Varroville (homestead) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Varroville
Heritage boundaries
Location	196 St Andrews Road, Varroville, City of Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1810–1859
Architect	Weaver and Kemp
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Varroville; Varro Ville; Varra Ville
Type	State heritage (complex / group)
Designated	2 April 1999
Reference no.	737
Type	Homestead Complex
Category	Farming and Grazing
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Varroville is a historic farm and home located at 196 St Andrews Road, Varroville, in the City of Campbelltown, Australia. It was designed by Weaver and Kemp and built between 1810 and 1859. It's also known as Varro Ville or Varra Ville. This important property is privately owned and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

A Look Back at Varroville's History

The Cowpastures: Where Wild Cows Roamed

When the first ships arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788, the land wasn't great for farming. So, settlers looked west to the rich soils of the Cumberland Plain. Early farms were set up near rivers like the Nepean and Hawkesbury.

By 1804, much of the Cumberland Plain was settled. Governor King then looked to an area called the Cowpastures. This place got its name because cows from the first fleet had wandered off and were found there in 1795. The government had kept this land empty to let the wild cattle grow in number.

In 1803, Governor King and his wife visited the Cowpastures. The Sydney Gazette newspaper reported that Mrs. King was the first "white lady" to cross the Nepean River. A road, later part of the Hume Highway, was built to this area.

Many important people visited the Cowpastures and wanted land there. They saw it as excellent grazing land for animals. One visitor, Captain Henry Waterhouse, described it as "a beautiful park, totally divested of underwood, interspersed with plains, with rich luxuriant grass." This meant it looked like a well-kept park, not a dense forest.

John Macarthur, a key figure in Australia's early wool industry, received the first large land grant in the Cowpastures in 1805. He was given 10,000 acres (about 4,000 hectares). He also arranged for his friend Walter Davidson to get 2,000 acres (about 800 hectares), which Macarthur also used. This gave him control over 12 miles (about 19 km) of riverbank.

In 1820, Governor Macquarie planned a town in the area, naming it Campbelltown. However, his plans were only finished later by Governor Darling in 1827. The railway line reached Campbelltown in 1858, making it easier to get to Sydney and its markets.

For a long time, the large estates in this area were used for sheep and cattle farming. Houses were often built on hills to offer great views and show the owner's importance. This farming pattern continued until the late 1990s.

Robert Townson and the Start of Varroville

Robert Townson (who died in 1827) was a doctor and scientist interested in nature. He arrived in Sydney in 1807. He was considered a very smart person in the young colony. Townson came to Australia to become a farmer and trader.

He was promised 2,000 acres (about 800 hectares) of land by the British government. However, the local Governor, William Bligh, delayed giving him the land. This made Townson unhappy, and he became an opponent of Bligh.

After some delays and changes, Townson finally received 1,000 acres (about 400 hectares) in the Minto district in 1809. This land became known as Varroville. He named it after Marcus Terentius Varro, a Roman writer who wrote a lot about farming. Townson wanted Varroville to be a perfect example of a successful farm.

In November 1810, Governor Macquarie visited Townson's farm. He noted that Townson had chosen "a very ill chosen situation" for his new house. Macquarie preferred a prominent spot with wide views, while Townson, being a scholar, liked a more private location closer to his crops.

Townson worked hard on his farm. He built a horse yard, cultivated a large garden, and cleared land. He was known for his "singular" and "eccentric" personality, focusing everything on his farms.

Varroville became famous for its fruit orchard and vineyard. It was said to have the best orchard in the colony and a vineyard second only to Gregory Blaxland's. Townson grew "Black Muscardelle" grapes and even made a "passable sweet wine." He also supplied meat to stores in Sydney and Liverpool. By 1818, he had many cattle and sheep, and grew wheat and maize.

Key Dates for Varroville's Early Owners

• 1827: Robert Townson passed away at Varroville. He was a bachelor and left his property to his family. By then, Varroville was known for its beautiful gardens, orchards, and successful livestock.
• 1829: Thomas Spencer Wills (1800-1836) bought Varroville. He was the first Australian-born Justice of the Peace.
• 1832: A directory mentioned Varroville as "celebrated for a Garden and Vinery" under Thomas Wills' ownership.
• Early 1837: The famous explorer, Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869), bought Varroville. He loved gardening and birdlife. Sturt built dams and changed watercourses to save water, which was very important during droughts. He even used Varroville as an example of good water conservation later in South Australia.
• 1838: The bird artist John Gould visited Sturt at Varroville. Sturt had a valuable collection of parrot paintings, which were later stolen.
• 1839: Sturt sold Varroville. His sale notice mentioned a "convenient" cottage with a kitchen, wash house, stables, coach house, and a "well-stocked garden and vineyard."
• November 1839: James Raymond, the first Postmaster General of the colony, bought Varroville. He was known for introducing the world's first pre-paid postage. Raymond loved to entertain guests and owned racehorses.
• 1851: James Raymond died. His daughter and her family lived at Varroville for a time.
• 1858: Raymond's sons sold the property to George Taylor Rowe.
• 27 April 1858: Architects Weaver & Kemp advertised for builders to lay foundations for a new house at Varroville. William Weaver was a former Colonial Architect. This new house was built on the site of the older one, reusing some parts.
• Around 1859: After Rowe's death, Justice Alfred Cheeke bought Varroville. He bred and trained racehorses there, even having his own private racecourse.
• 1876: After Justice Cheeke's death, Varroville was sold to grazier M. Suttor. Advertisements described the house as a large family home, built of brick and stone, with many rooms and surrounded by gardens. It also had an underground water reservoir. This was the third house built on the estate.
• 1885: Suttor sold Varroville to Sydney lawyer Thomas Salter, who leased it for dairying.
• 1906: Salter sold Varroville to Reginald Thomas.
• 1912: Thomas sold Varroville to W. H. Staniforth, a dairyman.
• 1923: Staniforth leased Varroville to the Smith Bros, who ran dairies there until 1958.
• 1929: George Smith bought Varroville. Later, Robert Stanley Thompson owned it.
• 1950: William Forest Ross bought the property, then sold it to Alfred L. M. (Morris) and Cherry Jackaman. The Jackamans made many changes, including enlarging the drawing room, adding a swimming pool, and changing the main entrance.
• 1960: Cherry Jackaman became involved with the National Trust (NSW), a group that protects historic places. She helped raise a lot of money for heritage projects and started house inspections to find important properties.
• 1964: The Jackamans opened Varroville for public tours as part of the National Trust's efforts.
• 1977: Cherry Jackaman became the first female president of the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
• 1990: Mrs. Jackaman gave the Varroville homestead and 3.1 hectares (about 7.6 acres) to the National Trust.
• 1991: The property was sold to help the National Trust pay off debts.
• 1992: Architects Keith and Virginia Pearson-Smith bought Varroville.
• 2002: John Moutsopoulos and Vanessa Seary acquired Varroville.
• 2006: Peter Gibbs and Jacqui Kirkby acquired Varroville.
• 2007: The Cornish Group bought a large area of land next to Varroville from Mrs. Jackaman's daughters. This brought much of the original 1810 estate back together.
• 2009: Cherry Jackaman received an award (the OAM) for her work.

