Old East End

Statement of Significance

The four stone buildings comprising the Old East End have high historic significance given their connection with the early settlement of the Irwin District and their connection to the Osborn, Pell and Rowland families. The careful restoration of the buildings coupled with their setting gives the place an authentic sense of the past. In addition the prominent position of the buildings on Brand Highway adds to the character of the East End of Dongara.

Physical Description

OLD EAST END
This is a group of four stone buildings, a corrugated iron shearing shed (reconstructed), and an open pole wagon shed (reconstructed). The stone buildings front directly on to Brand Highway and are situated about three kilometres east of the Dongara townsite. The buildings have been restored from a ruinous state between 1984 and 1992 are set in gardens with separate fenced areas which follow lot divisions.
THE STORE Lot 1 Vic Loc 914
The building is set on a 1/8th of an acre lot close to the highway, with the verandah forming the road frontage. The building is of high volume with a hipped corrugated iron roof and a separate hipped verandah roof to the front (south) supported on timber posts with a concrete verandah floor. A large corbelled stone chimney punctuates the northeast aspect of the main roof. The main section is a single room some 10m by 6m with a timber ceiling set at 4m height. Interior walls of the main section are whitewashed. The front windows are large, timber framed and arched design. Set between them are double timber entry doors with an arched fanlight above. The front exterior of the building is white washed with painted quoining to the openings and corners, while a picket fence with a central picket gate runs between the verandah posts. To the rear, a large hipped skillion roof covers an area some 4m by 10m. which is of timber frame construction with CGI cladding and a pressed metal interior and ceiling. The timber windows of the frame section are awning style, a central timber plank door affords rear entry, a third entry door is situated in the centre of the main east wall. The entire lot is surrounded by a 1500mm gothic style picket fence with a centrally placed matching picket gate to the rear.
FANNY'S COTTAGE Lot 2
This is a small four room stone cottage, set back some 4m from the highway. A hipped corrugated iron roof extends to cover the front (south) verandah which has a timber floor and is supported on disappearing chamfer timber posts. The verandah has timber cladding with scalloped boards to each end. There is a small stone chimney to the west elevation. There is a skillion roof to the rear which covers the two rear rooms, this also extends to the north-west to cover a small timber framed cream painted corrugated iron clad addition which serves as a bathroom. There is a central front door with double hung windows each side. Other windows are small paned and casement style. There are two rear entry doors, one placed centrally and the other close to the CGI addition. Interiorly there are no ceilings and original joinery and cupboards are intact in the sitting room. A 1m high gothic style picket fence forms the front boundary of the cottage.
GERTIES FARMHOUSE Lot 21
Set back some 3m from the highway, this stone house with a steeply pitched corrugated iron gable roof which extends to cover the front (south) verandah which has a timber floor and is supported on disappearing chamfered timber posts. There is a lean-to roof to the rear with a verandah beyond and to the west. The front windows are timber framed and double hung, the rear are small, timber framed, four paned and centrally pivoted. The west verandah is enclosed with glass behind large trellis panels, the rear verandah has two large sliding glass doors with double doors between. The north east end of the rear verandah has been enclosed with cream painted corrugated iron. A 1500mm gothic style picket fence forms the front (south) and west boundary.
BLACKSMITH'S SHOP Lot 21
Sited close to the south west corner of the property under a large Tuart Tree (eucalyptus gomphocephala) the Blacksmith's shop has a gable corrugated iron roof which covers the three main rooms and a lean-to to the north. The central main room, west room and lean-to are constructed of random rubble limestone. The central room and lean-to to the north house the blacksmith's forge and bellows respectively. The room to the east of the central room has timber framed and clad walls. There are two sets of double doors located in the south facade which give access to the central and west room. A small stone chimney is located at the apex of the gable of the north wall. Two sets of four paned windows are located to the east, south and north facades of the main building and to the north facade of the lean-to. Access from the rear is via a timber door to the east room. Located about half a metre of the northwest corner of the building is a 10,000 gallon (50,000 litres) stone and concrete lined under ground tank. A hipped corrugated iron roof covers the tank with timber access doors located to the north east.

