Shire of Greenough Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places

Proposed addition

Place Details

Name: Tibradden Homestead Group

Former Name: Tibradden Station

Type of Place: Homestead and Outbuildings, including Flour Mill

Address: No. 1318 Sandsprings Road, Tibradden

HCWA No: 4630

Assessment Number: 61040 Photograph

Photo Description: Front elevation of the Tibradden Homestead. Date: 14/11/2011 Site Details

Lot/Locn: Lot 4

Diagram/Plan: P8774

Vol/Folio: 22/328A

Description

Walls: Stone/Mud Brick/CGI Roof: CGI

Condition: Fair Integrity: High

Original Fabric: Extensive Modifications: Additions over time

The Tibradden Homestead Group is located in picturesque undulating farm country to the east of Geraldton and consists of a grouping of buildings inclusive of the Homestead, Kitchen Building, Lodge (second house), flour mill, stables/cart shed, shearing shed, Post Office Building and cemetery as well as other associated farm structures and established trees.

The old Homestead, located on a gentle slope down to a small creek, is of brick and stone construction with a corrugated iron combination hip and gable roof. A separate verandah roof is supported on stop chamfered timber posts with a simple timber balustrade. Access to the front (east facing) verandah is via five centrally positioned stone steps with alternative access to the southern end of the verandah. The verandah flooring is still timber, but in poor condition and is sagging at the verandah end where the stone support wall requires urgent repair. The northern end of the verandah is partly enclosed with a combination of weatherboard and fibrous cement wall sheeting to provide for additional accommodation space. The homestead has a combination of doors including French doors, with multi pane timber framed windows. A cellar is accessed via a doorway at ground level to the north elevation. Two brick chimneys punctuate the roofscape which is painted red, like most of the building roofs in the Tibradden grouping. There is a c1960s fibro clad addition to the rear of the original homestead with a skillion roof. Internally the homestead features both pressed metal and timber lined ceilings and decorative fireplace surrounds in the original section of the building. Two large palms are a feature of the fenced garden, while nearby is a cluster of palms. The old Homestead is in fair to good condition.

The Lodge (second house), located to the west of the old Homestead, is of local rendered stone construction with a hipped corrugated iron roof which extends to cover the surrounding verandahs. The verandahs are supported on timber posts with a lattice infill balustrade. The original building consisted of three rooms but has been enlarged with some verandah enclosures including a bathroom to the front (east) verandah and a stone addition to the rear (west). Internally the original timber floors have been replaced with concrete while there are also some replacement aluminium framed square windows. The rooms have timber lined ceilings, parts of which are in poor condition. A stone chimney punctuates the northern roofscape. The Lodge is in good condition

The Kitchen Building, situated immediately to the south of the old Homestead, is of mud brick construction with the original shingle roof covered with corrugated iron sheeting, painted red in part. The combination hipped and gable roof extends broken back to cover the front verandah which is supported on bush timbers. Consisting of three rooms accessed via doors off the verandah, the building has a central chimney. Internally, the northern room still retains its timber lined ceiling, while the other rooms have mini orb metal ceilings. Original timber floors have been replaced with concrete and an old stove remains in situ in the southern room. The adjacent meat house has been removed with only a remnant cement slab evident of the simple fibro and wire net structure. The Kitchen Building is in fair condition.

The two storey Flour Mill, originally a wind powered mill, is constructed from thick local rubble stone walling (approx 500mm thick). It is a circular tower, with a diameter of approx 4 metres, rising to a height of approximately 7 metres. The roof form is a square timber structure covered with lapped timber boards (shingles). There is evidence of some brick patching just above door height. The structure has a concrete floor with the entry door facing north and a small window to the east. The timber lintels to the doorway and window opening have been hewn to form a curve to correspond with the shape of the building. One side of the roof still bears evidence of the housing for the sail apparatus which is no longer present. There is no evidence of mill machinery either within the structure or nearby. The Flour Mill in in reasonable condition although there is evidence of white ant damage in the timber joists and windows. The Flour Mill is in good condition.

