Picton Inn Hotel

Statement of Significance

Summary: Picton Inn has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
• The place is a picturesque building within the idyllic landscape of the Preston River meadows and a landmark within the significant Preston River riverine precinct.
• The place is a rare example of an uncommon timber and earth construction technique of great historical, scientific and technological interest.
• It is one of a short list of primary sites that has acquired the status of an icon of the settlement of Bunbury and its region, thus contributing to the community’s sense of place.
DETAILED STATEMENT
AESTHETIC VALUE The site is an expansive idyllic river meadow of the Preston River flood plain and the building stands within its setting as a major picturesque element. The sheltering form of cottage, verandah and skillioned and hipped ends, built from local natural materials is a creative achievement of some merit. The setting is within a scenic riverine precinct of meadows and regularly spaced historic homesteads of the lower Preston River and Picton Inn is one such homestead essential to perception of the existence of the precinct.
HISTORIC VALUE The site selection and building are important evidence of the Preston River settlement of the 1840s initiated by and following on the failure of the Western Australian Land Company’s settlement scheme of 1841-43 at Australind, and important evidence of the subsequent growth phase of Bunbury and its region. The site has close associations with several of the historic personages who played roles in the story of the Preston River settlement and Bunbury including Archdeacon Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston, Henry Sillifant, James Thompson Lawrence, Harriett Lawrence (nee Moore), and the families of State Premiers Sir Newton Moore and Sir James Mitchell. Picton Inn is a creative and technical achievement of considerable merit and great interest as a vernacular technique imported from Britain, possibly by John Moore from Kent.
SCIENTIFIC VALUE The timber framed, split slab lines, clay-daub faced construction of the house is of great technological interest apart from the historical information it conveys.
SOCIAL VALUE The precinct of which the building and site are essential and inter-related parts is a very important site for its presently recognised status as a regional geographical feature and scenic pathway and for its potential to be recognised as a regional cultural heritage and recreational precinct (for all cultural environments; built and culturally modified, natural and Indigenous), all of which have characteristics that have the propensity to engender community cohesiveness and sense of place.
RARITY The survival of such uncommon construction techniques is very limited and Picton Inn is a unique member of an endangered class of structures.
REPRESENTATIVENESS Picton Inn is representative of a characteristic class of structures in Australia; i.e. early settlement with improvised construction from locally found material, commonly by artisans adept in the vernacular crafts of their localities of origin.
CONDITION Picton Inn is in fair to poor condition. Much of the fabric has been dislodged or subject to weathering and decay, but nonetheless, it is in a stable and repairable state using the necessary degree of expertise. The current management is of a responsible curatorship and a professional conservation plan has been prepared, such that the place is currently in a holding position pending further conservation works.
INTEGRITY Picton Inn retains an exceptionally high degree of integrity for such a structure, albeit unused and unlikely (because of a degree of fragility of the mud fabric and lack of modern amenities) to sustain a revival of residential occupation. There is a substantial opportunity to restore and stabilise the place. The construction technique is such as to be relatively readily restored and reconstructed, subject to a detailed technical analysis and application of advanced but simple and effective technology, to the stabilizing of the structural frame and conservation of the materials. The timeframe for such conservation works is relatively urgent but not critically so.

