Slab Hut, Boyanup Farm

Statement of Significance

The place has significant associations witht the beginnings of settlement and subsequent development in the Boyanup area.

Physical Description

Slab hut with a corrugated iron gable roof and brick chimney.

History

The Leschenault Location 54 was the first allocated land in what was to become the Boyanup area. James Bissouet (Bessonet?) was a solicitor from Dublin, arriving on the 'Ganges' in 1841. Aslo arriving on the 'Ganges' was John Schoales, who was prominent int he Agricultural Sociey, and returning to the colony. Schoales gave Bessonet several letters if introduction and later transferred his grants of location 54 and 55 on the banks of th Preston river to Bessonet who took up the grant of 384 acres for 385 pounds on 13th May 1845. Bessonet named the farm Boyanup meaing place of quartz. The property also had a spring and natural billabong (which is still evident in 1997). In 1848, Bessonet returned to England after the death of his friend Schoalkes, and the Location 54 and 55 returned to the bush. On 14th April 1882, Robert Scott, a boarding houses keeper of Bunbury, who also had Location 662 at Gelrup, purchased the property for 50 pounds. In 1894, John Robert Whistler and wife Sarah, and sons John jr and Bert, leased Location 54 and from RJ Scott. They set up a mill on the river to produce timber for housing, railway sleepers and fruit packing cases. They Filled the case up with the grapes grown by John jr. They built a houses with jarrah from the mill called 'Riverside'. on c. 1906, William (Henry) Smith and his wife Emelia and ten children leased 'Riverside' from Whistler. Henry was a reputed horticulturalist, and produced an exotic range of table grapes, stone fruit and vegetables for export. he was one of the first to buy Jersey cows in the district. When Scott died on 29th May 1907, his widow Jane became the proprietor of hte remaining 273 acres after Scott had already transferred 103 acres of the Preston River to Charles Houlden Mangowen in 1893. On 15th May 1915, William Henry Smith jr purchased 221 acres from Jane Scott, at which time the slab hut was on the property. Smith and his wife Maggie and two daughters, Gladys and Ella, lived int he slab hut until 1925 when a new home was built some hundred of metres closer to the Boyanup townsite. The place has been vacant fromt hat time. It is now owned by the son of Gladys Reid (nee Smith), Clive.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Redeemable Authenticity: High Degree

Condition

Poor

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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