Old Settlement, Margaret River

Statement of Significance

The Old Settlement is of significance: • As a development reflecting an increased community interest in history and heritage from the 1970s, particularly relating to Group Settlement. • For its historical and social association with community concern about the progressive loss of these places over time. The former Bramley Group School, Cowaramup Group House and associated outbuildings are of significance: • As representative examples of the Group Settlement schools, houses and outbuildings constructed during the period of the Group Settlement era (albeit not in their original location or context). The Pottery Workshop is of significance: • As a representative example of the use of alternative building materials, reflecting a wider trend in the area from the 1970s. • As a place associated with the increase movement towards a strong local arts and crafts community in Margaret River from the 1980s.

Physical Description

The Old Settlement is located on a gently sloping site along the southern bank of the Margaret River. It is generally open around the buildings with a scattering of mature native trees, and a dense backdrop of mature bush along the river. Bramley School (fmr) The old school is a large rectangular building with a corrugated iron gable roof. It has a small, partly enclosed, porch with a raked roof at the front, and flat metal sheet hearths and chimneys on either side, proving a fireplace to each of the two classrooms.The walls have a weatherboard skirt with flat sheet asbestos over. There are 6 x double, 6 paned, central pivot windows along each side.The style and detailing of the building is consistent with the new type of state government school designed in 1924 to provide group settlers with a multi-purpose school and public hall. Similar detailing is found at the extant Rosabrook School (Place # RB-02) Cowaramup Group House (fmr) The old house is constructed of weatherboard with a corrugated iron gable roof. It has a simple symmetrical façade with a high-waisted central door flanked by timber casement windows. In its present location it has been raised on tall stumps to accommodate the slope of the site and is accessed by central steps, necessitating a simple verandah balustrade with square balusters. There are two flat metal sheet hearths and chimneys along one side Group Settlement Outbuildings (former cream room, small shed, two long open fronted storage and machinery sheds, and toilet) These are very simple farm buildings constructed of a mixture of sawn timber and bush poles, with corrugated iron cladding. mWithin and around these buildings there is a collection of old farm equipment that has been set up as a general display rather than as an authentic interpretation of a Group Settlement farmyard. Pottery Building (fmr) The old Pottery Workshop has has a combination of mudbrick and weatherboard walls, with a shingled roof. A more detailed description of its construction is included in the historical notes below. In 2011/12 a new deck has been constructed overlooking the Margaret River in preparation for the reopening of the site.

History

Land on the banks of the river was donated to the Shire by Mr Arthur Rodgers in 1958 for community purposes.The Rotary Club approached the Shire in 1977 with an idea to use the land to create a group settlement village depicting the beginning of the dairy industry in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River in the 1920s. In 1978 the Historical Settlement Project Committee was set up with Councillor Mark Hohnen as Chairman, and included members from the Shire staff, Rotary Cub, Augusta Margaret River Tourist Bureau, Business and Professional Women’s Club, Historical Society and the Bramley Progress Association. The Shire, Tourist Bureau and Rotary Club donated $3500 each towards the project. Mr Mick Coffey arranged for a timber log donated by the Forestry Department to be placed across the river from Rotary Park as an entrance to the village, made safe for public use with safety rails. Rotarians advertised for donations to the Old Settlement and many offers were forthcoming. John and Margery Foster of Cowaramup donated a Group House, which was dismantled and transported from their farm by Ray Shepherdson. It was re-erected by father and son team, Joe and Laurie Bredsell. The Bredsells also relocated and re-erected the Bramley School to nearby Rotary Park, which was donated by the Bramely Progress Association [this was moved to the Old Settlement in 1991]. Also built for the Old Settlement between 1978 and 1982 were a cream room, small shed, two long open fronted storage and machinery sheds, and a toilet. Most came from farms in the area. Various items of machinery and carts were put in the sheds, and household items were collected for the Group House. When the Rotary Club felt they had taken the project as far as they could go, the Shire advertised for someone to finish the museum development. There were no initial takers, and the Shire approached Michael Paine, an eminent local blacksmith, to be a caretaker of the site. On 3 May 1985 Michael and wife Audrey signed a 21 year lease and they subsequently built a shop to sell local craftwork, a Blacksmith’s workshop, an old style lock up barn and a gate house on the bridge [The barn and shop have since been demolished]. The Paines got Shire approval to erect a stone house, built by Busselton builder Mr Duffy, and set up educational tours for school groups and tourists, relating the story of Group Settlement and the dairy industry. Ian Dowling, the proprietor of Margaret River Pottery, took out a sublease from the Paines and established the Pottery Building in 1985. The new workshop was built using mud bricks made on site from the fine orange-brown river clay. The bricks were made using a commercial brickworks machine adapted by Erland Happ of Qunidalup. Although each brick varies in size, they are roughly 275mm wide and 125mm high to give 150mm courses and walls up to 300mm thick. A weak lime mortar with additions of karri loam and iron ore dust for colour was used to bed the bricks. The top course was finished off with concrete to hold the top plates for the roof rafters. Jarrah rafters and battens cut at local mills and jarrah shingles were used in the workshop, as well as 4.5 metre, 300mm by 150mm jarrah beams originally cut as railway crossing sleepers at Wilga Mill. Jarrah sleepers from a Nannup mill were used to make the window frames and lintels. The construction took approximately 12 months. From 1986 the Old Pottery Workshop was used as a professional pottery shop with up to five employees at one time. Malcolm and Audrey Paine sold the Old Settlement lease to Chick and Lyn Wadley in 1988. The Wadleys relocated the former Bramley School from Rotary Park to the Old Settlement. They also purchased an old tin humpy in c1993 and re-erected it on site. In 1992, the Dowlings purchased land and built a new pottery gallery and studio on Bussell Highway in the main street of Margaret River. Their use of the workshop was scaled down but continued up until March 1995. Marlene and Michael Birmingham then leased the Old Pottery Workshop as a tea rooms. The Old Settlement lease expired in 2006, and management has since reverted to the Shire. In 2011 the Bramley school was relocated about 10-15m further east on the lot, thereby improving access to the site by making room for parking directly off the Bussell Highway. As at February 2012, the site is being upgraded by the Shire in preparation for reopening to the public.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium: The use has been altered, but the original use is still clearly evident through interpretation of the fabric. Medium: The place has had some alterations, but the original intent/character is still clearly evident. Note: The authenticity of the Group Settlement buildings has been diminished by their relocation and their new context as part of a ‘historic settlement’.

Condition

Fair *Assessed from streetscape survey only (Note: works in progress in 2012 to upgrade the buildings and site)

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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