Physical Description

Picton Inn is located on a site comprising 2.01 hectares set on the northern bank of the Preston River at Picton. In close proximity, a significant homestead built by Charles Henry Lewin c.1911 is situated to the north of Picton Inn, a building not been included in this Assessment. Picton Inn is bordered to the east by Kaeshagen Road, a ‘No Through’ road that concludes at the Preston River, and to the west of the place by open fields. Picton Inn consists of an early vernacular vertical slab construction with daub infill and corrugated iron roof built in c.1850 with kitchen addition c.1880.
FRAMING The structure is of roughly hewn timber uprights and horizontal members plugged with clay and rendered with lime plaster skim coating. The original section of the building is constructed of a primary framing consisting of approximately 125mm x 125mm split and adzed timber with an infill of timber slabs of irregular size in sections measuring between 100mm and 200mm in width by approximately 50mm to 75mm in thickness. The slabs have been split and roughly adzed into shape, and stand vertically with horizontal battens measuring approximately 50m x 50m fixed to the outside face of the slabs.
ROOF The roof framing consists of purlins tenoned into timber ceiling trusses and with sarking boards following the original roofline of the structure. Corrugated iron sheeting is currently used as a roofing material at Picton Inn and short sheets of iron fixed with galvanized clouts remain in situ over sections of the roof. On the west end of the building and incorporating the later addition of the kitchen, a section of the earlier corrugated iron roof has been replaced with corrugated galvanised iron. This newer section has iron in single lengths from ridge to eaves fixed down with Metalfast screws.8 The eastern end and the entire southern side of the building contains corrugated iron in short sheets that has been secured the length of the building with two rows of timber ties. No guttering or downpipes are in evidence at Picton Inn. The gabled roofline has a half hip at the eastern end and the chimney extends from within the house, passing through the ridge. It is evident that the ridge exhibits a marked drop that is due to a subsidence of the chimney structure as displayed in Room A and the eastern end of the gable. Penetrometer Readings9 (1990) reflect the patterns of movement in the soil. Some evidence remains to suggest that a verandah existed on the south side of the building. The existing wall plate used to support a verandah structure is evident, while earlier photos suggest the existence of skirting board along the bottom of the wall as is consistent with the verandah on the north side of the building. A Report by John Pidgeon (1990) on the Rotational Lean of the Building discusses the instability problems associated with the lean to the south of the building. His diagram of a cross section of the central chimney outlines how the rotation of the chimney has caused the ridge and the whole roof structure to move approximately 150cm sideways.
VERANDAH The verandah on the northern side of Picton Inn is covered in corrugated iron, which follows as an extension of the original broken roofline and is supported by nine verandah posts with another post situated flush against the kitchen wall. The verandah contains a simple jarrah skirting board approximately 15cm or 6” high. The verandah turns the corner on the western end and concludes in the area containing the later addition of the kitchen. The building’s original verandah posts are chamfered and remnant paint indicates that they were painted blue. However, several posts have been replaced possibly due to wood rot, and one of the replacements posts does not contain the chamfering detail. Construction methods used to secure the posts include mortice and tenon as an early means of securing timber without the use of nails. Other early construction methods include the use of the bird-mouth building application as displayed in the securing of the roofing timbers of the verandah construction. Ian Molyneux discusses the verandah at Picton Inn in his ‘Documentation of Places for Entry into the Register of Heritage Places’ when he states under the heading and in reference to Figure 5 that: Details of sawn-board-ceiled verandah and spliced verandah beam sitting on and matching the dimension of the arised posts, a common colonial era beam detail of c.1840-50.
Interestingly, the Molyneux notation with Figure 3 reads: ‘East half of North Verandah. It has been suggested by a Lawrence descendant that this low verandah obliged Aborigines lofting spears to come within rifle shot during attack.’
In addition to the existing verandahs on the northern and western sides of Picton Inn, strong physical evidence suggests that a verandah would have been in place on the southern side, existing possibly from the time of the original construction, and no longer extant. The date of the demolition of the verandah is uncertain. A photo, dated pre c.1919, when enlarged appears to show an extension of the roofline of Picton Inn in the southeast corner of the building, however due to coverage of creepers the definition of the area in the photo is not clear. Later photos exhibit the addition of a wide bargeboard following the roofline, which may have coincided with the demolition of the verandah, the addition of the weatherboards and the canopy over the eastern end of the building. Existing evidence remains including a remnant wall plate, which is located under the roofline, a feature generally used to support a verandah structure. A photo clearly displaying the wall plate and the existence of skirting board along the base of the wall (similar to that seen on the north verandah) reinforces the notion of a previous verandah in this area. The construction of a verandah on the south side of Picton Inn would have been considered an essential element in the original structure as a means of protecting the fragile lathe and daub walls from weathering. Clearly a lack of protection from the elements has contributed to the ongoing disintegration of the exposed clay walls. It is possible that remnant (and undetailed) verandah posts taken from the previous verandah may have been later used on the ‘front’ or northern verandah at Picton Inn to replace damaged posts. Several posts, which have previously been spliced, display evidence that the repairs were done using recycled timber and fragments contain paint residue consistent with the blue used in other areas of the building. The original verandah floorboards have been replaced with recycled jarrah and are lifting causing an uneven surface.
PARLOUR AND DINING ROOM The original dwelling consisted of a linear massing of rooms with two distinctive areas separated by a vertical slab wall and a central fireplace that serviced both areas and contained a common chimney. A doorway joining the two rooms and situated on the verandah side of the chimney has been infilled with vertical slabs and daub. Both rooms contain a doorway leading from the northern verandah, while the room to the east (Parlour) contains a doorway providing access to the south or riverside of the structure. The room on the west (Dining Room) of the central chimney contains what appears to have been a previous doorway, now containing a window set into the top section of the space with the lower portion having an infill of slab and daub. This may date from the period of an extant verandah on the south side of the building. The walls of the Dining Room and Parlour are approximately 245 cm or 8 feet high and contain remnants of Hessian lining with some areas displaying fragments of blue/green floral wallpaper with a distinctive tulip motif (Art Nouveau influences) and in some cases these spaces have been covered by newspaper sheets dated 1929. The remaining walls contain remnants of lime plaster skim coating and in several areas blue distemper features strongly on the walls, particularly in the Parlour. During the period of ownership of Picton Inn by CSBP and Farmers Limited, collar ties have been added to the Dining Room and Parlour in an effort to prevent deflections in the rafters and to stabilize the structure. As well, steel ties have been placed diagonally across the eastern end of the building inside the doorways to the under-crofts, in an effort to constrain further movement of the structure.