The Post Office building (also provided banking facilities for the Commonwealth Bank) is a small two roomed building of local stone construction with a red corrugated iron hipped roof and concrete flooring. Each room has its own entry door and casement window facing east, both of which feature brick quoining. The separate verandah roof to the front (east) façade is supported on decorative stop chamfered timber posts. A timber handrail has a lattice infill while simple timber brackets adorn the top of the verandah posts. The ends of the verandah roof feature scalloped timber bargeboards trimmed in white paint. A brick chimney punctuates the centre of the roof while an old metal letter box is attached to the front façade from the time the building was used for local postal services. Internally the northern room has a simple arched fireplace and the southern room has an old cooker indicating it was used as a kitchen. Both rooms have no ceilings and there are metal grills on the inside of each window. Please note that the original Postmaster’s residence was located on a property on the other side of Sandsprings Road, but it burnt down and nothing remains of it. The Post Office building is in good condition.

The Stables/Cart Shed is located immediately to the south of the flour mill. It is a long building of local stone construction with a gable corrugated iron roof in short sheets, painted red. The stables run along the eastern side of the building while the open cart shed is located on the western side. On the northern end of the building are a saddle room, complete with shelving and bridle/saddle rails, and a storage room while a large feed room runs the full width of the southern end. Used to facilitate the feeding of the horses, there is an access way, or feed alley, from the feed room along the back of each separate horse stall, with the timber half wall dividers still in situ. The flooring to the stables is wood stump and remains relatively intact. There are stone yards to the east of the stables. The original timber support posts to the cart shed side have been replaced by metal railway sections. The roof of the building is in poor condition and requires urgent remedial work.

The Shearing Shed is situated to the immediate south of the Stables/Cart Shed and has interior walls of stone construction while the exterior walls are clad with corrugated iron. The gable corrugated iron roof is painted red and has lean to roofs at a lower pitch to both the west and east sides – the latter being where the shearing stalls are located. The original shearing shed at Tibradden burnt down following which the hay shed was converted for use as a shearing shed. The interior stone walls have brick quoining and large concrete lintels over the wide openings. An old set of metal scales are located in a later corrugated iron clad addition to the southern end of the shearing shed adjacent to a stone wall which features the stencilled names of local farmers(?)workers. The original wool press has been dismantled and is stored in a nearby shed while the fibro clad shearers’ quarters were demolished in the mid 1970s. Although there is some evidence of white ant damage to timbers, the building is in reasonable condition.

Outbuilding (unknown use, possibly a Milking Shed) is a small stone building which is enveloped by an adjacent Moreton Bay fig tree and peppercorn tree. A corrugated iron gable roof covers the main section with an adjoining addition to the east with a lower set gable roof. A timber gate opens to the north elevation. The building is in fair condition.

The Cemetery is located on the other side of a small creek approximately 150 metres to the east of the old Homestead. The small square cemetery is surrounded by a simple metal pole fence and contains several graves, including that of John Sydney Davis (died 30 September 1896, aged 76 years), his wife Sarah (died 16 January 1906, aged 84 years) and their daughter Amy Mary (died 20 May 1866, aged 10 years) – the resting place of all three being marked by one marble headstone with a gothic arch top. A second marble headstone with a simple arched top marks the burial place of Edward Wardle Holbrooke (died 6 March 1907, aged 69 years), who was J.B. Percy’s half-brother. Located in between the two marble headstones is a low lying grave marker for the resting place of Rachel Leta Josceline Lejeune (nee Percy), granddaughter of J.S. Davis (1892-1972), her ashes having been buried here.

