Hartley historic site

Last updated

Hartley historic site
Hartley Shamrock Inn 001.JPG
The Shamrock Inn, built c. 1842, pictured in 2015.
Location Great Western Highway, Hartley, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°32′41″S150°10′30″E / 33.5448°S 150.1750°E / -33.5448; 150.1750 Coordinates: 33°32′41″S150°10′30″E / 33.5448°S 150.1750°E / -33.5448; 150.1750
Built1837–1850
Owner Office of Environment and Heritage
Official name: Hartley Historic Site; Hartley Township
TypeState heritage (complex / group)
Designated2 April 1999
Reference no.992
TypeTownscape
CategoryUrban Area
Australia New South Wales relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location of Hartley historic site in New South Wales

Hartley historic site is a heritage-listed historic village located adjacent to the Great Western Highway, Hartley, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1837 to 1850. It is also known as Hartley Historic Site and Hartley Township. The property is owned and protected by Office of Environment and Heritage, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. [1]

Great Western Highway highway in New South Wales

The Great Western Highway is a 201-kilometre-long (125 mi) state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands.

Hartley, New South Wales Town in New South Wales, Australia

Hartley is a historical village in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, within the City of Lithgow local government area, located approximately 127 kilometres (79 mi) west of the Sydney central business district. Hartley is located below the western escarpment of the Blue Mountains.

City of Lithgow Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Lithgow is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway and the Main Western railway line.

Contents

History

The Hartley Valley was first crossed by Europeans during Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson's famous expedition of 1813. Settlement of the region extended during the 1820s and in 1832 Major Mitchell's new line of western road down Victoria Pass took the Bathurst Road through the Hartley area. Soon a town was proposed and, with large numbers of convicts working in the area, the need for a government detention and judicial centre was recognised (at that time no such place existed in all the country between the Nepean River and Bathurst). Consequently in 1837 a courthouse was erected at Hartley and the following year the town plan was gazetted. Hartley grew as both a government administrative centre and also as a wayside service centre, it being an important stopping point on the western road to Bathurst and further inland. [1]

Gregory Blaxland English explorer in Australia

Gregory Blaxland was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers.

William Wentworth Australian poet, explorer, journalist and politician

William Charles Wentworth was an Australian explorer, journalist, politician and author, and one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales. He was the first native-born Australian to achieve a reputation overseas, and a leading advocate for self-government for the Australian colonies.

William Lawson (explorer) Australian pastoralist and explorer in New South Wales

William Lawson, MLC was an English-born Australian explorer, land owner, grazier and politician who migrated to Sydney, New South Wales in 1800. Along with his close friends and colleagues Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth, he pioneered the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers.

The railway arrived in the region late in the 1860s and while it led to the growth of places like Lithgow, Hartley declined owing to the reduction in road traffic. Late in the nineteenth century Hartley began to be recognised as a place of historic attraction and the village began to prosper also as a result of the passing tourist traffic to Jenolan Caves. During the interwar period motor car tourism played a particularly significant part in Hartley's history. After the World War II, however, improvements in vehicles and the highway saw a decline as increasing numbers of tourists travelled through town without stopping. During the 1960s and 1970s Blaxland Shire Council acquired many Hartley buildings. In 1972 the Hartley Historic Site was declared under the administration of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. [1]

Lithgow, New South Wales City in New South Wales, Australia

Lithgow is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the administrative centre of the City of Lithgow local government area. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.

Jenolan Caves Protected area in New South Wales, Australia

The Jenolan Caves are limestone caves located within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve in the Central Tablelands region, west of the Blue Mountains, in Jenolan, Oberan Council, New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The caves and 3,083-hectare (7,620-acre) reserve are situated approximately 175 kilometres (109 mi) west of Sydney, 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Oberon and 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Katoomba.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Structures on the historic site

The courthouse was designed by Colonial Architect, Mortimer Lewis in 1837. [1]

New South Wales Government Architect

The New South Wales Government Architect, an appointed officer of the Government of New South Wales, serves as the General Manager of the Government Architect's Office (GAO), a multi-disciplinary consultancy operating on commercial principles providing architecture, design, and engineering services, that is an agency of the government within NSW Public Works.