BEDROOMS 1 & 2 At the eastern end of the Parlour is situated a mezzanine landing with loft space. The area below contains two small rooms entered from the Parlour and the dividing walls are all constructed of split slabs with daub.
LOFT AREA The bottom rooms have extremely low ceiling space with the slab walls continuing into the upper areas but not extending to the roofline where a second layer of vertical slabs adds to the height of the wall and continues u to the roofline. Access to the rooms was by a ladder (no longer extant) from a ‘manhole’ in the room on the south side of Bedroom 1.
KITCHEN The Kitchen has been enclosed with weatherboards over stud framing with a simple window on the west side and containing a door of jarrah planks ledged, braced and unpainted situated to the north and leading onto the verandah. The ceiling is lined with butt-jointed planks. The floor consists of wide jarrah boards on bearers resting on a clay base. A previous doorway into Dining Room has been closed off, with the use of timber slabs and in keeping with the remaining wall materials. The external brick chimney is covered in fungus due to the inadequate flashing around the chimney at roof level.
FIREPLACES The Kitchen fireplace consists of an arched opening with iron lintel, simple timber fireplace surround and hearth with a rendered chimneybreast covering random/bond brickwork with two rows of headers exposed. A black cast iron pot retains some provenance to the place and remains in-situ, hanging from the fireplace on a chain. The Dining Room and Parlour contain the original brick chimneybreast, which is simple in design and constructed in a double-sided form in order to service both rooms. The fireplaces in the Parlour and Dining Room consist of soft red bricks set in generally stretcher bond (some random) with simple timber fireplace surrounds that differ slightly to each other and contain remnants of blue paint and timber hearths each made out of a single piece of jarrah. An arch shaped iron lintel supports the fireplace opening in the Parlour. Brickwork with remnants of lime-wash and a strong blue distemper remain exposed on the chimneybreast. Subsidence of the fireplace in the soft sand has caused the chimney to rotate, which in turn has caused the ridge and the whole roof structure to move sideways. This movement has brought about the sheering and crushing of the brickwork of the chimneybreast, which had been in contact with the moving roof structure.
INTERNAL FABRIC The internal fabric at Picton Inn is largely original, with plaster rendering now exposing the vertical slab constructional method. Detail of the unpainted internal wall technique is exposed within the area now containing the later addition of the Kitchen. Ian Boesma in ‘Construction Methods, Materials and Detailing of Vernacular Colonial Cottages in the Southwest’ discusses how: The finish of Morgan’s Inne [Picton Inn] was unusual, being plastered to the inside and on the outside very thickly, effectively hiding its slab cladding but leaving its vertical framing exposed flush with the render.
INTERNAL FINISHES Picton Inn displays some of the interior finishes as generally applied to vernacular buildings, both in order to restrict draughts and provide decorative relief for the occupants. First the walls were ‘pugged’ to fill the gaps between the vertical members and the inside walls were originally finished with a lime skim coat consisting of lime wash mixed with rock lime.16 Over this surface several kinds of finishes were used. Hessian remnants (possibly to keep out draughts) remain in evidence in several areas of the Parlour and newspaper has been applied and left exposed in poor condition on the walls. There are large remnant sections of distemper (Kalsomine) in a strong blue colour on the walls in all of the downstairs rooms. Wallpaper remnants remain in the Parlour, also blue in colour with a distinctive Art Nouveau influence and displaying tulips on the pattern. The Dining Room fireplace surround retains remnants of blue paint, while the chimneybreast is lime-washed exhibiting remnants of blue distemper and areas of exposed brickwork. In both the Dining Room and Parlour, the colour of the painted fireplace surrounds appear to match the remnant pattered wallpaper evidenced in the Parlour.
DOORS The remnant doors at Picton Inn are jarrah boards of ledge and brace construction. The door on the south of the building has been reconstructed following a similar design genre. A plain glass infill sits over this doorway, replacing what would have originally been timber slabs. This currently serves the purpose of sealing the entrance while allowing light into the room. The external jarrah door to the east and opening into the under-croft (Bedroom 1) has several missing planks, which appear to be lying where they have fallen onto the floor inside the room. The two internal doorways into the under-croft from Parlour currently contain remnants of iron door hinges but no extant doors. An opening in the loft flooring, situated in the corner of Bedroom 1, appears to have been the entrance area to the loft from inside the house, however no steps or ladder remain extant. The loft or mezzanine area has a clear glass infill, which may have been fitted during the 1990s (following Pidgeon’s recommendations) as a means of securing the place and protecting it from the elements. The Kitchen door is made up with the use of narrow boards, considerably thinner than exhibited in other doors on display at Picton Inn, as would be considered consistent with a later mode of door construction. Infilling has taken place between Parlour and Dining Room next to the fireplace as well a doorway between the Kitchen and the Dining Room has been closed off. These doorways have been enclosed with slabs, butt jointed and filled with clay daub on one side. The coating has been incised with a diamond pattern to make a key for the top coating of lime wash.
WINDOWS The original windows at Picton Inn may have been covered in calico in similar fashion to St Mark’s Church. At a later stage, small panes of glass were set into timber frames that operated with the use of a pivot mechanism. In early 1997, conservation work was undertaken at Picton Inn by CSBP in the interest of security, when new doors and window frames were introduced in some areas. The new doors were constructed with jarrah planks and ledged and braced as displayed in existing doors while multi-paned windows were set in jarrah frames and using the original pivot mechanism,18 in line with the existing frames. Window hardware containing a pivotal mechanism remains the general locking system for the windows. Few elements of the original door hardware remain intact. Power to the site is limited to the hardwired smoke alarms, with the power cables creating intrusive elements to the interior of the building. The source of the power is generated from a post situated in the lawn area (previously the tennis court) and approximately 6 metres east of the Kitchen. No water supply is connected to the structure.

