Veteran Hall Remains facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Veteran Hall Remains |
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Veteran Hall, 1913
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| Location | Great Western Highway, Prospect, City of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1821–1821 |
| Owner | Sydney Water |
| Official name: Veteran Hall - House Remains | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological-terrestrial) |
| Designated | 18 November 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1351 |
| Type | Homestead Complex |
| Category | Farming and Grazing |
| Builders | William Lawson |
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The Veteran Hall Remains are the old foundations and bits of the former Veteran Hall house. This historic site is located on the Great Western Highway in Prospect, Australia. A famous explorer named William Lawson built Veteran Hall in 1821. Today, the land is owned by Sydney Water. This important site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on November 18, 1999, because of its history.
Contents
A Look Back: History of Veteran Hall
Early Days: Aboriginal People and Settlers
The area around Prospect Reservoir has a long history. Aboriginal people lived here for many years. They found good places to camp near Eastern Creek and Prospect Creek. There is even proof that they continued to live here after Europeans arrived. This is shown by finding both old stone tools and glass pieces together. European settlers first came to this area in 1789.
Prospect Hill is a very important landmark in Sydney. It is the largest rock formation of its kind in the Cumberland Plain. Soon after the first settlers arrived, Governor Phillip and his team climbed Prospect Hill on April 26, 1788. From the top, they could see the Blue Mountains for the first time. Prospect Hill became a key spot for early explorers. It helped them figure out distances and map the land.
In 1791, Governor Phillip started giving land to convicts who had finished their sentences. This was to help them become farmers. The land on the eastern and southern sides of Prospect Hill was very good for farming. Many settlers received 30-acre grants around the hill.
The arrival of these settlers led to conflict with the Aboriginal people. Pemulwuy and his Bidjigal clan bravely resisted the new settlements. In 1801, Governor King ordered that Aboriginal people around Parramatta and Prospect Hill should be "driven back."
After Pemulwuy passed away in 1802, the main resistance in the Parramatta area slowly ended. However, there were still conflicts in other places. In 1805, a special meeting was held near Prospect Hill. Local Aboriginal groups met with Reverend Marsden to discuss how to end the fighting. This meeting, on May 3, 1805, was a very important step towards peace between Aboriginal people and Europeans. It helped set the stage for future meetings, like Governor Macquarie's "Native Feasts" that started in 1814.
Farming continued to be important at Prospect Hill. By the 1820s, much of the land was cleared and used for raising animals. When Governor Macquarie visited in 1810, he was impressed by how well the settlers were doing.
Veteran Hall: William Lawson's Home
The famous explorer William Lawson (1774-1850) received a large piece of land, 500 acres, on the western side of Prospect Hill in 1810. He built Veteran Hall around 1821. He named it "Veteran Hall" because he was an officer in the NSW Veterans Company. This new house was either a replacement or a much larger version of his first home, which was built on the same spot around 1810.
Veteran Hall was a big, single-story house built in the Colonial Georgian style. It was about 65 squares in size, and with its verandahs, it grew to about 110 squares. William Lawson lived in Veteran Hall from 1810 until he passed away in 1850.
In the 1880s, the government took over the property to build Prospect Reservoir. Veteran Hall then became the home and office for the Water Board's Engineer-In-Charge from 1888 to 1912. After that, the military used the homestead as a horse depot until 1915. The building then became empty and was pulled down in 1929. Some of its special parts, like decorative stones called quoins, were given to the Vaucluse House Trust and Lawson's family. William Lawson, a very important person in Australian history, died at Veteran Hall in 1850. He was buried nearby at St. Bartholomew's Church. You can still see the foundations of Veteran Hall today, just off William Lawson Drive in Prospect.
Grey Stanes: Nelson Lawson's Home
Nelson Lawson, who was William Lawson's third son, built another house called Grey Stanes in 1837. This was meant to be his family home. It was built on the eastern side of Prospect Hill, which has since been quarried away. The site is now in the suburb of Pemulwuy. Close by is One Tree Hill, which has a large Moreton Bay fig tree that was planted in the garden of Grey Stanes and is still there today.
Grey Stanes had a long driveway lined with beautiful trees like elms, hawthorns, and jacarandas. The house had a wide, curved front verandah with four pillars. Its foundations were made of stone, the roof was slate, and the doors were made of heavy red cedar wood. It was a very fancy home, filled with the best furniture, and many important people from the colony attended parties there. Nelson Lawson passed away in 1849, and the property went back to his father, William Lawson. Grey Stanes was pulled down in the 1940s.
Changes Over Time
- c. 1810: William Lawson received his land grant and built his first house, which later became Veteran Hall.
- c. 1821: The main Veteran Hall homestead was built or made much larger. It was a big, single-story house with verandahs.
- Pre-1837: Nelson Lawson built Grey Stanes on Prospect Hill. It had a wide, curved verandah and was built with stone foundations and a slate roof.
- 1880s: The Veteran Hall property was taken over to build Prospect Reservoir.
- 1888-1912: Veteran Hall became the home and office for the Water Board's Engineer.
- 1912-1915: The military leased Veteran Hall as a horse depot. After this, the building became empty.
- 1929: Veteran Hall homestead was pulled down. Some parts were saved and given to a trust and Lawson's family.
- 11940s: Grey Stanes was pulled down.
What Remains Today
The site of Veteran Hall is now marked by old wall footings and scattered bricks. A path lined with tall Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pines) and Araucaria bidwillii (Bunya Pines) leads to where the house once stood.
Other plants growing nearby include wild olive trees and a former Pyracantha (firethorn) hedge. A Macartney rose bush can also be found in the old homestead garden.
There are also other hidden parts of the old property, like filled-in cellars and a well. This well was found near the road to Prospect Hill Reservoir. It is about 25.5 meters deep and 2 meters wide. It is lined with old bricks and still holds 7.5 meters of water.
A special memorial was built in 1970 using bricks from the old house. It has a bronze plaque that says, "This cairn marks the site of Veteran Hall, the home of explorer William Lawson and commemorates his life and achievements. Erected 1970." There are also signs that explain the history of the site.
Why Veteran Hall Remains Are Important
The Veteran Hall archaeological remains are very important because they are connected to the explorer and leader, William Lawson. He built the first main house on this site. These remains can help us learn about how people settled in the area and how farming was done in the 1800s. The site is still mostly untouched, which means it can give us a lot of information.
The site can also tell us about the second group of people who lived there: the Metropolitan Water Supply Board. They used the site when they were building the Upper Nepean water system. Later, the military used it too. The remains of Veteran Hall also look good in the landscape and fit well with the area around Prospect Reservoir.
Veteran Hall House Remains were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on November 18, 1999, because they meet several important standards:
The site shows the history of New South Wales. Veteran Hall and the land around it are linked to William Lawson, the explorer. The old landscape, including plants, fences, and roads, helps us understand what the property looked like in the past.
The site has special beauty or shows great skill. The remains of the house add to the beauty of the landscape. They fit well with the views around Prospect Reservoir.
The site can give us information about the history of New South Wales. The remains of the house, other buildings, and the well can provide clues about how people lived and worked on the property. This includes when it was a large farm, when the Water Board used it, and when the military used it.
The site has rare or unique historical features in New South Wales. The archaeological remains of Veteran Hall offer a rare chance to study the home and land of a very important historical figure like William Lawson.
