Westbrook Homestead

Statement of Significance

AESTHETIC VALUE Westbrook is a simple cottage with pleasing lines that are symmetrical through the roof line and the chimneys located at either end of the hipped roof. The balanced proportions of the building lend it a simple elegance that is enhanced by its sylvan setting. HISTORIC ALUE Westbrook is associated with the historical development of Busselton, particularly the period of consolidation when the community had survived the initial struggle of establishing farms iin an unknown land and repelling hostile natives who resented their presence. At the time of Dawsons purchase of Westbrook, the community had weathered hard times and was expanding outwards, permitting the settlers to move away from the confines of the initial settlement. Westbrook is closely associated with Elijah Dawson who was one of the first settlers in the Busselton area. Dawson was a valuable assistant not only to Captain Molloy, but also to the Bussell family. He assisted both families in the establishment of their properties at the Vasse, before establishing his own farms at Wonnerup and then Westbrook, He was an important figure ein the local community, holding the post of Constable for over ten years. SCIENTIFIC VALUE Westbrook has the potential to yield valuable archaeological evidence. This evidence cooud be found beneath the floorboards of the building itself, around the immediate vicinity of the building and beyond. The site has the potential to yield information about the lifeways of the occupants as well as past farming practices. SOCIAL ALUE Westbrook contributes to the Busselton community’s sense of place as it is an important component of the area’s historical development. The place embodies the past endeavours of early settlers in overcoming hardships and consolidating their properties, thus enabling the community to move forward into economic prosperity. This feeling is enhanced by the place’s association with Elijah Dawson who is considered to be an important early settler. RARITY The degree to which Westbrook has retained its high level of integrity and authenticity is unusual in a building of this age. Very few buildings of this vintage have survived in the Busselton district with this level of integrity and authenticity. Timber kitchens were located away from the main house as they so often had a tendency to burn down. The survival of the wooden kitchen is also unusual. REPRESENTATIVENESS The building is representative of the dwellings erected by the early settlers in the Busselton district. These buildings were unpretentious and designed to be functional. CONDITION In 1998, the building is in excellent condition considering its age and has obviously been well cared for. There is evidence of cracking to the corridor wall at the southern end on the western side, close to the ceiling. Some cracks are also visible in room 3. All of the cracks appeared following the Meckering earthquake (1968) and no further movement has occurred since. The walls of room 3 have a high salt content due, it is thought, to the storage of salt sacks against the outside wall of this room. INTEGRITY The original plan of the building has been retained with only minimal changes. Considering the long history of the building it is unusual that the verandah has been retained to nearly its original extent with only the western side becoming enclosed. The enclosure of the western verandah has given the building additional space but has not compromised the rest of the building. This enclosure and the glass enclosure at the rear could easily be removed at a later date if desired. The building was originally designed to be used as a farm residence and it continues to be used for this purpose. Westbrook has retained a high degree of integrity. The detached kitchen has retained its original plan, although at present it is not being used. It is considered to have a high degree of integrity. AUTHENTICITY The building has retained much of the original floor plan, interior wall and ceiling fabric and original fittings. Some of the window panes may also be original. The replacement of the verandah posts and floor and the new roof cladding in no way detracts from the authenticity of the place as they represent the ongoing care that has been nestowed on the building. The enclosure of the western verandah and a portion of the rear verandah represent the continuing gentle development of the place and the changing needs of its occupants. Westbrook has retained a high degree of authenticity. The interior of the slab kitchen has been re-clad with gyprock sheets and a new zincalum shed has been attached to the southern side. These alterations are not however considered to be major and therefore the kitchen is thought to have a high degree of authenticity.

