Cecil Hills Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cecil Hills Farm |
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| Location | Sandringham Drive, Cecil Hills, City of Liverpool, Sydney New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1818–1824 |
| Owner | Department of Planning and Infrastructure |
| Official name: Cecil Hills Farm | |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 774 |
| Type | Homestead Complex |
| Category | Farming and Grazing |
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Cecil Hills Farm is a very old farm located in Cecil Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was built a long time ago, between 1818 and 1824. Today, it's owned by the New South Wales Government and is considered a special heritage site. This means it's an important part of history and needs to be protected. The farm was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
History of Cecil Hills Farm
The first pieces of land in this area were given out between 1807 and the early 1820s. This happened when Governor Macquarie wanted to open up new land to the west and south-west of Sydney.
The land that became Cecil Hills Farm was created by joining together several land grants. These grants belonged to Joseph Sherrard, Simeon Lord, Thomas Wylde, and John Wylde. John Wylde's land was close to the Cowpasture Road, which connected Prospect to Camden. This road is now called Camden Valley Way. The farm is about 8 kilometres west of Liverpool.
John Wylde arrived in the colony in 1816 with his father, Thomas Wylde, and other family members. John became the Judge Advocate for the Colony, which was a very important legal position. He named his new property Cecil Hills, after his home in England called Cecil Lodge.
John Wylde started farming his land and by July 1818, he had agreed to provide a huge amount of meat (6,000 pounds) to the government stores. This made him the biggest meat supplier at that time. By 1820, a government official named Commissioner Bigge noted that John Wylde was one of the largest landowners in Sydney.
The Wylde family probably didn't live on the farm until July 1824. Before that, the farm was already producing a lot of beef, which means it was well-organised and had many workers. In 1828, John Wylde left the Colony, and his wife Elizabeth lived on the property.
A skilled carpenter named James Gough, who had arrived in Australia in 1813, was hired to build the farmhouse at Cecil Hills.
In 1831, Sherard sold his land to John and Edward Wylde. This made the property much larger, reaching a total of 3,589 acres. John Wylde owned the properties in New South Wales until he passed away in 1859. His wife then lived there until her death in 1864.
Over the years, parts of the property were sold or taken by the government for roads and electricity lines. In 1963, a company called Cecil Hills Pty Ltd became the owner. Then, in 1972, the government bought the property from the Pye family. It has been owned by the government ever since. The Pye family used the farm to raise beef and sheep, but they never actually lived there.
In the early 1990s, the buildings at Cecil Hills Farm were carefully repaired and preserved. For a while, the site was used for a day program for people with intellectual disabilities, but this program no longer operates there. The farmland around the house is now being developed into a new housing area called Elizabeth Hills.
What Cecil Hills Farm Looks Like
The Cecil Hills Farm Group includes several old farm buildings from the early 1800s to the early 1900s. These buildings are still in a mostly natural, rural setting.
The main parts of Cecil Hills Farm are:
- Main Homestead: This is a single-storey house built around the 1820s. It has a special type of wall construction called "brick nog," where bricks are used to fill the spaces between wooden frames. It has a hipped iron roof.
- Rear garage: This building might have been the old kitchen.
- Stables: Where horses were kept.
- Former cow bails: Where cows were milked.
- Shearing shed: Where sheep were shorn for their wool.
- Other farm structures: These include stockyards (for animals), a sheep dip (for cleaning sheep), and gallows (used for hanging meat).
- Other outbuildings: There's a small iron toilet and two corrugated iron sheds.
Around the house, you can see mature trees like coral trees, Moreton Bay figs, and kurrajong trees. There are also cherry laurel plants, which might have been part of an old hedge.
The farm group is mostly still in its original state, especially the main house. This means it has kept a lot of its history and original look.
Why Cecil Hills Farm is Important
Cecil Hills Farm is a very important historical site in the Liverpool area. It is one of the oldest surviving farm complexes and has been a working farm for over 170 years.
The main farmhouse is special because it's a rare example of "brick nog" construction. This old building method is not used anymore. The farm buildings, even if they are not all from the very first period, help us understand how a large early farm worked.
The farm was granted to and lived on by Sir John Wylde, who was a significant person in the early history of the colony. He was involved in setting up the Bank of New South Wales and the Australian legal system.
Cecil Hills Farm was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 because it meets several important criteria:
- It shows the history of New South Wales: Cecil Hills Farm is one of the earliest farms in the Liverpool area. It's also important because of its connection to John Wylde, who was one of the first and largest suppliers of meat to the colony.
- It has special beauty or technical skill: The farm is a rare example of an early farm that still has its original rural setting. The buildings help us understand how the property was used, giving us a rare look into an early working farm.
- It has a strong connection to the community: Cecil Hills Farm was once the home of John Wylde and his family. It also played a big part in helping the New South Wales colony survive by producing beef and mutton.
- It can teach us new things: The farm is important for research. It shows us early building techniques, especially "brick nogging," which is no longer used. It also shows us how farming practices changed in New South Wales from the very beginning of the colony until the mid-1900s.
- It is rare or uncommon: Cecil Hills Farm is a very rare group of farm buildings that are still mostly intact. They date from the 1820s all the way to the early 20th century.
- It is a good example of its type: Cecil Hills Farm is a rare and well-preserved example of an early Colonial farm. It shows how farms helped feed the early colony.
