Local Government
Northampton
Region
Midwest
Henderson Tce off Port Gregory Rd Yallabatharra
off Port Gregory Road - INCLUDES Sanford House
Port Gregory Hiring Station/Depot
Sanford House
Northampton
Midwest
Constructed from 1857, Constructed from 1853
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 15 May 2020 | |
| State Register | Registered | 02 Jun 1995 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Aboriginal Heritage Sites Register | Permanent | |||
| Register of the National Estate | Permanent | 26 Mar 1985 | ||
| Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 06 Mar 1984 | ||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 19 Apr 1996 | Category 1A | |
The ruins of the convict hiring depot at Lynton have very high historic and social significance for the district and the State for their associations with convicts/ticket-of-leave men and the development of Port Gregory, the Geraldine Mine and surrounding districts. The convict depot is one of the few physical remnants of the convict era left in the State.
The limestone ruins of the Lynton convict hiring depot complex sit in a small valley near the coast at Port Gregory. Enough of the original fabric of two main buildings remains to gain some understanding of the place. The convict lockup building, with its holding cells, high perimeter, gable end walls and walled exercise yard, sits further up the valley than the other obvious ruins of the depot building. After the lockup building, the depot/hiring building is the most complete. Of the several other support buildings around the main depot most have largely disappeared or remain as piles of rubble or low walls. Interpretive signs, illustrating the layout of the complex, would help with an understanding of the place. 2004/05 Review: Works undertaken in late 2004 have resulted in one of the buildings being largely reconstructed and reroofed. Interpretive material has been installed.
The Lynton Hiring Depot was established in 1853, primarily to provide a labour force for the Geraldine Mine (Site No.7.) and the pastoral stations in the vicinity. On the 22 May 1853 the first ticket-of-leave men, accompanied by a detachment of Pensioner Guards to oversee them, arrived at Port Gregory on board the Leander and Gold Digger. Initially camped in tents, the construction of the stone depot buildings soon commenced but proceeded at a slow pace due to the time taken to cut limestone, lack of suitable local timber and a shortage of skilled tradesmen. The wrecking of the 'Mary Queen of Scots' in February 1855 also delayed construction as the ship was bringing a cargo of shingles to Lynton. Located in small valley near a bend on the Hutt River, the buildings included a lockup, depot building, hospital, quarters, blacksmith's shop and other associated buildings. The Lynton Hiring Depot was short lived. The isolation of the depot meant that it was a source of considerable expense for the Government. These expenses could not be justified with the sudden decline in the mining industry. In addition there were many cases of sickness owing to the salty water and poor soil which made it difficult to grow vegetables. On 3rd January 1857 the hiring depot was closed. Since then the buildings have generally remained unused and have fallen into disrepair, although farm produce has been stored in the depot building. It is said that during World War II stones were taken from the ruins to construct roads. Chronology Entries 1853 On the recommendation of Lord Grey, Secretary of State for the Colonies, a Convict Hiring Depot comprising of pensioner guards and convicts was established at Lynton, near Port Gregory, principally to build the roads to the Geraldine Mine, but also to build other roads and permanent buildings. Ticket-ofleave men worked below ground in the mines, side by side with free men as well as working as shepherds and farm hands for the settlers. 1853 Joseph Lucas Horrocks, who was convicted of forgery and had arrived at Fremantle on ilie 'Marion in 1852, moved to Lynton as a medical superintendent. Source Pages Ancient Landmarks, Bain, M. A., UWA Press, Perth, 1975 ISBN:0 85564 090 1 121 1855 Joseph Horrocks resigned his post at the Port Gregory Hiring Station and opened a store at Wanerenooka. He was also a member of the syndicate which opened the copper mine. 03/01/1857 Lynton was closed as a convict hiring depot, and the remaining pensioner guard families vacated theii" tents and moved into the stone buildings at the depot.
