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Albany Bell Hatchery
The following photos, taken from the time the Albany Bell Hatchery still existed inNovember 2002, to when the facade was restored in October 2008, were taken by Wyrmworld.
Wyrmworld is the main influence behind why this urban photography database existed, documenting buildings before they were demolished or changed at times, beyond recognition.
I am super appreciative of Wyrmworld photographing hundeds of sites, as far back as two decades, before I started. Without him, I would've never gotten to see what the Albany Bell Hatchery building looked like towards the end of its life, as well as a huge amount of other buildings that were demolished yonks ago.
Whilst they photos have been taken from his Flicker profile with his permission, most have been edited for this site with some having been taken dark or grainy.
November 2002
The years that followed
After the Bell family’s era, the Guildford Road property continued to be used. Over the following decades, it was a chicken hatchery, an emergency printing facility for WA Newspapers during WWII, Department of Transport offices, Civil Aviation Authority offices, a school and accommodation for the Royal Western Australian Institute for the Blind, rehearsal space for the West Australian Opera and eventually partially redeveloped for residential use.
In 1993, the Civil Aviation Authority commissioned a comprehensive conservation plan for what was then known as the Albany Hatchery Site. Negotiations with the Heritage Council of Western Australia resulted in agreements intended to protect the significant of the place, while still allowing future development. The castle building attracted heritage attention in the early 1990s and was recognised for its unusual architecture and its connection to Bell’s business. The hatchery building was also considered significant because it represented one of Perth’s earliest dedicated poultry hatcheries, tied to the Bell industrial estate and had been architect-designed, which was rare for agricultural buildings.
Most of the hatchery building was demolished in December 2004, with only the front façade being retained. The large Moreton Bay fig tree at the front also survived.
May 2003
March 2004
Future redevelopment
The City of Bayswater adopted planning guidelines in February 2002 to allow subdivision of the site for residential development, proposing four lots ranging from about 308m² to 352m². The guidelines were revised in January 2005 and later revoked in March 2016.
In 2005, development approval was granted for a multi-unit residential development, with the retained façade incorporated into the new complex as a heritage feature. The proposal did not proceed. A series of further development applications followed, the most recent being a $15 million eight-storey serviced apartment proposal for short-stay accommodation, which was initially rejected on 11 February 2021 for having “an undue impact on the amenity of the area”.
This decision was overturned in March 2021 by the State Government’s Development Assessment Panel.
October 2004
88 Guildford Road
The site at 88 Guildford Road, Mount Lawley is owned by MSJY Property Pty Ltd, which listed it for private treaty for 283 days from 7 May 2010 and again briefly on 21 August 2011.
90 Guildford Road
The adjoining portion of the vacant site has a more active sales history. Owned by Noarlunga Pty Ltd, it was sold to Rational Enterprises Pty Ltd on 9 January 1998 for $880,000, then to Sunlong Holdings Pty Ltd on 23 June 2003 for $2,915,000 and most recently to MSJY Property Pty Ltd on 30 October 2025 for $4.8 million. With the site now consolidated under a single owner, future redevelopment is just a matter of time.
1 Thirlmere Road
In February 2018, the current owners of Albany Bell Castle at 1 Thirlmere Road were awarded a State Government heritage grant of nearly $10,000 to develop a conservation management strategy for key areas within the building’s precinct. The work was to be carried out by local heritage architects Griffiths Architects. Today, the castle comprises a number of residential units.
November 2004
January 2008
October 2008
August 2021
December 2021