History

EAST END HISTORY BY JOHN ROWLAND
The property known as Old East End is situated on five separate lots on Victoria Location 914 which was an original Crown Grant of 9 3/4 acres made to Charles Vinier on 26 March 1878, " ..in consideration of the sum of five pounds twelve shillings and sixpence sterling".
In June 1881, almost 4 acres were sold to the Osborn family, and in December 1890, 1/8th of an acre was sold to Mary Ridley. The Midland Railway Company officially took title to a resumed strip of land through the property in November 1892, and a further 1/8th of an acre was sold to Henry Looke in January 1893. The balance of Location 914, now 5 and 1/4 acres was mortgaged to Francis Pearse, merchant, in June 1900 to secure a debt of £596/14/0. On the 30 July 1904, Charles Vinier lost the final remnant of his land when the Sheriff of Western Australia transferred it to Francis Pearse under writ of Fi Fa .[1]
When Vinier purchased the land in 1878, his intentions were unknown, but he did have a sitting tenant, namely William (Willie) Osborn, who, along with his wife Sarah and family, had squatted on Loc 914 in 1868 in anticipation of being able to purchase it. [2] William and Sarah had arrived in the Swan Colony in 1850. He was a blacksmith and farrier, she a seamstress, midwife and nurse.[3] William worked for a short while as blacksmith and builder at the Fremantle Gaol, and then became an employee of Major Logue as blacksmith and shepherd at his property 'Ellendale' at the Greenough, where it is recorded that he drew stores on 25 August 1853. [4].
In 1854, William Osborn is thought to have accompanied the Austin survey party into the Murchison at which time he developed an interest in mapping. In 1868, he hand drew a map of the Lower Irwin District and identified all the land owners on it.[5]
By 1862, William and Sarah were employed by Lockier Burges of the 'Cattle Company' at Toodyay, transferring to the company's property 'Irwin House' in about 1866. In 1868, William Osborn successfully tendered for a three year mail contract between Perth and Northampton, with a tender price of £280 per annum. [6] It was at this time that his family squatted on Location 914, a suitable tillage lease of almost 10 acres on the main road between Dongara and Irwin some two miles east of the Dongara townsite.
They constructed a two room cottage of local limestone with river mud as mortar. With the help of his eldest son, William (jnr), the postal contract was fulfilled while William (snr) and his youngest son Charles built a substantial blacksmith's shop on the property. [7] It fronted the main road and had twin forges and had a carriage room, livery room, separate room for the two bellows, as well as the main central blacksmith room. It was constructed of local limestone with river sand and lime mortar. Operation of the blacksmith's shop was recorded by Police Constable Stack when the police horse 'High Flyer' was shod by William Osborn in 1870.[8]
During 1870-75, the main four room farmhouse (with central passage) was constructed. It was sited between the two room cottage and the blacksmith's shop.[9] With all these substantial improvements to Location 914, Osborn still did not own the land. As mentioned above, the land was eventually purchased by Vinier in 1878, with subdivision in 1881 when Osborn purchased four acres including all improvements on Lot 21 Location 914. In 1890, the 1/8th of an acre sold to Ridley became Lot 1. Henry Ridley was an engineer for the Midland Railway Company, and Lot 1 was purchased for his wife, Mary. This small lot had main road frontage and adjoined the east boundary of Osborn's four acres. Mary Ridley had a large single roomed stone building constructed on her lot with a timber frame and corrugated iron clad skillion at the rear. The building was intended for use as a shop and fronted directly
on to the road reserve.[10]
The land resumed for the right of way of the Midland Railway in 1892, bisected Location 914. Not only did the balance of Vinier's land get cut in half, but Osborn's four acres suffered the same fate. This resulted in twin pairs of gates being constructed by the Midland Railway company so that Vinier and Osborn could have independent access to their land on the opposite side of the railway line. The last subdivision by Vinier was in 1893 which was designated as Lot 0 Location 914. It was sold to Henry Looke. It adjoined the east boundary of Mary Ridley's lot and like hers had main road frontage. Vinier's last piece of land was transferred to Francis Pearse by the Sheriff of Western Australia in 1904 was Lot 19 Location 914. The Osborn family continued to make improvements of Lot 21 and in 1894 expanded the original tworoom cottage to four. This addition of two stone walled rooms was the first independent building work done by the young Charles Osborn, who had taken over the blacksmithing business following the death of his father in the same year. [11] In 1895 Charles Osborn married Eliza Pell, the seventh child of John and Esther Pell. They came from the village of Wimpole in Cambridgeshire and had arrived in Western Australia on the 'Sophia' in 1850. John Pell commenced work in Toodyay was employed by Gerald de Courcey Lefroy at his property 'Walebing' as a farm hand and shepherd. John and Esther's first child, George, was born on 15 November 1850 and was the first European child born in the Victoria Plains.[13] The Pell's had thirteen children, nine daughters and four sons. Three of their children George, Frances (Fanny) and Eliza were all connected in some way to the 'East End'. Following employment with Lefroy, John Pell worked for 'Squire' Samuel Phillips at 'Culham', Toodyay. Phillips was a partner in the Cattle Company along with Burges, Hamersley and Vigors and John Pell transferred to work at the Company's property in the Irwin District.[14] John and Esther's son George married Elizabeth Brown and they had six children. Their fifth child and first daughter was Gertrude, born on 15 August 1892. Gertrude's father died in 1894 and following the marriage of Aunt Eliza to Charles Osborn in 1895, she was fostered by them at the East End. Meanwhile another aunt of Gertrude, and Eliza's sister, Frances (Fanny) Cousins (nee Pell) was given tenancy of the original cottage at the East End, along with her seven children.[15] Gertrude continued to live with Eliza and Charles Osborn, with Charles doing less blacksmithing and more building work. Finally in 1900 the blacksmithing business was closed and Charles became a full time builder in the district.
