Grasmere

Statement of Significance

The Bateman Homestead is significant for the following reason: Aesthetic Value: Typical homestead of the period set in rural surroundings. Historic Value: Originally built as a holiday home for prominent pioneer John Bateman. Later to become a farmhouse. Authenticity: The building is substantially in it's original form. Grasmere Homestead, a single-storey, rendered brick and corrugated iron homestead (1886) in the Victorian Georgian style, together with various framed construction and iron clad outbuildings, set in what remains of a rural landscape, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: the place is a rare and fine example of a single-storey homestead in the Victorian Georgian style dating from the 1880s in metropolitan Perth; in spite of changes to the fabric, the place manages to retain its original design qualities and the plan form and the proportions of all the rooms of the original house are as constructed and provide pleasant living spaces; located on a rise above Bull Creek, the place has landmark quality as a gentle, simple and aesthetically pleasing vista; the remnants of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century plantings, in particular the palm and pine trees, contribute to the overall setting; the place has historic associations with the Canning River, which was the major transport route for goods and people travelling to and from Grasmere before a road was built to the property; a private jetty was located at the bottom of the gardens, which extended from the house to the river; the place is of social value in the context of the development of Western Australia as one of the earliest extant homesteads representing the early development of areas to the south of the Swan River; built as a holiday and weekend retreat in the 1880s, the place became the homestead for the property as it was developed and worked by the prominent Fremantle-based Bateman family, through the late nineteenth century and for more than 70 years of the twentieth century. The current perimeter fences are considered to have low significance. The metal framed and metal clad sheds are considered to be intrusive. Any surviving plantings of eucalypts and other trees are considered to have low significance. SIGNIFICANT ITEMS: The form of the original fabric of the building and any surviving original details and materials, externally and internally. Alterations and enclosures have little if any significance.

Physical Description

A single storey, rendered brick and corrugated iron six room hoemstead built in the Victorian Georgian style. It has a central passage with verandahs all around set in rural surroundings adjacent to Bull Creek. Evidence of the original orchard and gardens remain.

History

The Location 28 of 1,280 acres was granted initially to Thomas Middleton in May 1830. Middleton moved his family to Perth in 1831. In the 1830s the settlers in the locality were issued with freehold titles. Disputes with Aborigines and destruction of Middleton's house by fire saw an attempt in 1835 to sell the property or to lease the land. Both were unsuccessful. Little further development at Location 28 was evident until in 1851 Alexander Francisco acquired the property. Francisco's heirs mortgaged the property to John Bateman in 1881. In 1885, John Wesley Bateman, Merchant and Shipowner of Fremantle, and John's eldest son, purchased the property. In 1886 Grasmere Homestead was constructed as a weekend retreat for the Bateman family on a site overlooking Bull's Creek. Access to the house was primarily by boat. Various members of the Bateman lived in or used the homestead and surrounding farmlands. Finally in 1951-1954 the property was reduced to 872 acres by selling off the land to the State Housing Commission for post World War II housing development. Further reductions in the site occurred in 1956 and 1958 and finally in 1964 and 1978. Bateman family members continued on the property until the early 1970s when tenants were introduced, including up to the early 2000s when ownership had passed to the present owners for the current lot of 1,402 sq. metres.

Integrity/Authenticity

Modifications: Some Extent of Original Fabric: Much

Condition

Deteriorated.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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