Argyle Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Argyle Homestead |
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Argyle Homestead, 2009
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| Location | New England Highway, Geham, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1870 |
| Architectural style(s) | Classicism |
| Official name: Argyle Homestead, SEQ-8F 10 | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600436 |
| Significant period | 1870s, 1930s (historical) 1870s-1930s (fabric) |
| Significant components | trees/plantings, decorative features, out building/s, residential accommodation - main house, chimney/chimney stack |
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Argyle Homestead is a special old farm building located in Geham, Queensland, Australia. It's a place with a rich history, built around 1870. Today, it's recognized as a heritage site, meaning it's important to protect because of its past and unique features. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992.
Contents
The Story of Argyle Homestead
Argyle Homestead was likely built in the 1870s for a man named Duncan Munro. He was a timber merchant, which means he bought and sold wood. Munro was also a well-known businessman in Toowoomba. He started the Argyle Saw Mills in Geham, an area north of Toowoomba.
How Argyle Homestead Began
Duncan Munro bought the land where Argyle Homestead now stands in 1868. By 1874, records show he was living at "Argyle Farm." It's thought that he named the place "Argyle" after his birthplace, Argylshire in Scotland.
The area around Geham had lots of trees. This led to a booming timber industry, with many sawmills opening in the late 1850s. As the trees were cleared, the land became good for dairy farming. The opening of the Highfields (later Spring Bluff) Railway Station helped the dairy industry grow even more.
Duncan Munro's Business and Influence
Duncan Munro and his brother Archibald started the Argyle Saw Mills near Geham Creek. They also opened a timber yard in Toowoomba during the 1870s. Munro helped expand the timber industry into other areas like Perseverance, Ravensbourne, and Cooyar.
Even though his partnership with his brother ended in 1887, Duncan Munro continued the business. He was also a local leader, serving as chairman of the Highfields Divisional Board from 1888 to 1913. Later, he chaired the Highfields Shire Council from 1915 to 1917.
Important Visitors and New Ideas
In 1897, the Governor of Queensland visited Munro's new sawmills. He even stayed at Argyle Homestead! Around this time, Munro was building a special railway, called a tramway. This tramway would connect the timber areas to the main Crows Nest branch line at Hampton. This made it easier to transport timber.
Around 1904, Munro traveled to the United States. He bought a locomotive (a train engine) for his tramway. Because he was so interested in timber, he might have brought back some unique trees from the United States to plant around his homestead.
New Owners and Uses
Duncan Munro moved to Toowoomba in the early 1900s and lived there until he passed away in 1926. From 1903, Argyle Homestead was rented out to different people. In 1920, Munro sold the property to Johann J. Kahler. The Kahler family were early European settlers in the Geham area, and some of them had worked at Munro's sawmill.
In the late 1930s, Argyle Homestead even served as the local Geham Post Office! Johann Kahler passed away in 1942, and the property went to his son, David John Kahler.
David Kahler died in 1983. He left about 4 acres (1.6 hectares) of land, including Argyle Homestead, to the National Trust of Queensland. The National Trust later sold the property. In the late 1980s, Argyle Homestead was updated to become a guesthouse. The current owners bought it in 1993.
What Argyle Homestead Looks Like
Argyle Homestead is a beautiful building located in Geham, right on the New England Highway. It's made of chamferboard (a type of timber siding) and has roofs made of corrugated iron. It sits among many old, tall trees and has other timber and iron farm buildings nearby.
The Main House
The main house is a simple rectangular building. It has a steeply sloped roof with gabled ends, which means the roof comes to a point like a triangle. Inside the roof, there are attic rooms. A covered verandah (a porch) wraps around three sides of the house.
The house stands on timber stumps, lifting it off the ground. At the back, there's an addition with different roof styles, including hipped (sloping on all sides) and skillion (a single sloping surface).
Special Features of the House
The front of the house, facing east, looks very balanced. It has a central dormer window (a window that sticks out from the sloped roof) with an arched opening. Below this is a rounded entrance area called a portico with timber stairs. Tall chimneys rise from the roof on either side. The triangular ends of the roof (the gables) on the east and west have pairs of timber windows with shutters.
The verandah has square timber posts with fancy tops called capitals and decorative valances (decorative trim). At the corners, there are double posts. The verandah roof is a curved corrugated iron awning. The timber fence around the verandah, called a balustrade, has a criss-cross pattern.
The outside of the house has beautiful timber decorations. This includes curvy, cut-out patterns called fretwork fascias on the dormers, gables, and main roof. The rounded entrance area has shaped wooden strips with decorative holes. The dormers, rounded entrance, and gable ends also have decorative pointed tops called finials.
Inside the House
Inside, the front part of the house has four rooms that are still in their original condition. They open from a central hallway. The back of the house has rooms that have been updated, including the stairs and a window from when it was the Geham Post Office.
The front door is a strong timber door with glass panels on the sides called sidelights. The four front rooms are lined with horizontal timber boards. Each room has a fireplace with a timber mantelpiece (the shelf above the fireplace). Double glass doors in these rooms open onto the side verandahs. Narrow timber stairs lead to the upstairs rooms. On the plaster around the chimneys, you can still see the signatures of people who lived there, including members of the Munro and Kahler families.
The Grounds and Other Buildings
The property still has many old trees, both local and exotic (from other places). Cedars and pines mark the edges of the property. Cypresses frame the front entrance, and holly bushes are to the north, surrounded by a driveway. Large shade-giving pines and cedars are also scattered around.
Other farm buildings on the property include a timber slab and corrugated iron shed. It has pitched and skillion roofs and is built on hand-sawn timber poles. There's also a timber frame used for hanging animal carcasses, located to the north-west of the house.
Argyle Homestead is considered beautiful because it's a well-preserved old house. It's surrounded by lovely trees and simple farm buildings. It also clearly shows how it developed as a homestead and farm over time.
Why Argyle Homestead is Important
Argyle Homestead was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992, because it meets certain important standards.
Beautiful and Historic
- The homestead and its grounds are considered very beautiful. They include a variety of old trees that add to its charm.
Connected to Important People
- Argyle Homestead has a special connection to Duncan Munro. He was a well-known businessman from Toowoomba who played a big part in developing the timber industry in the Highfields area.
