Buckingham Ruins and Archaeological Sites, Roleystone

Child Places

• 16627 Thomas Buckingham's Cottage (ruins)

Statement of Significance

The house ruins, combined with the rock clam and stone yard are ruinous but rustic structures that, despite their degree of dilapidation, show evidence of high quality masonry craftsmanship, robustness and adaptability to local conditions and materials. The place is significant as the remains of the first residence and farming property established by Thomas Buckingham Snr, one of the founding pioneers of Roleystone.

Physical Description

The place comprises the remaining stone walls and sunken basement/cellar of a single-storey residence, the remaining stone walls of another single-storey residence on Lot 701 as well as other built structures including a rock dam, a dry-stone yard and a timber and iron shed located on Lot 140. The timber and iron shed is NOT included in the objects within the scope of the MHI entry. The remains of the first house include four external walls, approximately 500mm wide and at various heights, constructed with random rubble dolorite stone and what appears to be a clay soil mortar. The walls are in varying degrees of dilapidation, with the most intact south and east walls in good condition incorporating a row of ventilation openings above ground level. The house is positioned on a steep slope and the changing ground level has been utilised in the creation of the basement/cellar. The extent of the former basement/cellar is still evident, although it has been infilled with rubbish and debris including rolls of fencing wire, rocks, 44 gallon drums and overgrown vegetation. The remains of the second house include traces of four external walls, approximately 500mm wide and at various heights, constructed with random rubble dolorite stone and what appears to be a clay soil mortar. The low walls are in a dilapidated state and are hidden from general view by scrub that has grown on the site. A rock dam is located to the north-west of the house ruins and comprises a U-shaped stone wall constructed with dolorite stone and cement mortar which is positioned on the slope of the hill, presumably for trapping water. A substantial dry-stone yard is located to the north of the house ruins which comprises a rectangular paddock fenced with piled dolorite stones and an ad-hoc combination of metal star-pickets, metal poles and timber posts supporting ringlock and barbed wire fencing. (The timber and iron shed, NOT included in the MHI entry, is a more recent construction (comparative to the stone structures) and comprises two gable bays supported by a combination of bush poles and milled timber, clad entirely with iron. As well as sheets of corrugated iron, the walls have sheets of beaten iron, most likely improvised by flattening metal drums. The shed incorporates a change in floor level, as a result of its position on a steep slope, with earthen and cementitious floors).

History

Thomas Buckingham and his family, after settling in the Wanneroo district in 1855, moved to Roleystone in 1858. The Buckingham family's land holdings at Roleystone were extensive (5,559 acres), but their attempts at grazing and farming there proved largely unsuccessful. Their cattle and horses died from poisoning, both from toxic water and from some native plants, and wild dogs took other stock. To supplement their farm income, they (and others, such as the Martin family) turned to timber felling, milling and carting. This was the beginning of a thriving timber industry in the Armadale district, which continued into the 20th Century. Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) and Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) trees were cut for telegraph poles, railway sleepers, and various other timber products. In addition, members of the Buckingham and Martin families carted sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) to the coast, from areas east of the Darling Range, for export to Singapore and China. To further profit from the felling of local timber, the Buckingham family set up saw pits in the area and were responsible for establishing the first water-driven saw mills in the district. These mills were established by Thomas Buckingham, on Canning Location 32 during 1865-66, and at `Poplar' (now 222 Brookton Highway) in Kelmscott in 1886. Other water-driven sawmills were established by Alexander Buckingham at Kelmscott, on Suburban Lot 35 (now 121 Buckingham St) in 1875, and by Hugh J. Buckingham, at Roleystone (on Stinton Creek, south of the Canning River), in the first decade of the 20th century. The Buckinghams also supplied the local area with finished wood products, such as wagons and carts, as well as coffins. Sawpits expanded throughout Kelmscott and Armadale and much of the traffic movement through the area was a result of the carting of timber.

Integrity/Authenticity

Low Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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