By 1912, Charles had purchased various lots on Location 318 which adjoins Location 914, and built a new home on the steep banks of the Irwin River. In the same year, Gertrude Pell, now 19, married Silas Rowland who had purchased Lot 21 from Charles Osborn in 1910. They carried out major renovations to the house. New verandahs were added, pressed metal ceilings installed, chimneys moved and rebuilt and shingle roofs replaced with corrugated iron. Silas Rowland was a grandson of Richard and Elizabeth Rowland who arrived in Western Australia from Yorkshire aboard the 'Tranby' in February 1830. The vessel had been chartered by John and Joseph Hardy and Michael and James Clarkson. Richard and Elizabeth, who were indentured servants to the Clarkson family, were married on the 'Tranby' during the voyage from England. [16]
In 1917, Silas Rowland was killed in action during World War I, leaving Gertrude with two small sons.
She decided to subdivide Lot 21, retaining the main house and blacksmith's shop as a farm shed and selling off the smaller original cottage. The subdivided portion was classified as Lot 2 Location 914 and was sold to Annie Mason in 1919. Annie also purchased Lot 19 from Francis Pearse. She lived in the cottage until 1951 when she sold it to Gertrude's brother, Charles Pell. Charles passed away in 1952 and left the property to his nephew John Rowland (a minor). John was Gertrude's grandson and was fostered by his grandmother following the break up of his parent's marriage in 1945.
All the buildings at the East End had little maintenance from about 1925 onwards. Mrs Ridley's shop had not been a success and she sold it to the storekeeper Francis McCoo in 1892 who sold it to the Hon. Sir Edward Wittenoom in1902. In 1914 it was transferred to Samuel Joseph Fortescue Moore. Following Moore's death, his estate sold the property to Charles Sloper in 1924 and then to the storekeeper Rur Singh of Afghan descent in 1935. Following Rur's death it was purchased by Frederick and Nellie Windsor in 1950, Dorothy Fabling purchased the lot in 1953. The adjoining 1/4 acre Lot 0 was sold to Henry Looke in 1893 and purchased in 1975 by Robert fabling for undischarged rates. In 1989 both Lot 1 and Lot 0 were sold to John Rowland and Graham Grundy, thus returning all the lots of Old East End to a single owner.
Gertrude Rowland continued to live in the main house on Lot 21 until 1976 when at the age of 84 she built a new bungalow home on a lot on the opposite side of the main road. Domestic animals, such as ducks and fowls were left at the old house and she tended them night and morning. The East End buildings continued to deteriorate. Mary Ridley's shop had been ravaged by fire in 1962. The original cottage was used as a stable for horses which resulted in large sections of wall being pushed down. The blacksmith shop also lost some of its walls and roof due to the pressure of overhanging tree branches.
The main farmhouse suffered substantial damage to its verandahs when trees feel on to them. All buildings suffered extensive damage to timber components due to rot and termites. In 1982, John Rowland returned to the district and in 1987, in partnership with Graham Grundy, decided to try and salvage the buildings and grounds to something of their former stature. The memories of John were used in this restoration as was the vivid memory of Gertrude Rowland who lived to be 99 years old and passed away in 1991 just before the project was completed. Mary Ridley's shop was purchased from Doris Fabling in 1990, and the shop restored, while the relocation of the railway line around the property saw the return of this strip of land, originally resumed in 1892.
In 1996, the complex was awarded the Western Australia Civic Design Award for Heritage Restoration. "Old East End", as the complex is now known, takes its name from the old postal address. Up to the early 1960s it was known as the East End, Dongarra. While the lots still remain as separate titles, the entire location 914 has returned to single ownership.
[1] Grant No.4484 and Certificate of title Vol 3 Fol 362
[2] Personal memories of Eliza Osborn (nee Pell) 1865-1959
[3] Erickson, R., "Dictionary of WA"
[4] Bain, M.A., "Ancient Landmarks", UWA Press, 1975
[5] Conserved map, held by the IDRS, gift from the Osborn family
[6] Bain, M.A., "Ancient Landmarks", UWA Press, 1975
[7] Personal memories of Eliza Osborn (nee Pell) 1865-1959
[8] Dongarra Occurrence Book, P. C. Stack, 1870
[9] Personal memories of Eliza Osborn (nee Pell) 1865-1959
[10] Personal memories of Eliza Osborn (nee Pell) 1865-1959
[11] Personal memories of Eliza Osborn (nee Pell) 1865-1959
[12] Erickson, R., "Dictionary of WA'
[13] Pell Family Tree
[14] Personal memories of Gertrude Rowland (nee Pell) 1892-1991
[15] Personal memories of Gertrude Rowland (nee Pell) 1892-1991
[16] Johnson, George, Personal diary of 'Tranby' Voyage to WA, 1839

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High

Condition

Good

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.