The Tibradden Homestead Group also includes several new farming sheds (one of which is on the site of the old tennis court), an engine shed and the foundations and remnants of the Milking Shed, Piggery and Killing Shed. Nothing remains of the original pug and thatch homestead which was located immediately behind where the second homestead was constructed. History

Construction Date: From 1852 Source:

Architect: Builder:

John Sydney Davis was born in Galway, Ireland in 1817, and arrived in Western Australia on the ship Trusty in 1842. (Rita Erickson, Vols 1 & 3) Initially Davis lived at Australind prior to moving to Hotham River to manage William Burges’ station there. He then moved to the York district where he was in partnership with Robert de Burgh running sheep in the Avon Valley. In 1850 Davis moved to the Victoria District where he managed Thomas Brown’s Glengarry Station east of Geraldton. In March 1852, Davis in association with Major Logue and James Walcott took up a large tract of leased land east and northeast of Glengarry and were known locally as ‘The Pastoral Company’. Initially joining forces owing to "the expected hostilities in the new district", the three men worked co-operatively to establish the pastoral properties over the lease of 40,000 acres, including the construction of three small homesteads and some associated infrastructure. Not long afterwards the land was divided into three; Mr Walcott took Minninooka, Mr Logue took Ellendale and Mr Davis took Tibradden, which consisted of approximately 25,000 acres of leasehold property. The name ‘Tibradden’ came from Davis’ cousin’s family property in Ireland known as ‘Tibradden Hall’, an estate located near Dublin where Davis stayed as a boy. The original homestead on the property was a long, low cottage of pug wall construction with a roof thatched with rushes found growing around the nearby springs. (Halley & Wilson, p.26)

It was to this cottage that Davis brought his wife, Sarah (nee Heal – daughter of Lieutenant Charles Heal R.N.), whom he had married on 7 March 1854 in Guildford. The couple had two daughters, Elizabeth Susan (born 2 January 1855 and claimed to be the first white girl born in the Champion Bay area (Geraldton Express)) and Amy Mary (born 1856, died in 1866 and buried at Tibradden Cemetery); and four sons, Lionel Richard (born 17 October 1857), Charles James (born 1859), Geoffrey (born 1861) and Sydney (born 1863). (Erickson, p.200)

Davis continued to take up land around Tibradden. Eventually his pastoral property spread from Nangetty in the south to Mullewa Spring in the east. (Bain, A Life of Its Own, p.88) A larger homestead was built of stone, along with an extensive range of outbuildings and a wind-powered flourmill. The flourmill was known to have been operating by the 1860s, grinding wheat for nearby properties as well as Tibradden. It was the only windmill built in the district, with other flour mills in the area powered by steam engines or horses.

By the 1870s,

“Mr Davis had a fine large house built of stone, with a natural water supply, and there were springs that enabled him to grow all kinds of vegetables and fruit, especially oranges. At that time he had three of the largest orange trees I ever saw in the colony…” (Hammond, p.37)

Tibradden was described as, “one of the social centres of the district, and governors and other distinguished visitors were entertained there, as it was the last port of call for travellers to the Murchison.” (Halley, p.26) One of those visitors in 1874 was John Forrest who spent the first night of his overland trip at Tibradden.

When Mr Wittenoom resigned his seat in Parliament in 1884, J.S. Davis took his place, holding the seat of Geraldton in the Western Australian Legislative Council between 12 March and 27 October 1884. Davis also served as an honorary magistrate for many years. J.S. Davis died at Tibradden on 30 September 1893 and was buried on the property. (Victoria Express) After the death of Davis, Tibradden was considerably reduced in size. Land was resumed for the construction of both the Walkaway-Midland and the Geraldton- Mullewa Railway Lines, and more land to the east around Mullewa was taken for agricultural purposes. (Keefe, p.125)

After the death of J.S. Davis, Tibradden passed into the possession of his oldest son, Lionel Richard Davis (then Mining Warden for the Pilbara goldfields, stationed at Marble Bar) his son-in-law, Joscelyn Beverley Percy (at that time the manager of the Union Bank at Fremantle). In 1896 Percy and Davis mortgaged Tibradden to A.F. Durlacher for 3,000 pounds at 7% interest. (Certificate of Title) From March 1903 there are references in the diaries kept by Vernon Sewell (eldest son of Caleb Sewell of Sandsprings) of Lionel and Agnes Davis living at Tibradden. (Sewell Diary) Sarah Davis died at Tibradden on 16 January 1906 and was buried on the property. (Geraldton Express)

By 1907, Percy and Davis were experiencing some financial difficulties and in April, parts of Tibradden were offered for sale. The mortgage on Tibradden was discharged on 23 December 1909 and a fortnight later the partnership of Percy and Davis was dissolved. (Certificate of Title) Percy kept the homestead and the eastern section of the property whilst Davis has as his share approximately 6,000 acres of Tibradden.

