Creaton Ruins

Statement of Significance

Creaton Estate is an important historical and archaeological site.
Creaton Estate is significant as a demonstration of an 1850s rural community and is associated with the establishment of Pinjarra townsite.

Physical Description

At Paterson Road, just north of the township of Pinjarra, are the remnants of a formal
gateway denoting the former entrance to the property containing the ruins of Creaton.
The land is fairly flat from the road, falling away at the rear of the site of the ruin down a
levee to a watercourse, perhaps an oxbow lake, leading to the main river further away. A
number of old fruit trees were apparent around the ruins, some deciduous, with several
surviving citrus along the levee. A group of water tanks mounted high on stands remain
arrayed along the top of the levee.
The surviving ruins of Creaton still standing above ground are in a T-plan with the top of the T facing Paterson Road (running mainly north-south at this point) and the leg of the T
comprising some farm sheds. The northern building (right side facing) appears to be either
the smokehouse or a kitchen evidenced by the remnants of several brick vaulted ducts at
floor level leading from outside through a diaphragm wall into the main room which is
somewhat higher than usual.
The accommodation wing extends southwards from an adjoining covered way. Construction is of handmade bricks in lime mortar with mud plaster and limewash. The roof was originally shingle later covered with galvanised corrugated iron. The ceilings varied from lathe and plaster to timber boarding, with some pressed metal sections and fittings.
The wall plaster is falling away revealing the mud float and lime plastered finish coat with
stone coursing raked into the surface. Lintels are sawn timber. The verandah floor appears to be compacted clay. There is a parapet wall along the main verandah. Some lathe and plaster, pressed metal and matchboard ceiling fabrications were evident in the remnant fabric.
The design style is a simple form of the Victorian Regency style.

History

The original grant on which Creaton Ruins was built was located at the south eastern extremity of Peel's holding, Cockburn Sound Location 16. In 1839, Francis Corbet Singleton arrived onboard the Hindoo. Aged 27, Singleton brought a number of settlers and servants with him. He purchased 10,000 acres from Peel at 2/6d per acre, and set out to breed horses for sale in India. This project, however, soon failed. Singleton intended to settle his servants on small holdings with frontages to the rivers Dandalup and Murray, a system of tenant farming similar to his home county, in Ireland. By June 1839, Singleton had been appointed Justice of the Peace in Pinjarra and by 1841, he was Resident Magistrate in Pinjarra. In 1844, Singleton was appointed to the Legislative Council. Singleton's farm had become the social, economic and administrative centre in the district. Three hundred acres of the property had been cleared and fenced, barns, sheds, a horse mill (for grinding wheat produced on his 70 acres of crop land) and stockyards were built. A residence which stood close to the river was destroyed by fire in 1844, during Singleton's absence, along with all his possessions. After the fire, Singleton tried to lease the farm, and in 1848 he left the Colony for South Australia.
In 1847, Anthony Cornish and Nicol Paterson formed a partnership, starting with boat hire in Fremantle, adding other businesses, flour milling, sandalwood trading, hotels and then farming. In 1853 the pair leased Singleton's farm which they later purchased in 1856 for £3,000. Cornish moved from Fremantle and commenced building another house and more barns. When completed, the house contained twelve rooms with a line of barns and outbuildings stretching out behind the house. The complex included a smoke house as well as a number of houses for tenants and labourers. At its peak, the property contained fourteen homes. Around this time, Dr Bedingfeld was appointed to the area. He lived with his family on Creaton Estate in a two-storey house called Parkfield (burned down in 1961). Ronald Richards gives the following description of Creaton Estate: [South] of the doctor's residence and immediately in front of John McLarty's old house was the Queen's Hotel; to the north was a small cottage past Cooroolyup, (then called Parkfield) and then the Creaton Homestead itself. This was quite substantial for the times, consisting of four rooms with verandahs front and back, connected by a central passageway. To this fairly common plan was added a large kitchen and sitting room which were linked by a covered way to another spacious room with a lean-to at the rear. This latter room was used as a retail store by Anthony Cornish. He also had a gallon liquor licence here and no doubt did a brisk trade. Other out-buildings were located at the rear of the house, including a smokehouse. Behind the main building was a long complex of barns, servant's quarters, blacksmith shop, etc., ... Paterson and Cornish both died around 1872, and Jane Paterson continued on at Creaton Estate, her sons William and George running the property. She died in 1896 and Creaton Estate was left to the sons. William moved to the Whitby Falls area, and George passed the property to his sons, Douglas and Frank. Douglas lived there until 1940 with the northern section of the estate coming into the possession of the Gibbs family until 1968, then the Emanuels. Presently (2018), the site is ruins only, and attempts to secure funding to conserve the place have been unsuccessful.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Poor (Ruins Only)

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.