Wilsons Farm House facts for kids

Wilsons Farm House is a very old house located at 310 West Botany Street in Rockdale, Australia. It was built between 1855 and 1856 by James Wilson. This historic house is now owned by the Bayside Council. It was officially added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, meaning it's an important part of the state's history.

The Story of Wilsons Farm House

For many years, the area where Wilsons Farm House stands had different names. People called it Frog's Hollow, Muddy Creek, or White Gum Flat. These names described the local geography. For example, "Rockdale" became the official name in 1878. It refers to the rocky areas nearby. The house is also close to Muddy Creek.

Who Owned the Land?

The land where Wilsons Farm House is located was first sold by the government in the early 1850s. Alexander William Riley bought 60 acres in April 1853. He was an officer in the British army.

However, Riley did not keep the land for long. It was quickly transferred to William Manning Clarke, and then to John Murphy in October 1853. John Murphy was a draftsman and landowner. He named the entire 60-acre estate "Killarney."

In 1855, John Murphy sold a part of this land, about 18 acres, to James Wilson. James Wilson was a farmer from Cooks River. This is how the land came into the Wilson family's hands. They owned it for 103 years!

The Wilson Family's Life

James Wilson, who built the house, was a sawyer by trade. He arrived in Australia in 1850 with his wife, Isabella, and most of their children. His eldest son, David, had arrived a year earlier.

The exact year Wilsons Farm House was built is not fully known. But it was likely constructed between 1853 and 1860. The Wilson family used the land for farming, though we don't know exactly what crops they grew.

After James Wilson passed away in 1869, his wife Isabella took over the estate. Later, in 1884, she sold the house and land to their son, David George Wilson. David continued to work as a market gardener, growing food to sell.

When David died in 1905, the property went to his wife, Sarah Ann. Their son, David George Wilson Jnr, became the executor. He was a clerk, not a gardener.

Chinese Market Gardeners

In 1917, Sarah Wilson leased about 3 acres of the land, known as Wilson's paddock, to Chinese market gardeners. Fong Hoy and Fong Loy, who traded as Sam Lee, rented the land. They paid 12 shillings per week.

After Sarah Wilson died in 1923, the property was left to four of her children. From 1930 to 1952, other Chinese gardeners, like Kim Fun and Lee Yee, leased the land. The cottage likely provided a home for these workers.

Changes to the Land

In 1952, the land was passed to Lily Maud Upcroft. When the gardening lease ended in 1958, the property was taken over by the Rockdale Council. Around this time, the cottage probably stopped being a home.

The Council continued market gardening for a while. But around 1971, the land was changed into a recreational space. The market gardens were cleared and leveled. By 1978, the Rockdale Women's Netball Complex officially opened on the site.

Today, Wilsons Farm House is empty and in poor condition. The Council has used it for storage. To save this old cottage, it needs to be restored and given a new purpose.

What Wilsons Farm House Looks Like

Wilsons Farm House is in the north-west corner of the Women's Sports Field. It sits in a slightly lower area now because the surrounding land was filled to create the netball courts.

There are not many original features left around the house. One old Peruvian peppercorn tree stands to the north-west of the cottage. The open space of the netball courts covers most of the land James Wilson once owned.

The farmhouse is one of the oldest surviving houses in Rockdale. It shows what homes were like when the area was still rural. It's connected to the early market gardening history and the Wilson family who farmed the land for many years. It also has ties to the Chinese market gardeners who leased the land later on.

The House's Design

Wilsons Farm House is a single-story cottage with four rooms. It has a pointed, triangular roof called a gable roof. The outside walls are made of rough sandstone. The window sills are also made of dressed sandstone.

The north and south walls have simple gable shapes. The north wall has the only chimney. On the east side, there are two windows and a central door. On the west side, facing West Botany Street, two windows are on either side of an off-center door. A sloped roof, called a hipped verandah, protects this side.

The timber verandah and screen you see today are newer. But they probably look similar to an older structure. The roof is covered with corrugated iron, and most of it seems to be original.

Inside the House

Inside, the house has a nearly square shape. It's divided into four rooms with no hallway. The two northern rooms are larger. Each of these rooms has a fireplace and a door to the outside. All the walls are made of masonry covered with lime plaster.

Most of the timber ceilings have been damaged by termites. This suggests there might have been an older ceiling made of lath and plaster. The floors throughout the house are concrete.

Some parts of a timber cornice (a decorative molding) are still in Room 1. However, there are no skirting boards or decorative frames around the windows or doors. One old six-pane window and its frame are still in Room 1. Other window parts are mostly missing. The door frames seem original, but the doors themselves are gone.

Why Wilsons Farm House is Important

Wilsons Farm House is the last remaining example of the simple pioneer homes built along Muddy Creek. It shows how Rockdale developed from a rural farming area to a place with market gardens. It's a good example of a basic 19th-century colonial farmhouse. It's also important because of its long connection to the Wilson family and the Chinese market gardeners.

Wilsons Farm House was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.