History

Assessment 2008
Original Owner: James Thompson Lawrence
Construction c 1850
Alterations/Additions 1880
Architect/designer not known
Builder: James Lawrence, John Moore
Original Use: house/Inn

In 1829 Europeans first explored Bunbury and land was taken up for agricultural purposes in the district. On 21 December 1836, a township was formed at the entrance of Port Leschenault and named Bunbury. The townsite was officially proclaimed in 1841. Land was purchased in 1839/1840 by the Western Australian Company to facilitate an ‘independent land development scheme for English migrants’ , while the site of Picton Inn originally formed part of Leschenault Location 39 , which was granted to Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston subsequent to his arrival in the colony in 1841. By 1843, the Australind settlement had begun to flounder and migrants left in search of a better life moving on to such places as Perth, Pinjarra, the Vasse, Bunbury and the Preston River at Picton.
In 1850 Wollaston disposed of Location 39 to Henry Sillifant, who later sold portion of the property to James Thompson Lawrence. In his journal, Wollaston records that ‘Part of the land on the other side of the river sold to Lawrence, who has built a house near the ford.’ This ‘house’ later known as Picton Inn was the residence of James Thompson Lawrence and his family. The split slab and daub building is said to have originally comprised two small bedrooms, a parlour, a dining room, and a kitchen with a lean-to and outside brick oven. The loft was added at the time of the birth of Mary Lawrence in 1852.
Lawrence opened an inn at the property during the period 1850-1860, as a result of its location at Picton Ford, the main crossing point at the Preston River that accessed travelling routes to Bunbury and to other settlements in the district. A second building (later demolished) appears to have been constructed at this time to provide additional accommodation for the travellers. A wine and beer licence was granted to J.T. Lawrence of Picton in 1881 and a second licence in 1885. In the same year the Picton Inn property was sold to Alfred Lawrence and in 1895, a new liquor licence was granted to Charles Morgan at Picton Inn. The early settlement at Preston River was resited on Picton Junction following the completion of the Bunbury and Perth railway lines in 1893. This together with the erection of a new river bridge saw the loss of business at Picton Inn and its eventual replacement by the Picton Junction Hotel.
The property was transferred to Charles Henry Lewin in 1904 and later to The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Limited (later to be known as CSBP and Farmers Ltd and then Wesfarmers CSBP). In 2002, CSBP sold Picton Inn and River(s)dale to Colin and Anne Piacentini. In January 2008, Picton Inn is vacant.