Physical Description

Westbrook is a simple Victorian Georgian building, constructed of soft-fired bricks, aid using English bond with a verandah to all four sides. The hip roof is covered with terracotta Marseilles tiles. The building is surrounded by open farmland which is used for sheep grazing. North of the house are a number of old fruit trees, whilst at the rear of the house is a very old fig tree. South and East of the house are more recent farm buildings, At the rear of the house (south) is an old slab kitchen with a shed attached to the southern side. The exterior of the building features soft brick walls on an ironstone foundation. The wide verandah roof is supported on timber posts and has a timber floor. During the 1950s the Taylors replaced the corrugated galvanized iron cladding with terracotta tiles. Prior to the iron cladding, the roof was probably covered with shingles. A scalloped timber valance below the line of the main roof probably belongs to the period when the roof was covered with shingles. The timber posts and the verandah floor were also repaired and replaced when the roof was recovered. Under floor ventilation was also installed at this time. Two brick chimneys are located at either end of the roof. The front of the house faces north and the main door is flanked by two windows on the western side and one window on the eastern side. The four panel front door has a fanlight of coloured glass and the original rim lock is still in situ. Evidence of the skills of a master builder can be seen in the brick arches above the window and door openings. The western verandah area has been enclosed with asbestos cement sheets to form three rooms and an extension at the rear contains a toilet and bathroom. These alterations are thought to have been carried out in the 1940s. However the toilet area was modified in the 1960s when the Feutrills occupied the house. The internal plan features a central passage with rooms opening onto it. The windows are double hung sashes with 6 panes. The timber frame is held together with pegs. Original features include window furniture, mantle pieces to the fireplaces in the front room, skirting boards, internal doors with rim locks. The western portion of the rear verandah area has been enclosed with glass partitions and a kitchen extends beyond the line of the rear verandah. Access to the kitchen from the main house is via a pair of French doors from room 4. The kitchen was added during the 1960s and this room, together with the bathroom and toilet has been recently modernised. The original detached kitchen is located close to the rear wall of the new kitchen. It is constructed from vertical timber slabs. The gable roof is covered with corrugated Galvanised iron. The interior is divided into two rooms: the larger eastern room was apparently the kitchen area and has a large open fireplace constructed from brick. Access to the smaller eastern room is via a low door set on the south side of the wall. The interior walls ae lined with gyprock. Sharing a portion of the kitchen’s southern wall is a new zincalum shed.

