Katrine Homestead

Child Places

• 03986 Katrine Inn Hotel
• 03985 Avon Valley School

Physical Description

Description and History: Inn was constructed in 1842 the Barn in 1858 and the house in the 1860sThe barn is in a group of farm buildings which have been recorded for their vernacular interest and association with the pioneer Viveash family but, apart from the barn, these buildings suffer from lack of maintenance and unsympathetic alterations. The barn is a significant example of the type of farm building erected at this period, is in good condition and still in use. December 2007 that the buildings have been restored and converted into bed and breakfast accommodation. Includes: Katrine Causeway & St Saviour's Church. The Church is a stone structure with rendered quoins to door and window openings and a corrugated iron roof. It has leadlight gothic arched windows. Along Katrine Road there are a number of ruins and former building sites that represent the early development of the Northam region. Katrine Homestead – The homestead at Katrine was developed over a period of forty years. One of the earliest buildings in the area was the Katrine Inn, which is a single roomed red brick and shingle roofed building visible from Katrine Road. It is said it was built 1842. In recent times it has been partially rebuilt and relined and reroofed with iron. The stone two storey front central section of the homestead was built in the 1860s. Various sturdily built outhouses, barns and sheds make up the rest of the homestead buildings. The building materials vary from brick to stone. The brickwork is English bond in some sections and garden wall bond is also visible. The tall protective verandah to several elevations provides protection to the glazed areas and is an indicator of the high ceilinged rooms inside. The kitchen buildings at the rear are built of handmade red clay bricks with timbered and corrugated iron roof. The windows are timbered box frames. A cellar was accessible from outside the house, adjacent to the external original kitchen, laundry and cooks room. A very old stone barn, in excellent condition, bears the date 1858 on the wall. The barn is a large rectangular building made of stone with timber framed roof and corrugated iron. On the south eats side is a large archway which gave height to allow the wheat and hay carriages that passed through to unload. The barn is strongly built and well portioned, with ventilation panels in the north east gables. The barn was built by convicts. The original land grant for this property, known as Location T Grant, was officially made in 1832, to Dr JP Lyttleton, who arrived in Western Australia in 1829. He died in 1835 and the property ownership passed to his widow, Mrs Sarah Lyttleton. Peter Chidlow was known to be either leasing or performing location duties there until his death in 1837. In 1838 Katrine was leased to JT Cooke and the first building was erected at that time, of which only part of the foundations remain. Cooke still held the lease when the property was sold to Dr S Viveash in 1842 for 520 pounds. Later Viveash installed James Wilkerson as his manager when he moved to Guildford. His son, Simeon, began to rune the Katrine property in about 1860, with the help of a manager. He inherited the property in 1880. The buildings making up the Katrine Homestead Group were used by the wider community too, and they housed a school, a staging inn, barn and stable complex to service travellers and locals. Its location close to the safe winter ford across the Avon River led to settlement developing around the Katrine Homestead. After four generations Katrine passed out of Viveash family hands and became property of Ross and Pam McKenzie in 1985. In 1988 agreement was finally given by the Northam Shire to subdivide, allowing land containing the historic buildings to be sold to Rex and Christina Downie, who began the timely task of restoring the decaying buildings, which were close to being lost. The rebuilt Inn building is presently utilised as a Bed and Breakfast facility.

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