HISTORY
Europeans first explored the area now known as Bunbury, for the purpose of establishing the Swan River Colony in 1829. The favourable agricultural aspect of the district resulted in the taking up of land grants in the vicinity by such persons as Governor James Stirling (1000,000 acres) and Richard Wells as agent for Colonel Latour (103,000 acres). On 21 December 1836, a township was formed at the entrance of Port Leschenault and named Bunbury in honour of Lieut. Henry St Pierre Bunbury, of the HMS Beagle. The townsite was officially proclaimed in 1841.
In the period to follow, the development of the district was dominated by the Australind settlement venture. In 1839/1840, Latour’s entire estate and over half of Stirling’s grant were purchased by the Western Australian Company to facilitate an ‘independent land development scheme for English migrants’. A prospectus for the scheme was prepared and it was advertised widely in England taking the name ‘Austral-Ind’, in the hopes of attracting investors and colonists from India.
The first of the Australind colonists arrived in Western Australia aboard the Parkfield in March 1841, among those were Marshall Waller Clifton and his family. Clifton had been appointed the Chief Commissioner of the Company and was to supervise the establishment of the Australind settlement. The first group was followed by the arrival of a second via the Diadem in April 1842, a third by the Trusty in December 1842 and another (and the last) again by the Trusty in May 1844.24 The colonists comprised the ‘settlers’; those land investors who had purchased 100 acre blocks in the settlement, and the ‘labourers’; many of whom were dependant upon the settlers for their living. Both groups immigrated with families in tow.

The Australind settlement began to flounder and by January 1843, the numbers of people leaving Australind to find better lives were growing and by this time 76 out of a total of 441 arrivals had already left. Those who arrived as part of the venture and then left following its failure moved on to places such as Perth and Pinjarra. A number also stayed in the area, travelling south to establish themselves in the Vasse, Bunbury and on the Preston River at Picton.
OWNERSHIP OF LESCHENAULT (Also Wellington) Location 39 The land on which Picton Inn is located formed part of Leschenault (also known as Wellington) Location 39, which was granted to Reverend Wollaston subsequent to his arrival in the colony in 1841. Wollaston disposed of Location 39 to Henry Sillifant, Government Resident in Bunbury, in 1850. On 18 November that same year, Sillifant sold portion of the property to James Blythe of Australind. The description of this transaction refers to Blythe’s holdings being bounded by Location 39, which had earlier been sold to James Thompson Lawrence. It is on Lawrence’s land that Picton Inn was built. Although the deed of the 1850 transaction has yet to be found, Lawrence’s ownership of the property is confirmed in Memorials dated 12 August 1863 and 27 November 1868.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HOUSE (Picton Inn) at Location 39 The first record of the existence of the building now known as Picton Inn appears in Reverend Wollaston’s journal dated 21 March 1851, where he notes: Part of the land [formerly owned by Wollaston and then Sillifant] on the other side of the river sold to Lawrence, who has built a house near the ford;, indicating that the place was used in the first instance as a residence for Lawrence and his family. Born in 1810, James Thompson Lawrence arrived in Western Australia aboard the Atwick on 26 April 1831. By the early 1840s, Lawrence resided in the Bunbury district and, on 8 December 1843, he married Harriet Moore with Reverend Wollaston officiating at St Mark’s Anglican church in Picton. Harriet Moore had arrived with her parents per the Diadem in April 1842 as part of the Australind settlement venture. In 1850, Lawrence took ownership of portion of Location 39 from Henry Sillifant and by March 1851 had completed a ‘house’ on the property, now referred to as Picton Inn.

