Maddington Homestead

Statement of Significance

Maddington Homestead, a two-storey Georgian style stone house with a corrugated iron roof, a detached kitchen and dairy, a wattle and daub tack room and machinery sheds, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

The place is an extremely rare example of a substantial settler's house constructed in Western Australia prior to the convict era;

The place is the oldest extant residence in the district and is highly valued by the community

The place contributes to the community's sense of place by providing a link with the colonial development of the area

The place is associated with prominent figures in the history of Western Australia and the Canning district such as John Randall Phillips, Major William Nairn, Surveyor General John Septimus Roe, Richard and Jabez White, John Liddelow and Joseph Harris and his descendants

The place is associated with the earliest phases of rural development along the Canning River and with a subsequent market gardening enterprise

The place illustrates the innovative and creative use of local materials to imitate those used for houses in England at the time.

Physical Description

Maddington Park Homestead is in a state of ruin. The two storey house has no roof and has lost many of its walls and is now supported by scaffolding. The verandah still retains part of its corrugated iron canopy though much has been removed. Many of the battens remain in situ. The peripheral verandah is supported on square timber columns and is open with no balustrade. Due to the ruinous state of the building, it is now becoming difficult to read the place as it was designed. The fire place and prominent chimney still remain extant.

The outbuildings have been retained with a small rendered brick and iron former kitchen to the north west and a wattle and daub dairy with a long open sided shed to the south west of the house. The weatherboards from the shed have been removed to the majority of the shed but evidence of retained boards can be found on the northern side of the structure. Much of the roof structure and corrugated iron cladding of the dairy remains in place though in a rusted condition.

Maddington Park bounds the Canning River where the common Flooded Gums (Eucalyptus rudis) have flourished and are particularly dense. Mature trees exist in the parkland setting and extend down to the river banks. The site forms part of the Canning River environment and creates an important setting to the State Registered former Homestead.

History

Maddington Homestead was first settled by John Randall Phillips in 1830. Phillips chose the land along with 'Stoke Farm'. Both properties proved to have very good farming prospects. In 1833 Phillips sold Maddington Park to William Nairn, an Infantry Major. When Nairn took over the riverside property Phillips had already cleared a good amount of the land and had built a house, shed and office. Nairn became an efficient farmer and a reputable sheep breeder.

Nairn had a new house, the Maddington Park Homestead, constructed. Building began c.1836 but took a number of years to complete owing to the difficulty of obtaining materials, finding craftsmen, transport and ever increasing costs. By 1840, the ground floor was only just completed. It was said that, in the end, Nairn's dream was a compulsion that wore him down.

Maddington Park was the scene of early conflict between the Aboriginal people and European settlers. In 1837, two shepherds, boys of nine and eleven years, set out with Nairn's sheep to distant pastures. An altercation with two Aboriginal men led to both boys being speared. Though both recovered from their injuries, many settlers were outraged and demanded the capture of Buoyen, one of the Aboriginals involved. He was caught and brought to Maddington Park for identification by Charles Hokin, one of the shepherds. Buoyen was subsequently tried and sent to Rottnest Island for life.

In 1843, Nairn mortgaged the property to Surveyor General J. S. Roe, whose family took possession of the property in 1847. It was leased and worked by a variety of people including Jabez White, John Liddelow and Joseph Harris. A 'To Let' advertisement in the Perth Gazette of 8 February 1856 described Maddington Park as:
3280 acres, extensively cleared and improved with good double stone dwelling house, large barn, stable and other buildings, cattle and cart sheds, sheep yard, garden and field enclosures and about 150 acres in and partly under cultivation. The many excellent and varied qualities of this fine estate are too well known to require comment.

In 1910, the Harris family took ownership, and occupied and operated the orchard. In 1983, a fire damaged the sitting room. At the time 81-year-old Miss Amy Harris lived there. After the fire the place was then boarded up and left unoccupied. In 2001, when the Homestead was entered on the State Register of Heritage Places, it was described as being in sound condition but in need of renovation. At the time, the property was described as:
[A] two-storey stone residence, nine rooms in all and a cellar. Adjacent is a wattle and daub tack room, a detached kitchen and dairy, and two corrugated iron sheds. The site is surrounded by 150 acres (60.75ha) of established market garden and orchard.

A 2004 conservation report by Blackwell & Associates noted that: 'two large post mature Schinus molle - Pepper Trees flank the garden path to the north/east boundary. The trees are significant and would appear to have been planted in the early stages of the garden development'.

In 2003, Maddington Park was acquired by new owners. On 6 June 2004, the Homestead was gutted by fire and on 1 March 2005, another fire destroyed several of the trees at the rear of the buildings, charred the dairy, and damaged the Pepper Trees. The current owners have subdivided the land adjoining the Homestead buildings and are considering the options for the Homestead, as part of the redevelopment of the site.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low
Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Very poor (ruinous)

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.