Ardenvale

Statement of Significance

Ardenvale, a single storey brick and iron residence designed in the Inter War Arts and Crafts style has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons: • the place is associated with the development of the agricultural industry in the Capel area; • the place is a fine example of a Inter War Arts and Crafts building and has a high degree of integrity and authenticity; • the place is an example of the work of Eales and Cohen who operated a successful architectural firm in Western Australia during the first quarter of the twentieth century; and, • the place demonstrates the development of a farm house from small beginnings to a more substantial home once the farm became established and productive. AESTHETIC VALUE Ardenvale is an excellent example of the Inter War Arts and Crafts style. Elements of this style which are found at Ardenvale include: the presence of both hip and gable roof forms, stucco work to the chimney stacks, battered gable ends and projecting bay windows. HISTORIC VALUE The Wittfoht family are an example of the type of new settlers who moved into the Capel district at the end of the nineteenth century, purchased land and established an orchard. When settlers first established their farm they often constructed a fairly modest building which would later be replaced by either a more permanent structure or a grander home. The first homes were then used for other purposes, or often they became derelict and were demolished . Ardenvale is unusual in that the original house has survived through its incorporation into the later house. Ardenvale was the work of Eales and Cohen who were a prominent Perth architectural firm. SOCIAL VALUE Ardenvale is valued by the people of Capel as it is an example of a late nineteenth century farm which was established by an immigrant family and who later developed a thriving farm. The importance of the place to the community is demonstrated by its inclusion in the Shire of Capel’s Municipal Inventory. RARITY -------- CONDITION The building is in fair to good condition and appears to have been well maintained. AUTHENTICITY The building has retained a high degree of integrity.

Physical Description

Ardenvale is a single storey brick and iron residence designed in the Inter War Arts and Crafts style. The house sits on high ground in a rural setting with a mature garden on the southern and eastern sides and an orchard to the north. A large shed and several outbuildings are located to the west of the house. The complex roof forms dominate the house giving it its characteristic Arts and Crafts style. The southern (or front) side of the building is dominated by two battened gables, with a skillion roofed verandah extending across the front. The verandah also wraps around the western side and a portion of the eastern side. The northern end of the eastern verandah terminates at a projecting brick wing which echoes the battened gables on the southern side. This wing features a bay window. The verandah has stop chamfered posts and a simple timber valance. The front and eastern verandah floor is brick paved and the verandah posts have been placed in metal stirrups. The verandah at the rear (northern side) has retained the original wooden floor. Pebble dash chimney stacks are located on the western and eastern sides of the roof and have retained their terracotta pots. The main, hipped roof with gambrel ends, rises above the gables. The house is planned around a central passage with four rooms opening off the passage, two on each side. The passage leads directly to a sun room which leads into the kitchen on the western side. These two rooms were formerly the original house constructed on the property. A door on the western side of the kitchen leads into the laundry. All of these rooms are timber framed and clad with asbestos cement sheeting. The kitchen has retained its original fireplace, with high mantlepiece and Metters stove. The two front rooms have bay windows with french doors leading out to the verandah. The main entrance has a half timber door with a glazed upper section. Half side lights are located on either side of the door. The glazed sections feature coloured leaded glass in a stylised rose design. The two bedrooms have fireplaces with built in cupboards fitted on either side. Fireplaces are also located in the living and dining rooms. Two rows of shelves have been fitted above the fireplace in the dining room. The interior features original plaster work and timber joinery. On the western side of the house two bedrooms and a bathroom have been created by enclosing the side verandah with timber framed walls clad with asbestos cement sheeting. The windows in this section are aluminium. The building is in a fair to good condition, although the 1967 Meckering earthquake caused some damage to the brickwork on the eastern projecting bay. The 1922 section of the house has retained its original form, despite the enclosure of the western verandah. The fabric has retained a high degree of authenticity. To the west of the house is a large zincalum shed which is used by the present owners for timber storage and as a workshop. Beyond this shed is another weatherboard shed with a gable roof clad with corrugated iron.