James and Harriet Lawrence had 12 children, three of whom were born prior to the purchase of the land at Location 39. The other children; two of whom died in infancy, are believed to have been born at Picton Inn. In his 1990 Conservation Plan for the place, John Pidgeon suggested that the loft at Picton Inn was constructed in time for the birth of Mary Lawrence in 1852.33 Despite not originally functioning as an inn, Lawrence’s c.1851 residence was built in a strategic location on a sloping site above the Picton Ford. The ford provided the main crossing point at the Preston River until it was replaced by a bridge and linked to travelling routes to Bunbury and to other settlements in the Vasse and Warren districts. It is said that during these early years Lawrence was approached by travellers using the ford, including timber workers from the local mill owned by the Forrest family, who requested meals and a place to rest. This led them to establish the inn and a second building was erected to provide additional accommodation for the travellers.
These quarters were later demolished to make way for Charles Lewin’s residence, River(s)dale. Lawrence was a tanner and shoemaker by trade and subsequently added carrier and mariner to his skills, which would have stood him in good stead at Picton Ford with passing travellers providing him with valuable business.
On 24 May 1881, the Government Gazette stated that a wine and beer licence had been granted to J.T. Lawrence of Picton. This was the first record of a licence yet found in relation to Picton Inn. A second wine and beer licence was awarded to Lawrence in March 1885. It was likely to be at this time that another building was added to the site. In November 1885 the property was sold to Lawrence’s son Alfred Lawrence, who was a clerk in the Perth telegraph office. James Lawrence died on 21 February 1890 and his wife, Harriet, died on 30 July 1913. Both are buried at St Marks Anglican Church in Picton. The Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians states that John Morgan was the licensee of Picton Inn from 1852 to 1856. However, John Pidgeon’s 1990 research shows that during this time Morgan’s licence was held at Bunbury, not Picton.43 Further to this, neither John Morgan, nor anyone by the name of Morgan, was recorded as the owner on the Memorials and Certificates of Title for Picton Inn.

It was in the 1890s that State Government funded development of the Bunbury area to facilitate growth of the region resulted in new infrastructure such as the railway and better bridges.45 This impacted on the business of Picton Inn as the new communication routes saw the centralisation of business to Picton Junction; so named because of its location at the junction of the Bunbury and Perth railway lines in 1893. A new hotel was erected at the Junction and from 1900 the names of people granted liquor licences in the town are those associated with the Picton Junction Hotel (later Picton Tavern).

On 19 February 1904, the entire property was transferred into the ownership of Charles Henry Lewin of Bunbury. Lewin was a butcher by trade and, although his central business was situated in Bunbury proper, he leased and purchased a number of properties in close proximity to the town on which he could graze his stock. It was for this purpose that Picton Inn as well as several lots adjoining this land; one of which later became the site for Lewin’s new family residence. Charles Lewin married Blanche Howard in 1903. The young Lewin family lived at Picton Inn and Rosalind Blanche Lewin stated that she was born at the place on 4 July 1907. The existing buildings on the property were not suited for the growing family and soon a new home was built for them immediately to the [north] east of Picton Inn. River(s)dale was the large residence constructed for the Lewin’s in c.1911 and is believed to be the work of prominent southwest architect Eustace Cohen.

Charles Lewin died on 10 October 1925 and, on 22 March 1926, probate of his will was granted to his widow Blanche Lewin of Bunbury and storekeeper John Monkhouse of Bunbury. On 19 August 1926, The Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Limited were registered as the proprietors of Picton Inn.
The Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company Limited was established at Rocky Bay in North Fremantle in 1909.52 It was during this period that the Western Australian wheat industry was subject of much development, This was partly due to the introduction of fertilizers and trace elements, which opened more land for production, increased wheat yields and in turn led to the growth of a superphosphate industry. Another company founded to take advantage of agricultural growth was the Cumming Smith and Co. Pty Ltd in Bassendean also in 1909. In 1927 both companies were reorganised to form the Cumming Smith and Mount Lyell Farmers Fertilisers Ltd. Concurrent to this and into the 1930s, the firm developed a partnership with Westralian Farmers Ltd that saw farmers from around the state acquire shares in Cumming Smith and Mount Lyell Farmers Fertilisers Ltd as a means of ensuring that their interests and needs were met. The amalgamation of the businesses is reflected on the Certificate of Title for the place. On 17 April 1928, Mount Lyell Farmers Fertilisers Limited was listed as the owners, followed by Cumming Smith and Mount Lyell Farmers Fertilizers Limited in November 1929. It became known as CSBP and Farmers Limited and more recently as Wesfarmers CSBP. (Note: For ease of reference, the name CSBP will be used for the remainder of the document.)

