Old Westmoreland Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Westmoreland Homestead |
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Old Westmoreland Homestead, 2009
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| Location | Westmoreland Station, Nicholson, Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | c. 1882 |
| Architect | Thomas Brassey McIntosh |
| Official name: Old Westmoreland Homestead | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 31 July 2008 |
| Reference no. | 602339 |
| Significant period | 1880s |
| Builders | Thomas Brassey McIntosh |
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The Old Westmoreland Homestead is a special old house found at Westmoreland Station in Nicholson, Australia. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, which means it is an important historical building. This homestead was designed and built around 1882 by a person named Thomas Brassey McIntosh.
The Homestead's Story
Early Days and Building the Homestead
Westmoreland Station is located near the border of the Northern Territory and close to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1881, Thomas and Robert McIntosh, along with Robert Philp and William Kirk, took over this land. Thomas Brassey McIntosh was in charge of the property. Around 1882, he built the two-room stone house we now call Old Westmoreland Homestead. Many local people believe it is the oldest house still standing in the area.
When Westmoreland Station was first settled in the early 1880s, there were conflicts between the Indigenous people who originally owned the land and the new settlers. Because of these conflicts, the homestead was built to be very strong and safe. It had thick stone walls, doors that opened inwards, and only a few windows. This design helped protect the people and their belongings inside.
Changes in Ownership and Challenges
By 1887, a company called the South Australian Mortgage and Land Company took over the lease of Westmoreland. Then, in 1891, the Bank of Australasia became the owner.
In 1895, the station was made bigger, including several other land sections. The main homestead was on a section called Westmoreland No. 3. At that time, the property had the stone homestead with an iron roof, a kitchen, and other small buildings. The land was known for its good grass and permanent water, making it suitable for raising cattle.
However, in the late 1890s, Queensland faced a very bad drought. The Gulf country was affected, and in 1897, the lease for Westmoreland was given up. The land remained empty for about 15 years.
Later Years and Repairs
On October 1, 1912, John Norman McIntyre leased Westmoreland for 30 years. In 1913, he noted that many of the buildings were very old and some no longer existed. For example, the roof of the stone homestead had been damaged by termites, and the kitchen had fallen down.
In 1916, the Westmoreland Pastoral Company took over the lease. They managed Westmoreland along with their other properties.
An inspection in 1932 valued the stone homestead and its smaller buildings. In 1937, it was noted that the stone homestead was the only house still standing on Westmoreland. At this time, famous Australian cattle farmers, Sir William Charles Angliss and Walter Sidney Palethorpe Kidman (son of Sidney Kidman), were part of the company that owned the lease. The lease changed hands a few more times in the late 1930s.
What the Homestead Looks Like
Old Westmoreland Homestead is located near the main buildings of the current station, including other houses, a cold room, garages, and workshops. It sits on a lawn south of the main sheds and east of the modern homestead.
Building Materials and Design
The original two-room homestead is built from large, cut sandstone blocks. The builders used a special type of mortar made from "ant bed," which is soil from termite mounds. The building measures about 10 by 14 meters, including the verandah that goes all around it. The verandah is about 2.3 meters wide.
The roof is shaped like a hip roof and is covered with old corrugated galvanised iron. This iron is nailed with lead-head nails to wooden roof rafters and purlins, which are rough pieces of timber from the bush. The roof is not lined inside.
Some of the round wooden posts that hold up the verandah roof have been replaced because termites damaged them. The new posts look similar to the original ones.
Doors, Windows, and Inside
The original doors have been replaced with new wooden plank doors. Some of these new doors are half-height. The original wooden pieces above the doors, called lintels, are still there but are badly damaged by termites. The windows are just open spaces now, but you can still see traces of where the original window frames used to be.
Inside, the building has two rooms separated by a wall made of wood and corrugated iron. There is a doorway in the middle of this wall that connects the two rooms. Above the door, there is a metal screen for air to flow through.
The floor was originally dirt or ant bed. Later, at some point before 1980, a concrete floor was added inside. However, some of the original ant bed flooring can still be seen on parts of the verandah.
Today, the building is used for storage and for outdoor gatherings. There is a newer kitchen, built from metal, on one side of the homestead. The original kitchen, which was a separate building, is no longer there.
A photograph from 1963-1964 shows that a skillion (a roof with a single slope) was added to one side of the building. We don't know if this was part of the original design or added later.
Why the Homestead is Important
Old Westmoreland Homestead was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 31, 2008. This means it is recognized as a very important historical place for several reasons:
Showing Queensland's History
The homestead, built around 1882, is important because it shows how the cattle industry started in northwest Queensland in the late 1800s. It also shows what life was like during a time of conflict between settlers and Indigenous people. The way the building was constructed, with its thick walls, inward-opening doors, and few windows, clearly shows that safety was a big concern.
A Rare Example
Even though some parts of the building have been changed, it is still a rare example of a stone homestead built in the 1800s in Queensland. The use of "ant bed" (termite mound soil) as mortar was common back then, but very few buildings made with it still exist today.
A Typical Homestead Design
Old Westmoreland Homestead is a great example of the simple homes built during the 1800s in remote parts of Queensland. Its simple design and the use of local materials like sandstone and ant bed show the main features of homesteads from that time period.
Beautiful and Interesting
The homestead has a lot of aesthetic value, meaning it is beautiful and interesting to look at. This comes from its simple design and the natural materials used to build it: sandstone for the walls, ant bed for the mortar and floors, corrugated iron for the roof, and rough wooden posts for the verandah.
