Cooper's Mill (fmr)

Statement of Significance

2.1 SOCIAL Cooper was considered to be a valuable member of the small Murray community and his death was keenly felt by settlers. His sons, who were only young lads at the time of this death, not only completed the mill's construction, but also made it into a profitabel business. The legends about the mill and the number of times that the mill has been either restored or protected, indicates that the Murray Community considers the building to be a local landmark and historically significant. 2.2 ARCHITECTURAL / TECHNICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT The mill demonstrates that the builder had a grasp of the technical skills required to construct a circular tower, while the rectangular addition does not detract from the tower section of the structure. 2.2 LANDSCAPE VALUE The mill is of aesthetic significance and is a landmark in the Peel Inlet. 2.3 HISTORICAL The mill is important for its historical associations with the development of flour milling in the Murray District and demonstrates that the :Murray District once had an important role to play in supplying the early colonists with grain. It was the first flour mill constructed in the Murray District and is an excellent example of a successful entrepreneurial enterprise. The success of the business is demonstrated by the additions made to the mill by Cooper's sons. It has important associations with Stinton who played an important part in the development of flour milling in Western Australia and Joseph Cooper who was one of the earliest settlers in the Murray District.

Physical Description

The mill was constructed in two stages. The first stage took the form of a two storey circular tower. This section is constructed of rough hewn limestone blocks, rendered with cement on the exterior. Access to this section is via a door on the western side. Two windows are located on the northern and southern sides of the upper storey. In the interior, the limestone has been lef t plain and uncoated. This section has a limestone rubble floor. The second stage was the construction of a rectangular one and a half storey section, constructed of soft-fired brick laid in Flemish bond. The bricks are rendered beneath the line of the verandah roof. This addition was constructed on the eastern side of the tower. It originally housed the steam engine. A door is located on the northern side of this section. Windows in this section have been placed high in the wall, just below the top plate. Verandahs extend around the three sides of this extension, just below the windows. Both sections have sheet roof cladding with a "shingle" profile.

History

Assessment 1996 Construction 1847 - 1850 This assessment has been developed from a study carried out by Palassis Architects in 1994. The study divided the flour milling areas of Western Australia in to seven regions and this particular mill falls within the Murray District of that study. Eighteen flour mills once operated in the Murray Region, constructed during the period 1840s to 1870s. John Bussell constructed the earliest mill in the region, on his property in the Busselton district (1839). Power to run the mill machinery was provided by horses. No remains have been found of this early mill. Seven mills were constructed in the 1840s, the earliest constructed, and the only one to survive, was built by Joseph Cooper in the Murray district. Cooper began constructing his mill in 1843 on land near his farm at Pinjarra. The mill was originally powered by the wind, but later it was converted to steam power. Five mills were constructed in the 1850s, however the only one to survive is the Chapman brothers' mill at Wonnerup. This mill was constructed in 1850 and was powered by the wind. Three mills were constructed in the 1860s, the only one to survive was built by Theodore Fawcett on his property near Pinjarra. By this time, Cooper's mill had ceased operating. Fawcett's mill was powered by steam. The Murray Region had begun to decline as a wheat growing area and few mills were constructed in the later years. In1879 William Forrest and his son Robert constructed a steam powered mill at Bunbury. This mill was the first in Western Australia to use the new steel roller technology for grinding wheat, although the traditional stones were still used in conjunction with one steel roller. No remains have been identified for this mill. Joseph Cooper, a wheelwright and blacksmith by trade, was one of the earliest settlers in the Murray district. He arrived aboard the "Warrior" in March 1830, with his wife Elizabeth and 4 of their children. The value of goods that they brought with them entitled them to 840 acres. Cooper selected some town blocks in Fremantle and obtained 675 acres in the Murray District. The farm which Cooper established was known as "Redcliffe". As with many early settlers, Cooper soon cleared some of his land and planted crops. At one stage he was one of the main wheat growers in the district, selling flour ground in his hand-mill to those settlers who were without a wheat harvest. Cooper took an interest in the affairs of the small community and assisted with the construction of the first Pinjarra Church, which was located on Thomas Peel's land. The building was constructed of limestone with a shingle roof. The church was destroyed by fire in 1869. Cooper began constructing a stone windmill for grinding wheat in 1843, at 'Windmill Point', an island located at the mouth of the Murray River where it entered the Peel Inlet. Cooper, who did most of the work himself, obtained the stone for the mill from the other side of the estuary. Itis thought that Cooper also made some of the mil lmachinery himself from tuart timber. In 1847, prior to the completion of the mill, Cooper died after falling from a bullock cart. The mill was completed by his sons, James and Thomas with assistance from Dan Myerick and Josiah Stinton. Stinton, who operated a small mill at Picton, stayed on for a while as mill manager, teaching the boys the trade. The mill was operating by 1850. The mill machinery was initially powered by the Wind. The "cap" (roof) rotated to enable the sails to be set into the wind. There were originally five sails. The brothers found that as the mill was located on the Pinjarra - Mandurah road, they were soon doing a brisk trade. The volume of trade increased to such an extent that wind power soon became inadequate to power the machinery and a steam engine was installed in the 1850s. The cap was "fixed" and a new brick room was built on to the south side of the mill to the house the steam engine. However, by the early 1860s the wheat growing areas had moved to closer to Pinjarra and along the foothills, and in 1865 the steam engine and machinery were sold to Captain Fawcett for £220 and the mill closed. The building lay unused for many years, although at one stage it was used as a smokehouse for curing fish. The Cooper family built a dwelling near the mill in later years and leased the land around the mill as a stock run. By the 1880s the brothers were leasing land elsewhere, leaving the mill and house vacant. The buildings gradually fell into disrepair and quantities of stone and brickwork were taken away by locals to make chimneys for their houses. The dwelling house completely disappeared. Early in the twentieth century the mill became home to a recluse who was convinced people were trying to kill him. The mill was an ideal refuge as the stairs to the upper section had been burnt out in one of the many bush fires. The recluse lived in the upper section, gaining access to this area via a rope ladder. Inthe 1930s the Cooper family and the West Australian Historical Society carried out urgent restoration works on the mill and in 1949, the Murray Road Board called for volunteers to act as wardens to protect the building. In1984 full restoration was carried out under a grant supplied by the Federal Government, the Peel Inlet Management Authority and the Murray Shire Council.

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