Charles Lewin’s River(s)dale became the residence of the manager of the Bunbury works and Picton Inn formed part of the grounds of the property. From as early as the 1930s/1940s there was a commitment by the various managers of the Bunbury operations of CSBP to maintain Picton Inn to a point to which the building was stabilised and deterioration stopped. Although vacant from this time on, it was retained for historical interest and made available by appointment for public viewing.

In 1964, the Preston River flooded and the waters reportedly came within a short distance from the western side of Picton Inn. It appears possible that such flooding and ongoing damp and drainage problems may be the cause of the subsidence of the building and the weathering of the western section. Flooding caused the bridge to collapse and a new bridge was constructed soon after however situated several hundred metres to the south/east of the original fording bridge. On 5 October 1970 Picton Inn was classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA).
Picton Inn was entered into the Federal Government’s Register of the National Estate on 21 March 1978. In the early 1980s, the cultural heritage significance of Picton Inn was again recognised when it was protected through its inclusion in the City of Bunbury Town Planning Scheme. In 1989, a dialogue was entered into between the National Trust (WA) and the Manager of CSBP at Picton regarding the future of Picton Inn. It was as a result of this that architect John Pidgeon was appointed to prepare a conservation management plan for the building.

In this, Pidgeon recommended that the building be ‘preserved’ as opposed to ‘restored’ so that building layers then revealed via its dilapidated appearance would remain visible to visitors. Picton Inn was adopted as part of the City of Bunbury’s first Municipal Inventory in July 1996 and has remained included in the Inventory in subsequent reviews. Under this programme, it is afforded the highest level of protection. On 5 November 1996, Picton Inn was entered into the Heritage Council of Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places with interim status and on 11 March 1997 was permanently entered into the Heritage Council of Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places.

In early 1997, conservation work was undertaken at Picton Inn by CSBP. The company: ….restored the outside of the building by replacing the mud render with matching material dug from site and lime wash mixed from rock lime. The verandah flooring was replaced with recycled Jarrah and steel ties introduced to stop further rotation of the structure. New doors and window frames were introduced, using the original pivot mechanism, in the interest of security. In 2002, CSBP sold Picton Inn and River(s)dale and on 14 September 2002, Colin and Anne Piacentini were registered as proprietors of Picton Inn. Since this time, the owners have undertaken extensive works to the property, which have incorporated restoration and additions to River(s)dale, landscaping to the grounds including gardens in close proximity to Picton Inn, the installation of drainage at ground level to the inn, and general repairs and maintenance such as the installation of a hot wired smoke alarm.

In 2006 a Conservation Plan was undertaken by Kent Lyon architect, to support a HCWA grant for the owners, and a major conservation works programme aimed in part in stabilizing Picton Inn. Civil and Structural Engineers, Bunbury prepared a Structural Assessment for Picton Inn in 2006, and following on from this report and including the policy recommendations from the Conservation Plan for Picton Inn 2006, work began in stabilizing the building in 2007 and continues in 2008.

Integrity/Authenticity

This assessment includes the place known as Picton Inn, a vernacular construction of vertical slabs with daub
and corrugated iron roof, dating from c.1850 and extended in c.1880.
Included also is the area immediately surrounding Picton Inn and consisting of a site sloping marginally from
the northern end of the block with the gradient progressing gradually down to the post and wire fence on the
south side of the building and close to the banks of the Preston River.
Situated to the north of Picton Inn is River(s)dale c.1911, a substantial homestead currently occupied by the
owners of both of these buildings. Picton Inn is surrounded on the west by open paddocks containing two large
water tanks and bordered on the east side by Kaeshagen Road, a ‘No Through’ road that leads from Vittoria
Road and concludes at the Preston River.

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.