Ellen's Brook Bridge

Author

City of Swan

Place Number

04115

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Location

West Swan Rd Belhus

Location Details

Municipal Inventory No: 638. The bridge stands on the site of a ford near Cruse's Mill (Henry Bull's Cottage/Belhus Estate P2536). The MI states it is Lot 30, 12571 West Swan Road, Ellenbrook.

Other Name(s)

Cruse's Mill, Belhus Estate
MRWA 915

Local Government

Swan

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1896, Constructed from 1988

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment	Current	14 May 2021

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Statewide Lge Timber Str Survey	Completed	11 Dec 1998			Heritage Council
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	29 Jul 1998	Significant	Significant Conservation of the place is desirable. Any alterations or extensions should be sympathetic to the heritage values of the place and original fabric whould be retained wherever possible.
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	30 Aug 2017	Category 3	Category 3 Some/Moderate Significance to the locality. Contributes to the heritage of the locality. Has some altered or modified elements, not necessarily detracting from the overall significance of the place.

Statement of Significance

Significant as the location of a place used to cross Ellen's Brook since the earliest years of the Colony.

Physical Description

The bridge is of timber, having been rebuilt in 1988, from the previous construction of 1850-51, as a footbridge, narrower than the original. The previous width of the bridge can be seen by the position of the piles and half caps supporting the present deck. The deck is constructed of jarrah railway sleepers.

History

The site where this bridge stands was used as a ford to cross Ellen's Brook from the earliest years of the colony. (Further downstream the valley sides were too steep to allow carts and other vehicles to pass easily.) A public road was surveyed on the west side of the Swan Valley in the early 1840s and led to this point near Cruse's Mill. However, no bridge was built across Ellen's Brook until 1850-51, when convict labour was made available for public works. At the time the bridge was built, a new road was surveyed and cleared between this point and the northern side of the new Upper Swan Bridge. This road remained a public highway for many years after the West Swan Road was re-routed, and part of it is still a public road (called Cruse Belhus Road).

Integrity/Authenticity

Low

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	Transport\Communications	Road: Bridge
Original Use	Transport\Communications	Road: Bridge

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Other	TIMBER	Other Timber

Historic Themes

General	Specific
OCCUPATIONS	Manufacturing & processing
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY	Settlements

Creation Date

02 Aug 1995

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

30 Oct 2017

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.