Local Government
Northam
Region
Avon Arc
Location
48 Thomas St Spencers Brook
Location Details
Other Name(s)
Spencers Brook Tavern
Construction Date
Constructed from 1884
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 21 Feb 2020 |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 22 Feb 2019 |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Description | ||||
| Statewide Hotel Survey | Completed | 01 Nov 1997 |
|
Heritage Council | |
| Register of the National Estate | Indicative Place |
|
Heritage Council | ||
| Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 06 Sep 1982 |
|
Heritage Council | |
| Register of the National Estate | Nominated | 18 Mar 1983 |
|
Heritage Council | |
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 2. Considerable significance |
2. Considerable significance |
||
Statement of Significance
The Spencer’s Brook Tavern has aesthetic and architectural significance, having features of the Victorian Georgian style of architecture. The place has historical significance owing to its association with Thomas Wilding and his proposed development scheme at Brookton in the 1880s. It has social significance as a meeting place for the people of the district for over a hundred years.
Physical Description
The Spencers Brook Tavern is situated on a quiet road in a rural setting, close to the river. It is a brick two-storey hotel with an iron roof. It has a verandah under separate roof, made of bull nosed corrugated iron. The upper storey of the verandah has crossed rail balustrading. The lower storey walls have been painted while the upper storey wall is plain brick. It would appear that work may be in progress to strip the paintwork. The patterned Flemish bond brickwork and the architectural style are similar to that used at Mokine Homestead, which was also built by Wilding.
History
The Brookton Hotel, as it was then known, was built by Thomas Wilding of Mokine, as part of an ambitious land development scheme of his, which depended on the Perth to Newcastle (Toodyay) rail line terminating at Brookton and bypassing Northam. This plan was strongly criticized by G Throssell and others in Northam. Wilding’s scheme did not materialize, and instead of becoming a bustling town, only a small settlement developed at Brookton. The Brookton Hotel was renamed the Spencer’s Brook Hotel in 1920.
References
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS Garden; "Northam: An Avon Valley History". | Northam Historical Society | ||
| "Newspaper Article". |