Barragup House and Outbuildings

Values

· The place is a good example of a stone Victorian Georgian Homestead in the Peel region of Western Australia.
· The place is associated with Thomas Peel, who originally owned the land and possibly the original (no longer extant) homestead.
· The place is associated with the pioneers of the Peel region; the Eacott family and Thomas Peel.

Physical Description

‘The two or three roomed stone homestead, originally known as Moroerinup, is located on a 13 acre site near Serpentine River. The building has been extended with pine weatherboard to the northern and western sides and has a new verandah at the eastern frontage. Quoining around windows. There are very old pine trees and palms around the property. While they are unlikely to be original plantings they are important to the context of the building and should be retained. Some old farming implements are displayed on the exterior and around the building. One of two early windmills still stands. The current main doorway was added after 1930.’ ‘Alterations to the interior of the building are mainly cosmetic, apart from the additions noted above, and that of a kitchen and toilet on the southern side. An original two sided fireplace is still intact but has been retiled.’ ‘The site also contains two or three outbuildings but the history of these buildings is unknown.’

History

The land originally belonged to Thomas Peel and was then on-sold to Govenor Hutt and developed by Mr Bowes, when it became known as Bowes Farm. By 1840 Bowes had left the district with no explanation and Thomas Eacott and Charlotte Tuckey were sent there by Peel to manage the farm. Barragup House was the home of Thomas Eacott and Charlotte Tuckey (they moved from the original homestead now demolished to Barragup House) who were among the first settlers, Eacott being indentured to Thomas Peel. It has been alleged that Peel gave Barragup House to the Eacott’s as a wedding present but it appears that they retained the original homestead on Eacott’s original grant for some time. (The remains of the original home were washed away in the 1962 floods and were once visible at the edge of the Serpentine River, but have since been removed). The date of construction of Barragup House is vague, but two of the Eacott’s ten children were born there after their marriage in 1839, so presumably it was built in the 1840s. The land was run as a pig farm in the early 1900s, Barragup House had a succession of owners and was a poultry farm until the early 1930s when it was bought by Howard (Bill) Norton. From 1987 it operated as a nursery / tearooms and it is currently leased by CALM as an office and visitor centre. The house is believed to be haunted. The Mandurah Historical Society saved Barragup House from demolition in the 1980s because of its historical significance.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity- Moderate
Authenticity- High

Condition

Good Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

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.