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Brooklands

Author

Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup

Place Number

00705
There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

113 Airstrip Rd Balingup

Location Details

Other Name(s)

Brooklands Homestead
Padbury's Brook

Local Government

Donnybrook-Balingup

Region

South West

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
State Register Registered 02 Sep 1997 Register Entry
Assessment Documentation
Heritage Council

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Municipal Inventory Adopted 27 Nov 2013 Category 1

Category 1

Highest level of protection appropriate: recommend for entry in the State Register; Council will provide maximum encouragement to the owner to conserve the significance of the place.

Register of the National Estate Permanent 28 Sep 1982

Heritage Council
Classified by the National Trust Classified {HBS} 05 Nov 1979

Heritage Council

Statement of Significance

Brooklands is a good and substantial example of a Victorian Regency homestead house with spacious wrap around verandahs and turned verandah posts. Historically, it is one of the first properties taken up in the district and illustrates the operation and extent of the early pastoral leases in the area. It is also important for its association with the first owner of the land, Walter Padbury and his brother, Edwin, who first developed the property, and subsequent owners William Spencer and Charles Brockman, for whom the house was constructed.

Physical Description

Brooklands is a substantial single-storey, brick and corrugated iron farmhouse in the Victorian Regency style (although constructed in the Federation period). It is set on sloping land in the Blackwood Valley with cleared land in front and forest behind. The front facade is symmetrical with a central timber front door with side lights and highlights and two pairs of French doors on either side. The roof is a moderately pitched hip and a deep verandah surrounds the house.

History

In the early 1860s, Walter Padbury purchased some freehold land and leased a larger area for pastoral purposes in the Balingup district. His brother, Edwin (b. 1811) undertook the initial development of the property known at this period as Padbury’s Brook, including erection of a six room homestead and a workers’ house (both brick construction), a barn, stables and stockyards etc.. In January 1876, Edwin died. In April, William Spencer (b. 1825) purchased the property for £4,000, took up residence, and named it ‘Brooklands’. In late 1881 - early 1882, it was offered for sale or lease, and George Dowden purchased it. In 1886, ‘Brooklands Estate’, which comprised 1961 acres freehold and 18,280 acres leasehold land at this date, was sold to well known pastoralist Charles Samuel Brockman (b. Guildford, 1845, d. 1923), who married Dowden’s eldest daughter, Jane, in that year. Fred Lukis came to manage the pastoral property for Brockman. In 1898, the townsite of Balingup was taken out of the ‘Brooklands Estate’.
In c. 1901, the Brockman family moved to ‘Brooklands’ and took up residence in the house there. In 1904, a fine new homestead, constructed of bricks baked on the property, was built by a man named O’Brien for an agreed sum of £800 ($1,600), with a bonus of £100 ($200) to be paid if completed by Christmas, which he achieved. The house comprised five bedrooms, a large lounge, large dining room, hallway, kitchen, pantry, laundry, bathroom, workroom etc., with wide verandahs on all sides. The Brockmans took up residence in the new house, and his employees, the Delaportes, moved into the original homestead (fate unknown).
Brockman had three workman's cottages built near the road for his employees.
In 1911, Brockman retired to ‘Sandridge’ (near Bunbury) and sold ‘Brooklands’ to Wedge and Lowe, who later sold it to Lee Allnutt. Post-World War I, the Government acquired Brooklands Estate for soldier settlement and sub-divided it into blocks about 130 acres (54 h.a.) in area, which proved too small to be viable. V. P. Widdup, purchased the homestead block, and took up residence in the homestead. Later he increased his holding to 317 acres (132 h.a.), which was leased to Dick Cause for a period before Widdup sold ‘Brooklands’ to the Universal Brotherhood in 1975. The Universal Brotherhood established their commune on the property, using the homestead as the administration block, and erected some other buildings at the place.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No Ref Name Ref Source Ref Date
West Australian 27 Dec. 1881, 10 Jan. 1882, 5 Nov. 1885 Frost, A. C. Baylya-Balinga: A History of Balingu
Western Australian Times 18 April 1876
Harris & Besley; "Western Australia; The Garden of the Colony, Bunbury, Busselton, Bridgetown" 1895
Article by Gloria Widdup
Inquirer 1, 8, 15 & 22 March 1876
Battye, J. S. Cyclopedia of Western Australia Cyclopedia Company, Perth, 1912-13, Facsimile Edition Hesperian Press, Victoria Park, Western Australia, 1985, Vol.2, pp. 216-217. 1985
A.C. Frost; " Bayla Balinga" . 1979

Other Reference Numbers

Ref Number Description
19 Municipal Inventory

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use RESIDENTIAL Single storey residence
Other Use COMMERCIAL Office or Administration Bldg
Original Use FARMING\PASTORAL Homestead

Architectural Styles

Style
Victorian Regency

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron
Wall BRICK Common Brick

Historic Themes

General Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Religion
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Exploration & surveying
PEOPLE Early settlers
OCCUPATIONS Grazing, pastoralism & dairying
DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY Settlements

Creation Date

30 May 1989

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

20 Nov 2020

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.