Lockeville Farmhouse & Outbuildings & St Mary's Church Hall

Values

- The place is one of the very first pioneer homesteads to be built in Wonnerup.
- The place is associated with John Babbage Locke one of the first colonists to arrive in Australind and one of the early settlers to Wonnerup.
- The place was possibly constructed with convict labour.
- The place is associated with early Westralian racing and breeding.
- The place is valued by the local community and is considered to be a local landmark.

Physical Description

The homestead complex consists of the original farmhouse, outbuildings (shed and stables) and relocated church hall, situated close to the Vasse Estuary. The original farmhouse and outbuildings were constructed in the 1850s by John Babbage Locke in the Victorian Georgian style. The single storey residence was constructed from wattle and daub with a hipped roof and partially surrounded by a verandah. In c. 1870 a two storey limestone addition was added to the farmhouse. Huge chimneys and fireplaces are prominent features within the original home. The Locke family emblem – associated with the Locke Bros racehorses – was incorporated into the carved design around the facia boards of the house. The outbuildings are also single storey and constructed in the same materials. These buildings have been noted as having been used as stables, dairying facilities and storage. The timber and iron St. Mary’s Hall was constructed in the Federation Carpenter Gothic style in c. 1914 as part of the St Mary’s Anglican Church and graveyard, but was relocated in the 1990s, and a new church hall was built in its place.

History

European settlement of the Vasse region began with the arrival of the prominent pioneering families of Bussell, Molloy and Turner in May 1830. After early problems, John Bussell, accompanied by several other pioneering families, set out on foot from Augusta in 1833 in search of better land that was found on the Vasse River. The town of Busselton was proclaimed in 1832, and gazetted in July 1847. The townsite developed slowly until the introduction of convicts to the district in 1854. Convict gangs were used to build the town’s road, bridges and infrastructures. In 1856 a school had been constructed and by 1859 a gaol and courthouse had been erected to police the growing community and convict population. Many of the early settlers constructed farms and homesteads in the nearby areas of Wonnerup and Vasse rather than the actual townsite. George Layman first settled the area of Wonnerup in May 1837 and constructed the original (now destroyed) Wonnerup House. Lockeville Farmhouse was built in c. 1850 by John Babbage Locke (jr), who had arrived in the colony from England on the ship Trusty in 1842 with his parents. The Locke family were part of the failed Australian settlement scheme of 1842, and were one of the earliest settlers of Australind. As one of the first pioneers in the Wonnerup area, John Locke purchased 4000 acres next to the Vasse Estuary where he was to build Lockeville farmhouse. The house is said to be only the fourth homestead built in the district, and possibly constructed with the aid of convict labour. John Locke married Mary Layman in 1954, and shortly after, the Lockes’ first child – Ernest Charles Bavage Locke - was born in 1856. By the time the second storey farmhouse addition was completed in 1870, Ernest had been joined by five other siblings. Little of the Lockeville land had been cultivated before, so John Locke used the land to farm wheat, oats and rye which was a huge success. Shortly after arriving, he also purchased a number of thoroughbred mares and established a stud farm. He bred the thoroughbreds with imported English horses, producing many good racing horses and becoming well known in early Westralian Racing.

Condition

The place is in good condition.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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