Integrity: Low
Poor
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt. Crossman | Architect | 1853 | - |
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHS3073 - | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1968 | |
| Bodycoat, R., "Lynton: A Study of the Convict Hiring Depot at Northampton, Western Australia," | Duncan, Stephen and Mercer, Architects for the Shire of Northampton, | 1982 | |
| GHS6202 | Photograph; "Lynton". | 1972 | |
| GHS3920 | Photograph; "Yard". | undated | |
| GHS0529 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1968 | |
| GHS3068 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1968 | |
| GHS3075 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1968 | |
| GHS3919 | Photograph; "Cell Windows". | 1975 | |
| GHS5889 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1940 | |
| GHS3922 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1975 | |
| GHS6204 | Photograph; "Exercise yard". | 1981 | |
| GHS6200 | Photograph; "Cell". | 1981 | |
| GHS6203 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1981 | |
| GHS3069 | Photograph; "Cell". | 1968 | |
| Feilman & Associates, "A Survey of Places of Historic and Landscape Significance in Northampton, Dongara, Geraldton, WA", | Feilman & Associates, | 1977 | |
| GHS2919 | Photograph; "Lynton". | 1968 | |
| GHS6630 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1967 | |
| GHS6196 | Photograph; "Cottage". | 1972 | |
| GHS3070 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1968 | |
| GHS7676 | Photograph; "Cell". | 1949 | |
| GHS6199 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1981 | |
| GHS3923 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1975 | |
| Lilley, I. & Gibbs, M. "An Archaeological Study of the Lynton Convict Hiring Depot," | National Trust of Australia (WA) | 1993 | |
| GHS6194 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1940 | |
| Considine & Griffiths Architects Pty Ltd, "Lynton Heritage Conservation Plan," | 1996 | ||
| GHS5890 | Photograph; "Lynton". | 1944 | |
| GHS6633 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1967 | |
| GHS3921 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1975 | |
| GHS5202 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1975 | |
| GHS5973 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1948 | |
| GHS3924 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1975 | |
| GHS6201 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1972 | |
| GHS3072 | Photograph; "Cell Doors". | 1968 | |
| GHS5972 | Photograph; "hiring station". | 1948 |
| Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8474 | Building a colony: the convict legacy. | Book | 2006 |
| 4250 | Lynton Convict Hiring Depot-Depot Building Port Gregory Conservation Works: Final Report | Heritage Study {Other} | 1999 |
| 2491 | An archaeological study of the Lynton convict hiring depot. | Report | 1993 |
| 5592 | Sanford House : conservation works (final report). | Conservation works report | 2002 |
| 11815 | Henderson & Coy : Royal Engineers & the Convict Establishment Fremantle Western Australia 1850 - 1872 | Book | 2017 |
| 11734 | Lynton: a study of the convict hiring depot | Heritage Study {Other} | 1982 |
| 11569 | Landscapes of Redemption: Tracing the path of a Convict Miner in Western Australia | Heritage Study {Other} | 2010 |
| 7946 | Port Gregory convict hiring depot, lockup. Final conservation works report - grant allocation 2004/2005. Job number 05147 | Conservation works report | 2005 |
| 6426 | A preliminary study of convict sites in Western Australia (draft). | Heritage Study {Other} | 1997 |
| 5959 | Mrs Mulder's trough; Konnongoring Hall; Perenjori; Hawes, Mullewa; Lynton Heritage Site; Hassell Homestead. | Video | 1991 |
| 5753 | Homesteads of the mid west region of Western Australia. | Book | 1997 |
| 3911 | Lynton Heritage Structural Report on Stables, Depot and Lockup-Prepared for RW & SF Simkin | Heritage Study {Other} | 1999 |
| 3037 | Lynton Conservation Works - Final Report | Heritage Study {Other} | 1993 |
| 5130 | Lynton Heritage : conservation plan / by Considine and Griffiths Architects Pty Ltd. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1996 |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Original Use | GOVERNMENTAL | Gaol |
| Present Use | VACANT\UNUSED | Vacant\Unused |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | STONE | Limestone |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Workers {incl. Aboriginal, convict} |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.