Mortimer Lewis British architect

Mortimer William Lewis was an English-born architect, surveyor and public servant who migrated to Australia and became Colonial Architect in the state of New South Wales from 1835 to 1849. Lewis was responsible for designing and overseeing many government buildings in Sydney and rural New South Wales, many of which are heritage listed.

St John's Anglican Church, built in 1858-59, was designed by leading Colonial Ecclesiastical Architect, Edmund Blacket. [1]

Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St. Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn.

St Bernard's Catholic Church, c. 1842, [2] and the adjacent presbytery, c. 1858-61, reflect Hartley's substantial Irish population in the nineteenth century. The church, Gothic in style, was designed by Alexander Binning. The first mass celebrated in Hartley was by the Rev. Michael Cavanagh, who decided in 1838 that a church should be built to serve the large population of Irish Catholic settlers in the area. Its first priest was Father Dunphy, appointed in 1843. [1]

The Royal Hotel dates from the late 1840s and at one time functioned as the Anglican Rectory and as a school. An NPWS post-card states it was built in 1846 and first licensed as the "Hartley" Hotel by James Nairn. In the 1850s-70s it served as a Cobb & Co staging post for coaches en route between Sydney, Bathurst and Mudgee. [1] [3]

Farmers Inn was built by John Finn around 1845-46. The Finn family was significant in Hartley's history, for the family also built the post office (which family members ran for fifty eight years), Ivy Cottage and Old Tralee. Farmers Inn was licensed from about the 1860s until 1895. [1]

The Shamrock Inn was built in the mid 1840s [4] and occupied as a residence by the Phillips family for a lengthy period. It catered for the needs of the men and women en route to and from the gold fields of Hill End, Sofala and the Turon workings. [1] [3]

Hartley's former post office was constructed between 1845 and 1852. When the building closed in 1982 it was said to be the longest operating post office in Australia. [1]

Old Tralee, named after the Finns' family home in Ireland, was erected between 1846 and 1854. In 1839 John and Mary Finn and their eight children arrived in Australia from Ireland. They set out straight away for Hartley, where they built Old Tralee. Their home town rector had no doubt encouraged their migration with news of his son's progress as Magistrate in Hartley. [1] [3]

In 2016 St. Bernard's Presbytery, after major internal restoration now hosts overnight stay guests, along with nearby Old Tralee, for the first time. [1] [5]

Description

Hartley historic site is located on a steep slope above the River Lett. The immediate surrounding country is cleared though the higher country above is timbered. A range of exotic trees are found in the town. The village with its pervasive nineteenth century character has strong aesthetic qualities. [1]

Today Hartley remains as a highly intact nineteenth century village. Hartley consists of a fine array of government, church, hotel and residential buildings, displaying a range of forms, materials and styles (several of the following are registered individually). [1]

The Courthouse

Built 1837 in sandstone and a very good example of Old Colonial Greek architectural style, designed by Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis. Its facade is dominated by its pedimented entrance porch with pilasters and columns. [1]

St John's Anglican Church

Built c. 1858-9 in Victorian Gothic style. A modest yet harmonious church, St John's is built of sandstone and the roof, originally shingle (as were most in the village), is clad with corrugated iron. (privately owned) [1]

St Bernard's Catholic Church

Built c. 1842 [3] is Gothic in style and built of sandstone. Windows are paired lancets with stone mullions. The presbytery is built of sandstone and granite and is single storey on an above ground basement, with a steeply pitched hipped roof. Fluted timber posts support the verandah roof and carved stone pilasters flank the French doors and main front door. [1]

St. Bernard's Presbytery

Built c. 1845 of sandstone in the Georgian style. [1]

The Royal Hotel

Built in 1846 [3] as a single storey, Victorian Georgian hotel of sandstone and the attic floor has several dormers. Fluted timber posts (paired either side of the main door) support the verandah. [1]

Farmers Inn

Built c. 1843 is a single storey, roughcast rendered brick building with a gable and skillion roof, and a verandah with end rooms (which were fairly typical of early inns). [1]