The gardens at Tibradden were well known in the district with a fruit and vegetable garden running down to the creek in front of the homestead, with fig trees, mulberries, a long grape trellis, apples, plantains (a type of banana), a variety of stone fruits, almonds and a hedge of prickly pear. In addition there was a large area of lawn and flower gardens. (Dorothy Davis, pp.12-13 & Wells, p.35)

Elizabeth Percy died in June 1928 and Tibradden (now reduced in size to 4,500 hectares) was offered for sale by public auction in Perth on 15 October 1928. The property was bought by the Atkin Brothers, who also owned the Palace Hotel in Perth and Murgoo and Mt Narrayer Stations in the Murchison. In 1955, the property was purchased by Major Rubens of De Grey Station and was later re-sold to Eric Fitzgerald who subdivided the land into five blocks. The original pug and thatch homestead was bulldozed during this time because it was considered unsafe while Fitzgerald modernized and extended the second homestead which had been built alongside. In 1967, the present homestead block comprising approximately 5,400 acres was bought by the Collins family. Historic Theme(s)

HCWA

100 Demographic settlement and mobility 301 Grazing, pastoralism and dairying 602 Early Settlers

AHC

8.14 Living in the country and rural settlements 3.5 Developing primary production 3.5.1 Grazing stock

Statement of Significance

The Tibradden Homestead Group has high historic significance as one of the early pastoral properties taken up in the Greenough district in the 1850s and for its association with John Sydney Davis. The Complex of buildings, including the Homestead, Outbuildings, Cemetery and Flour Mill, are evidence of early rural activities in the area. The Flour Mill is a rare remaining example of milling infrastructure of the era and indeed may be the earliest surviving mill in the Victoria District. Tibradden Homestead Group is situated in a picturesque setting and makes an important contribution to the heritage of the district.

Management Category As per wording in current Shire of Greenough Municipal Inventory

Management Category: 1

HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AT STATE LEVEL.

Highest level of protection appropriate. Provide maximum incentives under the Town Planning Scheme with encouragement to the owner to conserve the significance of the place. Prepare a floor plan and photographically record the place prior to any redevelopment. Other Listings

National Trust of Australia (WA) - Classified (10/6/1996) Supporting Information

The Victoria Express, ‘Death of Mr J.S. Davis’, 6 October 1893. Geraldton Express, January 19, 1906 & March 19, 1924. Bain, Sr M.A., A Life of its Own, City of Geraldton, 1996. Bain, M.A., Ancient Landmarks – A Social and Economic History of the Victoria District of Western Australia 1839-1894, UWA Press, 1975. Davis, Dorothy, “Tibradden”, in Trust News, April 1985. Erickson, R., Dictionary of Western Australians 1829-1914 – Volumes 1 & 3 FREE 1850- 1868, UWA Press, 1979. Geraldton Camera Club, Homesteads of the Mid West Region of Western Australia, Geraldton Camera Club, 1997. Halley, E.M. & Wilson, H.H., Roundabout Geraldton and the Victoria District, GHS, 1978. Hammond, J.E., Western Pioneers – The Battle Well Fought, Hesperian Press, 1993. Keeffe, B., Eastward Ho – To Mullewa and the Murchison, Mullewa Shire Council, 1995. National Trust of Australia (WA), Tibradden Station Flour Mill Classification documentation, 10/6/1996. Sewell, W.V., Diary 1903, Sewell Diaries 485A, Geraldton Regional Library. Wells, J.H., Here, There, Not Everywhere, 1986. Certificate of Title Vol.XIV Fol 205, Department of Land Administration. Note: Rachel Oxenburgh (nee Percy) is a good contact to follow up for additional information and photographs of the property.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

The Lodge – front elevation.

The Old Kitchen Building.

The Flour Mill with Stables Building to rear.

The Post Office Building.

Tibradden Cemetery with Homestead and Kitchen in background.