History

Assessment 1998 Constructed: 1863 - 1866 and c.1850s Builder: not known, possibly Christopher Weetman Westbrook was possibly constructed by Christopher Weetman for the Dawson family between 1863 and 1866. It is a single storey brick and tile building with verandahs to all four sides. An old slab kitchen (construction date not know) is located at the rear of the house. Busselton was first settled by the Bussell family in 1834. The Bussells originally settled at Augusta, later moving to the Vasse when they discovered that this area had better farmland. By 1839, the majority of the Augustan settlers had moved away, many of them settling at the Vasse. The settlement came to be referred to as Busselton and the town was declared in 1839. The settlers initially had problems with hostile aboriginals, restricting settlement around a central area occupied by the Bussells. The settlers soon discovered that they could carry out an active trade with American whaling ships. In return for fresh produce, the whaling ships provided commodities unavailable to the settlers. By the 1850s, the settlement had grown, attracting tradesman and a local whaling station was established near Dunsborough (Castle Rock). As the settlement grew, the aboriginal population began to decline and hostilities decreased, permitting settlers to move further away from the initial settlement. Elijah Dawson arrived in the Swan River colony in 1830 aboard the Warrior. Dawson has served with Capain John Molloy as a corporal during the Battle of Waterloo. When Molloy decided to emigrate, Dawson elected to follow him and signed on as n indentured servant for five years. Prior to leaving England he married Ann Wakeham. The Dawsons settled in Augusta with the Molloys and were considered to be trustworthy servants; Ann helped Giogiana with her household chores. In return for their loyalty, they were allocated a lot in Augusta and were given permission to use 14 acres on Molloy’s allotment. When the Bussells moved to the Vasse in 1834, Elijah went with the family as a hired hand. In 1835, Dawsons indenture to the Molloys (and the Bussells) expired and he returned to his family at Augusta. He was keen to acquire land on the Vasse and on 13 October 1836 he purchased suburban Lot 7 for £3, and settled there with his family. In 1837 the Dawsons were forced to flee from their home due to the actions of hostile Aboriginals; they sheltered temporarily with the Bussells. By 1838, Dawson had acquired a property in Wonnerup on which he built a house. While at Augusta, Dawson had been appointed Constable in 1835. However once the settlement was abandoned this position was abolished and he was appointed Constable for Busselton, a position he held until 1848. Dawson purchased Sussex Location 12 (600 acres) from Thomas Turner on 20 April 1846 for £120 and named the property Westbrook. According to Hasluck, the Dawsons initially erected a nine room wattle and daub cottage with a thatched roof. It is not known what Hasluck’s source of information was and nine rooms would make a sizeable building. According to Feutrill, family history records that Turner assisted Dawson in obtaining Sussex Location 12 by purchasing the property for him in 1843. Shortly after this first cottage, they constructed a brick building. The family prospered on this location, they raised cattle, cultivated crops and planted 3 acres of vines. The wine made from these grapes was apparently sold to Charles Keyser, an American who had established a timber mill (Wilgamup) a few miles from Westbrook. Dawson died in 1885 and was survived by five children. The date of construction of Westbrook and the name of the builder cannot be said to be firmly ascribed. An article by Sansom, G., Hammond, R. and Gillett, P.H. considers the builder to be James Weetman and notes that an exact date of construction is impossible to define, but considers that is was somewhere between 1844 and 1848. This close date is given as Weetman drowned in 1849. This date seems rather early as Dawson only purchased the property in 1846 and had apparently constructed a nine room wattle and daub cottage. A further problem with both the date and the builder proposed by Sansom, Hammond and Gillett is that there is no James Wheetman listed in the “Bicentennial Dictionary”. Erickson does list a Christopher Weetman who was a mason and master bricklayer. He employed two ticket-of-leave men in 1863 and 1866 in the Sussex district; he drowned in 1867. Erikson notes that Dawson’s son Elijah (Jnr) was a farmer at Westbrook and employed three or more ticket-of-leave men between 1863 and 1866. The coincidence here seems interesting. Brian Feutrill, the current occupant of Westbrook related that the bricks used in the construction of the house had been made on the property. The construction of a brick house would have required several persons: to dig the clay for the bricks, forming the bricks, firing the bricks and it would have been necessary to burn shells for the lime required in the mortar. Al this before the actual construction of the house. Dawson’s children in 1846 were all fairly young. It seems more likely that the house was constructed sometime between 1863 and 1866 when the Dawsons could make use of ticket-of-leave men in their employ and it is possible that Christopher Weetman was the builder. After the completion of the brick house, the wattle & daub building was used as a storeroom and kitchen until it burnt down in c1850s. Hasluck gives no date for this event. There is no historical information regarding the detached kitchen. However, Doug Feutrill states that according to information told to his grandfather by Elijah Dawson (Jnr), the kitchen was constructed immediately after the demose of the wattle and daub building as the family now had no kitchen. Feurill also notes that the vertical slabs used in the buildings construction are pit-sawn, indicating that the Dawsons obtained the wood from Keyser’s Mill, which was located approximately five miles from Dawsons house. Yelverton established his mill in 1856/7 and used a stem driven circular saw wile Keyser’s mill produced sawn with a pit saw. This makes it highly likely that the detached kitchen was constructed during the 1850s. Westbrook was sold by the Dawsons to W.D. Taylor in 1904. Taylor apparently enclosed the western verandah creating two additional rooms to the side of the house and a laundry at the rear. I 1905/6, Taylor re-clad the roof with corrugated galvanized iron and re-aligned the main roof rafters which had begun to spread. More extensive work was carried out on the roof in 1957 when it, and the verandah were completely removed to enable the walls to be tied back together. All the roof timbers were returned to their original locations, as were the verandah timbers. The roof was re-clad with clay tiles due to the prohibitive costs of installing shingles. Underfloor ventilation was installed to the verandah foundations and a new timber floor installed. Taylor sold the property to his nephew, D.E. Feutrill in 1964. The laundry, which Taylor had installed was altered to a toilet and bathroom. A new laundry was added onto the southern end of the new bathroom and a kitchen was added to the eastern side of the new laundry. During Mr & Mrs D. Feutrill’s occupancy, their son Brian occupied the detached kitchen, using the room next to the kitchen as a bedroom.

Integrity/Authenticity

The building and detached kitchen are considered to have a high degree of integrity

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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