The Shamrock Inn

Built c. 1842 [6] in three stages, the former inn reflects several vernacular building techniques. External walls are brick and there is a slab skillion at the rear. Internal walls are slab and some have lathe and plaster or hessian lining. Original shingles remain under the corrugated iron on both the verandah and main gabled roofs. The verandah also features some pitsawn timber. [1]

Hartley's former post office

Built 1846, consists of a central gabled rendered brick section with skillion wings at either end. [1]

Old Tralee

Built 1846-54 has brick walls, a hipped iron roof (with shingles beneath) and various pit sawn timbers. [1]

Ivy Cottage

Dates from some time between the late 1850s and the early 1870s. Standing on a granite rubble footing, the cottage has brick walls, sandstone front steps, a verandah and a shallow pitched roof which is gabled at the front. [1]

Brick toilet

Built c. 1850s of brick in vernacular style. [1]

Woolshed

Built c. 1870s of galvanised iron and timber in vernacular style [1]

Corney/Morgan garage

Built c. 1945 with modern asbestos cement and galanised iron. [1]

Timber cottage

Built c. 1930s of rustic timber. [1]

Concrete block cottage

Built c. 1930s of rustic concrete block construction [1]

Garage residence

Built 1920s in timber vernacular style. [1]

Heritage listing

As at 7 April 2015, Hartley is historically highly significant for its close association with early settlement west of the Blue Mountains, for its role as an early government administrative centre and for its having been a wayside service centre over a lengthy period. The village has an extremely high level of intactness and it contains a rich range of building forms, materials and architectural styles. Having been recognised for many years as a place of historical importance, Hartley has significant social associations among the travelling public. Hartley contains good examples of the work of important colonial era architects, Mortimer Lewis and Edmund Blacket. Owing to the form, materials, styles and alignments of its various buildings and its rural setting above the River Lett, Hartley with its pervasive mid nineteenth century character has significant aesthetic qualities. [1]

Hartley historic site was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hornby Lighthouse lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

Hornby Lighthouse, also known as South Head Lower Light or South Head Signal Station, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on the tip of South Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland to the north of the suburb Watsons Bay. It marks the southern entrance to Port Jackson and Sydney Harbour, as well as lighting the South Reef, a ledge of submerged rocks. It is the third oldest lighthouse in New South Wales. Designed by Mortimer Lewis and listed on the Register of the National Estate and on the New South Wales State Heritage Register since 2 April 1999, with the following statement of significance:

A dominant Sydney landmark which appears to have been in continuous use since the 1840s as a controlling point for shipping entering and leaving Port Jackson. The building complex, designed by the Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis in the early 1840s, is an architectural important example of an early Victorian public work associated with port activities.

Mount Victoria railway station

The Mount Victoria railway station is a heritage-listed former barracks and now staff accommodation, guest accommodation, railway signal box and railway station located on the Main Western line in Mount Victoria in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by NSW Government Railways and built from 1868 to 1913 by Allan McClean and James Barrie (1868 building). It is also known as Mount Victoria Railway Station group. The property is owned by RailCorp, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station opened on 6 September 1869.

Bathurst railway station, New South Wales

Bathurst railway station is a heritage-listed railway station at Havannah Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on the Main Western line and serves the city of Bathurst. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Bowenfels railway station railway station in New South Wales, Australia

The Bowenfels railway station is a heritage-listed disused railway station and now visitor's centre and restaurant located on the Main Western line in Bowenfels, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Clifton and the New South Wales Government Railways and built from 1869 to 1869 by G. Watsford, NSW Government Railway. It is also known as the Bowenfels Railway Station and Stationmaster's House and Old Station Masters Residence and Station. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Nielsen Park park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Nielsen Park is a heritage-listed historic site, park and nature reserve located at Greycliffe Avenue, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The traditional lands of the Birrabirragal indigenous people, the park was designed by John Frederick Hilly, James Barnet and the Office of the New South Wales Government Architect. It is also known as Vaucluse Estate, Greycliffe Estate and Greycliffe House. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 28 August 2017.

