The Maylands Progress Association applied to the government for a police constable to be stationed in the Maylands area in 1904.
The WA government purchased the land at 196 Guildford Road for 135 pounds.
The Maylands Police Station and residential quarters was built at 196 Guildford Road by Franklin and Finlay at a cost of 962 pounds and opened on 9 August 1908. At that time, it was common practice to accommodate both the local Police station and quarters for the Police officers under one roof. The whole of the building at 196 Guildford Road was later used for Police business.
The original building had a charge room and two cells. Its yard had a washhouse, earth closets and also a timber stable as the district constable was a mounted constable. For many years, the horse drinking trough on the footpath at the front entrance served as a reminder of bygone days.
From 1948 to 1964, minor alterations (mainly to do with toilets) were made to the building. In 1973, the stables were removed in 1973 and replaced with double garage.
From 1999 to 2005, a single policeman staffed the Maylands Police Station.
After the Maylands Police Station closed in 2007, the building became the headquarters for the Stock Squad.
In 2013, the City of Bayswater grant a five year lease of the building to the Maylands Historical and Peninsula Association and that lease was renewed in 2018.
The Old Police Station still houses the Maylands Historical and Peninsula Association and now has rooms named in honour of Frank Greenslade and the Peninsula Association. The MHPA library now occupies the space once used as the Charge Room and the Research Room now occupies the site of the cells.
For more information
See:
- our Old Police Station Flickr Album for digitised images and other digitised information
- our free fact sheet Where were the cells in the Old Police Station? available for collection at the Old Police Station.