Seaforth Park (fmr)

Statement of Significance

Seaforth Park (fmr) has historic value for its associations with early settler James Ross MacKenzie family who developed and cleared the landholding for agriculture in the early 20th century. The place has historic value for its association with the Salvation Army who have provided services at the site since 1921 and for their role in the development of educational and treatment programs for children in the first half of the 20th century. The place has historic value for its association with distinguished and lengthy service by Salvation Army members, Helen Jenkins and Harry Hunter. The place has aesthetic value as a complex of buildings in a predominantly natural setting. Seaforth Park (fmr) has social value for generations of people who served or resided at the place. The place contributes to the wider community's sense of place for its continual services since 1921.

Physical Description

Seaforth Park (fmr) consists of a complex of buildings including the original MacKenzie House, a further stone house, the chapel and an inter-war timber house set amongst a natural environment accessed from Albany Highway and across a small bridge over the Canning River. The grounds are semi landscaped with lawns and a small lake. MacKenzie House is a single storey granite stone and terracotta tiled property with extensive verandahs and faceted bays. The elevations are predominantly stone with red brick quoining around the window and door openings whilst the rectangular and faceted corner bays are the opposite with stone quoining and brick walls. Although the bays are different in their expression, they do create a sense of symmetry to the façade with the bays on the corner of the elevation, with further sash windows either side of the original entrance. The entrance has been blocked up which has a negative impact on the aesthetics of the place. The roof is hipped and clad with terracotta tiles. The roof above the bays reflects the faceted nature of their design. The main roof continues to form the verandah canopy which is supported on timber columns. The verandah is clad with the stone and has a paved deck with no balustrading. Concrete steps with dwarf piers lead to the former entrance and provides access to the remainder of the verandah. A stone, brick and tile wing extends to the east from the rear of the house, expressing many similar design features including hipped roof and red brick quoining around opening. The chapel is located to the east of MacKenzie House and the administration office, across a small lawned area. The chapel utilises the same building materials of stone and brick with the brick forming the quoining around the openings and to the corners of the building. A full height multi-paned window is the dominant feature of the south elevation with red stained glazing. Two former window openings have been bricked up in the façade. The chapel is in three sections with the front (southern) section being higher than the remainder of the body of the church and a small porch entry to the north elevation. The roof form over the entire church is gabled. Vented gables can be seen in the apexes of the roof. The roof is clad in green/grey Colorbond. The main entrance is on the north side of the church via brick porch and double timber and glass doors. Brick steps lead up to the entrance. A further brick and stone house is located to the south east of the chapel with a hipped corrugated iron roof, gabled features and a broken pitch verandah canopy. Additional accommodation was built by Dale Alcock c.2010 in a sympathetic style to the earlier structures. A c.1920s timber framed weatherboard clad house with perimeter verandahs and a hipped tiled roof is evident on the west side in proximity to MacKenzie House. There are more recent buildings to the south and north of MacKenzie House. There is a large dam to the northeast of MacKenzie House.

History

Seaforth Park (fmr) was established by James Ross MacKenzie who settled on 2000 acres in Gosnells in the early 1900s when the property stretched from Martin through to Ranford Road. MacKenzie named his estate 'Seaforth Park', the name of the ancestral family home in Seaforth, Scotland, established in 1623. MacKenzie was born in Victoria, moved to Queensland then to WA in search of pastoral land. Attracted to the WA goldfields in 1893, he became a successful mining entrepreneur. He developed a mixed farm on his land in Gosnells, married Dahlia Lohrmann in 1907 and they had two children. MacKenzie and his family were living on the site in 1912 and he built the substantial stone and tile residence in 1906. The grand scale of the home lead it to be known as 'MacKenzie's Mansion' by the locals. It has not been established if MacKenzie was responsible for the construction of the other masonry house on the site. MacKenzie was a director of Emu Brewery, a committee member of the WA Turf Club, and Vice President of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA. His community service included two years as Chairman of the Gosnells Road Board from 1913 to 1914. After his death in 1915 the family moved to the city. In March 1921 the eastern portion of Seaforth Park was sold to the Salvation Army on the proviso the name 'Seaforth' be retained. MacKenzie House became the Seaforth Boys' Home which housed orphans and intellectually disabled children, and which also had a reform section. During World War Two, under threat from bombing, the Nedlands Boys' Home residents were moved to Seaforth. The boys of Seaforth worked on the surrounding farm lands, successfully producing crops considered outstanding by the local agricultural society. The boys were trained as farmhands and were much in demand for employment on local farms. During the 1920s a large building program expanded facilities for the Home. It involved new accommodation units, a school house, workshops, a gymnasium and a library. It is during this period that the chapel and the timber cottage were constructed. In 1955, the Salvation Army closed the Boys' Home and it re-opened in 1961 for the rehabilitation of alcoholics. Salvation Army officer, Major Helen Jenkins had a long history of service with Seaforth Boys' Home and, after retiring in 1962, continued to live in Gosnells for many years. Since the mid 1980s it has operated as the Harry Hunter Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre, named after Harry Hunter, a Salvation Army Officer.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High degree Authenticity: Moderate to high degree

Condition

Fair-Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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