Woodstock Homestead

Statement of Significance

Architectural significance lies in its stone construction and the quality of the stone work in the earliest building. Very little stone work of this quality remains on Pilbara stations.
It is a demonstration of a past way of life, first as a wayside pub and later as a station homestead. ·
It has historic links as the wayside pub on the old wagon route to the Tambourah goldfield.

Physical Description

The building was built in three stages. The earliest stage dating from 1883-4 has granite (pre Cambrian - 3600 million years old) walls which are now pointed in an embossed cement pointing . The stone central core is completely surrounded by verandahs, the western side of which , adjoining the verandah of the later kitchen block (dating from about 1914), is enclosed . The roof is hipped with vented gables .
Immediately to the west stands the kitchen block also of granite with a simi lar roof but on an opposing axis . To the south is a newer wing. The whole of the roof sheeting has recently been replaced with new corrugated iron sheeting.
The original homestead had 4 or 5 rooms and a kitchen, all in stone. The walls were made about 18" thick.
Later, in 1914, when Draper and Parker held the lease a drawing room ..- also in stone - was added to the house. The difference in quality of the stonework is obvious. A verandah surrounded the .homestead and the verandah posts were cut from black heart wood.The roof was made of iron.

The accommodation for travellers consisted of a shanty on a hill approximately 80 ya1 from the homestead. The shanty walls and roof were made of galvanized iron, the windows had wooden shutters. The shanty had 3 or 4 rooms. The bar-room was in the middle of the housea room approximately 20ft x 14ft. This room led onto the front verandah .

History

Assessment 1984
Construction 1883 onwards
Stonemason: Edwards

Woodstock station homestead was one of several wayside pubs on the old wagon route from Cossack-Roebourne to the Tambourah goldfield. (Others at Mallina (built in 1881) and Yandeearra (built in 1882).

The Tambourah gold field discovered in 1883 had at one stage 500-600 men working, three pubs and a Post Office connected by telephone to Marble Bar - (this line was later dismantled).

Billy Looke held the license at Wood stock and later when the goldfield petered out (c.1900) he took up a lease of the surrounding.country. The lease was held subsequently by Billy Pead, 1903-1910, then by Percy Draper and Robert Parker in partner­ ship 1911-1945.
The original Woodstock homestead was built for Looke by a very skilled stoneman call ed _ Edwards. . Woodstock.was built in 1883 1884 and would have taken approximately six months to complete. Edwards had previously built \Villiambury on the Gascoyne. Soon after completion of Woodstock homestead Edwards committed suicide.
After the W.A. Government bought the station from the Drapers in 1945 the house was occupied by the Suijendorps of the Dept of Agriculture for a period and subsequently by Tim Eely (of C.S.I.R.O. and his wife while doing research on the Euro - later a technician called Collett was there. It is now used by the W.A. Museum.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.