History

Assessment 2003 Construction 1922 Alterations/additions: 1950s Architect: Eales & Cohen HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Wellington Loc. 934 was taken up by William and Catherine Wittfoht in 1897, after William had made his fortune on the goldfields at Broken Hill. (William was the grandfather of the current owner, Ian Sharpe.) A small clay and slab cottage was constructed by the family at the turn of the twentieth century, and this was located at the rear of the existing 1922 residence. William Wittfoht was an orchardist, with extensive farms in three different locations along the river flats. His crops included apples, stonefruit and oranges. He is also said to have had a substantial potato crop. William became a prominent member of the community and even served as a Councillor on the Capel Roads Board. William and Catherine had five daughters, four of whom later became teachers. In 1922, a new substantial house was constructed for William and Catherine Wittfoht to the design of Perth architects Eales and Cohen. The new house incorporated two large bedrooms, a central hall way, a lounge room and substantial dining room, which later became the focus for community meetings such as the local tennis club and the Fruit Growers Association. It was also used as a ballroom. Family history has it that the original house was rebuilt at the rear of the 1922 house and is now the kitchen. It is also said that the 1922 house was locked up for much of the time, and was only used for special occasions such as when the family were expecting visitors. Catherine Wittfoht died in the late 1940s and up until her death the family continued to reside in the original house (now the kitchen). The family employed orchard workers and they had their own dining area off from the kitchen and their own bathroom facilities (now demolished). During the 1930s, the Wittfohts also began to accommodate the teachers of the Capel River School as boarders, and it is said that they provided accommodation for 18 to 20 teachers over the years. In the 1950s, some modifications were undertaken to the house, mainly in the kitchen and bathroom areas. It appears that sometime during the 1950s, a portion of the front and western side verandahs were enclosed to create additional bedrooms and bathrooms for the family. In 1964, the residence was connected to the mains power supply. In 1996, plans were made for the renovation of the 1922 residence and the construction of additions; however, these works did not eventuate. It is also at approximately this time that an art gallery and craft shop was constructed near the house. The gallery is frequently visited by tourists and the natural amphitheatre and stage to the rear of this building is used for concerts. The main focus of the farm in the twentieth century became dairying. However, the deregulation of the dairy industry in 1999 meant that the Sharpe family did not have enough acreage to sustain the herd now required. Ardenvale was placed on the Shire of Capel’s Municipal Inventory in September 1999. In 2003, the place functions as a farm, workshop, art gallery and craft shop. HISTORY In November 1829, Lieutenant Preston and Surgeon Collie reported favourably on the country between Cockburn Sound and Geographe Bay, and in 1830, Governor Stirling and surveyor Roe headed another exploration party in the area. Port Leschenault was settled as a military station site, and Stirling described the boundaries of the Wellington location in which the Shire of Capel is situated. In May 1830, Stirling led the Bussells, Molloys (their labourers the Ludlows), Turners and several young men including nineteen year old George Layman, to the mouth of the Blackwood River and established Augusta. By 1834, the Colony was floundering, and immigrant numbers were declining. The Augusta settlers moved northwards to Vasse. In 1836, Lieutenant Bunbury set out to explore the land in the Vasse area and discovered the Capel River. Development continued and by the end of 1840, the Government Surveyor Henry Ommanney had mapped the land between Leschenault and Vasse. Meanwhile in England, The Western Australian Land Company was formed by Thomas Peel, with 12 directors, including the Governor’s brother, William Hutt, and Marshall Waller Clifton. The first group of immigrants included: George Payne, Samuel Rose, Charles Properjohn and their families. By 1842, other arrivals at Peel Estate included: William Jenkin Roberts, Abraham Hurst, William Ramsay, Rueben Gardiner, James McCourt, John Delaporte, and their respective families, the government gazette announced that land would be auctioned in the Wellington district. Child established Minninup, closely followed by Rose at Doungup, Roberts leased some of Stirling’s holdings, and McCourt established Fatfield. The settlers prospered and their offspring moved away from home and established their own farms in the district. A new wave of immigrants arrived towards the end of the nineteenth century. Many of the new immigrants were disillusioned miners or miners who had made their fortunes in mining industry. They purchased land in Capel, grubbed out the trees and many of them planted fruit trees, vines or developed a dairy herd. The Capel Roads Board was formed in May 1907. In 1926, William Wittfoht lent the Board £400 for the construction of a Roads Board Office.

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