Macquarie Arms Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Macquarie Arms Inn |
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Former Macquarie Arms Inn, Pitt Town, New South Wales
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| Location | 104-106 Bathurst Street, Pitt Town, City of Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia |
| Owner | Paul & Elizabeth King |
| Official name: Macquarie Arms Inn (former); Blighton Arms; Flemings Public House; Macquarie Arms Inn: Mulgrave Place | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 282 |
| Type | Inn/Tavern |
| Category | Commercial |
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The Macquarie Arms Inn is a very old building in Pitt Town, New South Wales, Australia. It used to be a busy inn, which is like an old hotel or pub, but now it's a home. It was also known as the Blighton Arms and Flemings Public House when it was an inn. The main house on the property is called Mulgrave Place. This historic site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, meaning it's protected because of its special history.
Contents
A Glimpse into the Past
Early Days and First Peoples
The land around the Hawkesbury River was originally home to the Dharug people. This area was very important for them. The river, which they called Deerubbin, provided lots of food and was a key way to travel.
European Settlers Arrive
In 1789, Governor Arthur Phillip explored this area. He was looking for good farmland for the new colony. He named the Hawkesbury River after Baron Hawkesbury. European settlers started living here by 1794. The area was known for its rich farms and helped feed the colony during tough times. However, the river often flooded, which could ruin the farmers' crops.
Governor Macquarie's Vision
In 1810, Lachlan Macquarie became the new Governor of New South Wales. Under his leadership, the colony grew a lot. Governor Macquarie wanted to build a strong community. He started many public building projects, creating new roads and services. The Hawkesbury district really thrived during his time.
On 6 December 1810, Governor Macquarie officially named five new towns in the Hawkesbury area. These became known as the Macquarie Towns. Pitt Town was one of these towns, and it started to become a more permanent place with streets and public buildings.
The Inn's First Owner
Henry Fleming arrived in Sydney in 1791 as a convict. After he became a free man, he asked for land in Pitt Town. He was likely given the land where the Macquarie Arms Inn now stands. He started building there, first a well, then a kitchen, a barn, and finally the main house.
Fleming ran an inn called the Blighton Arms, also known as Flemings Public House, from 1816 to 1819. His license was taken away because of problems with how the inn was run. It's not completely clear which building was the inn back then. Some think it was the kitchen building, while others believe it was the barn.
New Owners and a New Name
Around 1830, Henry Fleming's brother-in-law, William Johnston, got a new license for the inn. He renamed it the Macquarie Arms Inn. Johnston's family bought the property around 1840. By the 1870s, when William Johnston passed away, the building was no longer used as an inn. Around that time, the main house became known as Mulgrave Place. More parts were added to the north side of the main house around 1900.
Johnston's family owned the property until about 1920. Then, the Greenwall family bought it. The Greenwall family sold it to the current owners in 1982. At that time, the building needed a lot of repair. Today, the Macquarie Arms is the oldest surviving inn building in Pitt Town. Its location on a ridge offers great views of the Blue Mountains. This shows how the town connects to the farming lands below. Some of the old plants on the site also add to its historic feel.
What the Site Looks Like
The Macquarie Arms Inn site has four main buildings. These include the main house (which was once the inn), a separate kitchen building, stables and a barn, and a very old brick cottage from around 1805. There are also toilets and a brick well with a domed roof and an original sandstone cover.
The buildings are located on the edge of a ridge. This spot gives amazing views of Pitt Town Bottoms and the Blue Mountains. This view helps us understand the link between the town and the farmlands nearby. Some of the old trees and plants on the property also make the setting special.
The Main Inn Building
The main building is a large, important structure. It has a special roof shape called a "jerkin-head roof." Much of its original wood and building materials are still there. The inn building has one main floor and a long attic, which was probably used for people to sleep in. It needs a lot of care to keep it from falling apart. The walls show an interesting way bricks were used. The beautiful cedar wood from the bar area was removed in the 1970s.
The Barn and Stables
The barn and stables building is quite unique. It has brick walls that look like a veneer over slab walls, and it also has a jerkin-head roof.
Mulgrave Place Homestead
The "Mulgrave Place" house is much grander. It's next to the older cottage (from around 1815) and was definitely built by 1823. It runs parallel to the street. This is a two-story house with a separate kitchen building that has a cellar. Part of the kitchen has fallen into the cellar.
The front of the house, facing Bathurst Street, changed when a verandah was added around 1870. However, the original house is still very important. The upstairs part seems to be mostly unchanged from early colonial times. The five rooms upstairs don't have electric lights and use cedar wood throughout. One room has a beautiful cedar ceiling. The doors have old, blacksmith-made hinges.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Macquarie Arms Inn and Mulgrave Place site is very important historically. It has one of the oldest cottages (from around 1815), the earliest surviving inn (from 1816/1817), and an early house (before 1823). It also has a kitchen block and stables/barn. This makes it one of the oldest groups of buildings in Pitt Town. It shows how the village developed after it had to move in 1815 because of floods.
The inn first got its license in 1816. It started in a part of a jerkin-head barn connected to the 1805 brick cottage. It was known as the Blighton Arms or Fleming's Public House from about 1816/1817 until 1819. It then reopened as the Macquarie Arms around 1830.
The site has strong connections to Henry Fleming, an early settler who built the complex and ran the inn. It's also linked to his brother-in-law, William Johnston, who ran the inn from around 1830. Johnston's family owned the property until the 1920s.
The site is also very important for its beauty and how old it is. It's one of the earliest groups of buildings still standing in Australia. The four main buildings – the main house, kitchen, old brick cottage, and barn/stables – are all important on their own. Together, they are even more significant.
The main building with its jerkin-head roof still has many of its original parts. The barn and stables are unique with their special brick walls and roof. The way the barn, stables, and coach house might have also been used as an inn is interesting.
The location of the buildings on the ridge, looking over Pitt Town Bottoms, is also very special. It offers amazing views of the Blue Mountains and shows the connection between the town and the farming land. Some of the old plants on the site also add to its historic charm.
Because it's an old and mostly untouched group of colonial buildings, Mulgrave Place likely has a lot of archaeological potential. This means that digging there could uncover many old items and stories.
The Macquarie Arms Inn was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