Howick Street houses, Bathurst terrace of houses in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

The Howick Street houses are five heritage-listed neighbouring semi-detached houses at 194, 196, 198, 200 and 202 Howick Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. 194, 196 and 198 are separately heritage-listed, while 200 and 202 are listed together. The houses are privately-owned. It is also known as Terrace Cottages. The five houses were all added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Collins Street wooden terraces, Kiama

The Collins Street wooden terraces are two sets of heritage-listed residences at 24-40 and 42-44 Collins Street, Kiama, Municipality of Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. They were built in the 1870s and 1880s. They were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Essington, Westmead

Essington is a heritage-listed former gentleman's residence and farm estate and now independent school located at 2, 4, 6, and 8 Bridge Road, Westmead in the Cumberland Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1860 to 1890. It is also known as Essington Christian Centre; Essington Christian Academy. The property is owned by Church of the Foursquare Gospel. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Glen Innes Post and Telegraph Office

Glen Innes Post and Telegraph Office is a heritage-listed post office at Grey Street, Glen Innes, Glen Innes Severn, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by NSW Government Architect's Office under Walter Liberty Vernon. and built from 1895 to 1896 by Sandbrook Brothers. The property is owned by Australia Post. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 23 June 2000. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 08 November 2011.

Jellore Cottage

Jellore Cottage is a heritage-listed house at 16 Jellore Street, Berrima, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Munday Cottage. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Goldfinders Inn

Goldfinders Inn is a heritage-listed former inn, guesthouse, general store and post office and now residence at 164 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1809 to 1830 by John Lamrock. It is also known as Gold Finders Rest, Kurrajong General Store and Kurrajong Post Office. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 21 October 2016.

Collits Inn

Collits' Inn is a heritage-listed former inn and now functions, accommodation and restaurant at Hartley Vale Road, Hartley Vale, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Pierce Collits and built in 1823. It is also known as Collitts Inn and Golden Fleece Inn. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Eskbank railway station, New South Wales Disused railway station in New South Wales, Australia

The Eskbank railway station is a heritage-listed former locomotive depot and railway station and now community group venue adjacent to the Main Western Line at Lithgow, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by the New South Wales Government Railways and the station building was built by Goodsell & Wright, as a contractor. It is also known as Eskbank Railway Station group and Lithgow Goods Station/ Lithgow Site S1. The property is owned by RailCorp, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Fernhill, Bowenfels

Fernhill is a heritage-listed former house and former inn and now unused building at Great Western Highway, Bowenfels, City of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1856 to 1859 by John Blackman. It is also known as Australia Arms Inn. The property is owned by National Trust of Australia (NSW). It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Holly Lea and Plough Inn

Holly Lea and Plough Inn is a heritage-listed former residence and inn and now storage at Holly Lea Road, Leumeah in the City of Campbelltown local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1816 by William Ray. It is also known as Plough Inn; Three Brothers (inn); The Travellers' Home (inn); Borobine House; Hollylea; William Ray's Cottage Inn Coolroom. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Thompson Square Conservation Area

Thompson Square Conservation Area is a heritage-listed precinct centred around Thompson Square in Windsor, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Lilyvale, The Rocks

Lilyvale is a heritage-listed former town house and now restaurant located at 176 Cumberland Street, in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1845 to 1847. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

14-16 Merriman Street, Millers Point

14-16 Merriman Street, Millers Point is a heritage-listed stone cottage located at 14-16 Merriman Street, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Millers Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1837 to c. 1840. It is also known as Stone Cottage & Wall. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 "Hartley Historic Site". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Office of Environment and Heritage. H00992. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  2. ↑ a NPWS post-card gives the date of 1842.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 NPWS post card, undated
  4. ↑ an undated NPWS post card says 1850s.
  5. ↑ Lithgow Mercury , 24 June 2016, 4.
  6. ↑ An undated NPWS post card says early 1850s

Bibliography

Attribution

CC-BY-icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article was originally based on Hartley Historic Site , entry number 00992 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence , accessed on 2 June 2018.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.