What Varroville Looks Like Today

The Estate and Its Surroundings

Varroville is built on a narrow ridge, or saddle, on the south side of Bunbury Curran Hill. This hill was a famous landmark, even climbed by Governor and Mrs. Macquarie in 1810 for its amazing views. The hill, covered in trees, creates a beautiful background for the house when you approach it from the south.

The house is designed to face east-west, giving views of other historic homes like Denham Court and Macquarie Field House. The area's rolling hills are known as the "Scenic Hills" because of their beauty.

The Gardens of Varroville

Around the house, you can still see parts of a mid-19th-century garden. There's a gravel drive for carriages, the site of a lawn tennis court, and remains of a glasshouse. Many old plants are still there, like Moreton Bay figs, hoop pines, and white cedars.

The kitchen garden, first laid out in 1809, was likely on the sloping ground to the north-west of the house. The oldest colonial plants seem to be in the tennis court area, which might have been the site of the second house built by Townson. Most of the garden you see today was planted by the Jackaman family in the 1950s and early 1960s.

There are also two old arbors (garden shelters) with climbing plants like Banksia rose, jasmine, and wisteria.

Outbuildings and the Main House

Some of the farm buildings, like the coach house, might date back to the early 1800s.

The main Varroville House stands where an earlier house from the 1810s once was. It's a large, single-story brick house shaped like a "U" with two wings at the back. It was built by Weaver and Kemp in 1858-1859. Inside, it still has its original blackbutt wooden floors, cedar wood details, plaster ceiling decorations, and marble fireplaces. The roof, which was originally made of wooden shingles, is now covered with corrugated iron.

The kitchen in the northern wing still has a sandstone fireplace from an earlier service building. A large underground water tank extends from the house's wings, showing how important water storage was.

Condition and Changes Over Time

The house is still in good condition, with many original features like the floors, cedar work, and marble fireplaces.

Many changes were made by the Jackaman family between 1950 and 1990. They enlarged the drawing room, moved the cellar entrance, added a colonnade (a row of columns), installed a fountain, and built a swimming pool with changing rooms. They also changed the main driveway.

Over the years, the roof was changed from shingles to corrugated iron. More recently, between 2002 and 2007, new owners made repairs and removed overgrown plants in the garden. They also worked on the drawing room, restoring its original cedar wood. The current owner, Peter Gibbs, who makes colonial cedar furniture, has done much of the internal restoration work.

Why Varroville is a Heritage Site

Varroville is a very important historical place in New South Wales for many reasons:

• Early Farm Estate: It's a rare example of a large farm estate from 1810 that still shows its original layout and how it was used for farming.
• Horticultural Development: Varroville played a big role in developing gardening and farming in NSW. It had a famous kitchen garden and a vineyard that was one of the best in the colony. This shows how early settlers worked to grow food and plants.
• Agriculture and Food Production: The farm helped feed the early colony by growing crops and supplying meat.
• Beautiful Landscape: Governor Macquarie noted Varroville's beautiful pastures. The area is now known as the "Scenic Hills," and plans are in place to keep its rural character. The house is also designed to offer amazing views of the surrounding countryside.
• Water Conservation: Through Charles Sturt's work with dams and watercourses, Varroville shows how important it was to save water during droughts in early Australia.
• Architectural Significance: The 1858-1859 house is a great example of the work of William Weaver, a former Government Architect. It has many original features and shows the building styles of that time.
• Famous Owners: Varroville is linked to important historical figures like Dr. Robert Townson, explorer Charles Sturt, Postmaster General James Raymond, and Justice Alfred Cheeke. It was a prestigious country estate for wealthy owners.
• Literary and Artistic Recognition: The property was featured in W. Hardy Wilson's book "The Cowpasture Road," showing its importance in local culture.

Varroville was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 because it helps us understand the history and development of New South Wales.