Tranby House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tranby House |
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View to the Swan River
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| General information | |
| Type | Historic farmers cottage |
| Location | Maylands, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 614: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 20 October 1995 |
| Reference no. | 2411 |
Tranby House, also known as Peninsula Farm, is a very old farm cottage in Maylands. It sits right next to the beautiful Swan River, across from Kuljak Island. This house is one of the oldest buildings still standing from when the Swan River Colony was first settled.
It looks like an English country cottage. It has bedrooms upstairs in the loft and wide porches all around. The house is linked to the Hardey family, who were a group of religious people called Methodists. They arrived in Western Australia on a ship named Tranby in February 1830.
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The Tranby Ship's Journey
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The ship Tranby was 26 metres long and 8 metres wide. It left the city of Hull in Yorkshire, England, on September 9, 1829. Captain John Story was in charge of the ship.
There were 37 passengers and 14 crew members on board. They also brought farm animals, tools, and building materials with them.
The Hardey Family Arrives
Joseph Hardey was a Methodist preacher from Lincolnshire, England. He came to Western Australia with his wife Ann and his brother John. Their group was quite large. It included a surgeon, a bricklayer, a blacksmith, a shoemaker, and several farmers.
They received a large piece of land. It was about 41.5 hectares (102 acres) big. This land was about 6 kilometres (4 miles) upstream along the Swan River from the new town of Perth. It was on a piece of land that stuck out into the river, like a small peninsula.
Later, they received even more land, about 73 hectares (180 acres) by 1844. This property was called Peninsula Farm. Today, much of this land is part of the suburb of Maylands.
Building Tranby House
Joseph Hardey built his first house in May 1830. He probably used materials brought on the Tranby ship. This first house was located on lower ground, about 100 metres (328 feet) from where the current house stands.
Sadly, a flood destroyed this house in July of the same year. So, Hardey built a new house the next year. This second house was made of wattle and daub (a mix of sticks and mud) and had a thatched roof. We don't know exactly where this second house was, but it was also likely destroyed by floods.
By June 1839, the house you see today was finished. This makes it one of the oldest brick houses in Western Australia. It is also the oldest home still standing in the inner city area.
Tranby House Today
The property was divided up in 1903. The part with the house stayed with the Hardey family until 1913. Then, Henry Baker bought it. In 1923, during Western Australia's 100th birthday year, it was officially named Tranby House. This name honored its history and the ship that brought the Hardey family.
In 1951, the property was sold again. In 1967, a company called Bond Corporation bought it. They tore down some old buildings, planning to build new things. But people in the public spoke out against these plans. Because of this, the National Trust of Australia bought the property in 1972.
The National Trust worked hard to restore the house. They made it look like it did in the early 1800s. Lady Kyle, the wife of the Governor, Sir Wallace Kyle, officially opened it to the public on November 27, 1977. Today, Tranby House is a popular place for visitors. It also has a lovely tearoom.
Old Trees and Furniture
Around the house, you can still see some very old oak, olive, and mulberry trees. People believe the Hardey family planted these trees themselves. Two of the oak trees were even listed as important trees by the National Trust in 1984.
Inside the house, the furniture looks like it's from the early 1800s. All the furniture is real and old, but it came from different places. Only a few pieces are known to have belonged to the Hardey family. These include a fancy brass four-poster bed, a polished wooden medicine chest, and the wooden lid of a packing case.
