes at the close of the 19th century.
The Federation Free Classical Style
By the 1890s, Perth was booming. The gold rush brought thousands of people, new businesses and a sudden surge of wealth. The city was eager to present itself as civilised and permanent, not a temporary frontier town. Architecture became part of that story.
Buildings in the Federation Free Classical style gave shop owners and tenants something very valuable: prestige by association. Customers saw a shop or office in such a building and immediately associated it with respectability and success. For the owner, it was a way to attract higher-quality tenants and stand out from the competition.
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Architectural Elements of The Stockade
The Stockade incorporates a wide range of Free Classical details:
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Pilasters with Corinthian Capitals: Flat, column-like strips rise up the façade to divide it into sections. Instead of being plain, each one is made of several narrow rounded shafts grouped together. At the top, the capitals are decorated with carved leaf patterns (acanthus), small rosettes and a flat slab (abacus) that supports the mouldings above.
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Modillion Cornice: The roofline is defined by a plain projecting cornice supported by modillions (block-like brackets). Some are square, others rounded and all creating depth and shadow.
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Weather Moulding: A simple projecting cornice strip designed to shed water but also adding another horizontal line of emphasis (which is painted blue today).
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Lombard Band (Blind Arcade Frieze): Rows of semi-circular recesses beneath the parapet (the low wall that extends above the roofline) create texture and rhythm, adapted from Romanesque architecture.
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Panelled / Coffered Frieze: A decorative band made up of shallow rectangular recesses (panels), separated by small vertical blocks. This pattern was inspired by the designs of ancient Greek temples.
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Toothed Cornice Band: A narrow decorative strip above the windows, made up of small triangular tooth-like shapes. These add variety and extra detail to the façade.
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Parapet Piers: Vertical blocks that rise above the top edge of the wall (parapet), making the corners stand out and giving the building a taller, stronger look.
Put together, these features gave the building a sense of layered richness. Every band of detail caught the sun differently, ensuring that even in the harsh Perth light, the façade appeared lively and full of depth.
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Why Detail Mattered
In the late 19th century, ornament was not considered optional. It was part of how a city projected its values. Perth wanted to look like a modern capital. Building owners wanted to show their tenants and customers they were investing in quality. Tradesmen (plasterers, stone carvers and carpenters to name a few) were abundant and skilled, making architectural details both achievable and affordable.
Today, by contrast, commercial architecture tends to value function, speed and cost-saving. Many modern shopfronts are designed as temporary, flexible shells rather than long-term structures. The Stockade reminds us of an era when ornament equalled investment and buildings were expected to be both useful and beautiful.
