Bell Cottage (ruin), Rockingham

Statement of Significance

The following statement is drawn from the State Registry Entry for Place 2329 prepared in 2001. Bell Cottage (ruin), a ruined Victorian Georgian cottage with limestone masonry walls and remnants of a shingle clad roof covered by corrugated iron, together with three peppercorn trees and the ruins of a limestone masonry barn, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • the place is one of the earliest land grants in the Rockingham region, and the cottage and barn on the property are among the region's oldest built structures; • the Victorian Georgian elegance of the cottage and its simple vernacular construction have considerable visual appeal, and together with the barn ruin and old peppercorn trees present an aesthetically pleasing composition. The building fabric has acquired, through many years weathering, a textual and tonal quality that harmonises with the surrounding environment; • the place is important for its close association with the James Bell family who were pioneers of the district, and specifically Jane Bell (nee Green) who arrived in Western Australia as an orphan sponsored by the Children's Friend Society [sic] and who, after suffering abuse in the hands of her custodian, came to the public eye in a legal case for the murder of her child; • the place is part of the documented life of James and Jane Bell which, involving an advancement from humble beginnings to a situation of land ownership, business success and respectability; • the cottage in particular is highly valued by long term residents of Rockingham because it is a tangible reference to the district's history, residents having fought for its preservation for approximately thirty years; • the authenticity of the cottage and its visual qualities makes it one of the more evocative and memorable ruins in the near vicinity of Perth, and a landmark along Mandurah Road; • the place has considerable archaeological potential which may provide information relating to domestic life during the early period of this state's settlement. Relatively few sites of this nature have been investigated; and, • the place is an important component of a clearly definable precinct containing cultural and natural heritage sites.

Physical Description

Bell Cottage comprises a ruined colonial vernacular cottage with limestone masonry walls and remnants of corrugated iron and shingle clad roofing and the ruins of another structure some distance from the cottage which are believed to have been a limestone masonry barn. The building is fenced and inaccessible to the public and obscured from view by large trees.

History

In 1854/55, James Bell (c1821-1911) a former ships carpenter and boat builder bought 20 acres of land from Henry Mead in Location 64, one of seven surveyed blocks that had been acquired by the latter. The land was timbered, with some swamp land towards the rear of the block, and adjacent to the Mead farm. In 1855, the Bell family including Jane Bell, nee Green (1823-1909) and their 4 children moved to East Rockingham from Mandurah where they had farmed since 1847. A hut was erected close to the swamp, with vegetables and fruit trees planted in the fertile soils. The site of the hut was, however, damp and cold in winter and, with four additional children, the hut proved too small for the family of ten. During the late 1860s, James Bell began the construction of Bell Cottage, also known as 'Woodbine' a larger and more substantial dwelling, built of stone and roofed with jarrah shingles. The vuggy lacustrine limestone used in the cottage is consistent with many of the buildings in the vicinity as the stone is a regional phenomenon. A limestone quarry located near Chesterfield Road may have been the origin or the stone may have been sourced closer to the cottage. Sometime after the construction of the cottage, a large stone barn was built to store hay. In 1911, after the deaths of Jane and James Bell, the property was transferred to James’ son, John. John Bell died in 1936 and the property was transferred to Joseph Stokes, who let the cottage to tenants. With the development of the Kwinana industrial area from the early 1950s, the State Government began resuming land in the area for a proposed rail line and marshalling yards. Although the marshalling yards were not built, the condition of the cottage steadily deteriorated. In 1996, Westrail sold the property to a private owner who has subdivided portion of the land and fenced the former cottage and structures. The structures have continued to deteriorate since that time. The cottage has been indefinitely included on the State Register of Heritage Places on an interim basis.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low Authenticity: Moderate

Condition

Very Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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