Windmill Hill, Appin facts for kids

Windmill Hill is a special historical site in Appin, a town in south-western Sydney, Australia. It used to be a group of farms but is now part of a water catchment area. The buildings on Windmill Hill were built between 1820 and 1950. It's also known by other names like Windmill Hill Group, including Ruins, North Farm, Middle Farm aka Larkin Farm and Windmill Hill, South Farm, and Steven's Homestead. The land is currently owned by Water NSW, a government agency. Because of its history, Windmill Hill was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 27 June 2014.

History of Windmill Hill

How Appin Got Its Name

The town of Appin has an interesting story behind its name. Even though many early settlers were from Ireland, the name came from Governor Macquarie. He arrived in the colony in 1810. One of his first goals was to find the best land for growing food. The Hawkesbury River area was good for farming, but it often flooded. This caused big problems for crops and animals.

Macquarie explored the land between the Nepean and Georges Rivers. This area reminded him of his home in Scotland. So, he named the northern part the Airds district. Later, he named the southern part, including Mount Gilead, Appin.

Early Farms and Land Grants

Governor Macquarie gave out many land grants to encourage farming. The first big grant was 400 hectares (1,000 acres) to William Broughton, a Sydney magistrate. Other smaller grants were given too. Farmers had to show good progress in growing crops and raising animals. If they didn't, the land would go back to the government. Appin quickly became a major supplier of wheat, corn, and barley. These crops were transported to Sydney by wagons.

Mount Gilead was a large property to the north of Appin. It was first granted to Reuben Uther. Later, a businessman named Thomas Rose bought it. He built a huge dam for water in 1824. This was one of the first dams in the colony. Rose was generous and let his neighbours use the water during dry times.

In 1836, Rose built a large stone windmill on Mount Gilead. This windmill helped grind wheat from the surrounding farms for many years. Today, the four-storey stone tower is still standing. It's now used as a water tank, but its top and sails are gone.

The Windmills of Appin

The Windmill Hill area got its name from the windmills that once stood there. One of the most famous was built by William Larkin in the mid-1840s. He built a timber windmill on the highest part of his property. This mill was very important for the local farmers.

Another mill was built in 1846 by Edward Larkin, a miller from England. His mill worked for almost 25 years. However, a plant disease called rust virus started to attack wheat crops in the 1850s. By the 1870s, this disease had almost destroyed wheat farming in the area. This led to the end of many mills, including Larkin's.

Different Farms of Windmill Hill

The Windmill Hill Group includes several old farms:

• North Farm (Brennan's Farm): This farm was granted to Moses and Michael Brennan in 1816. It was used for growing grain. The Brennan family owned it until 1907.
• South Farm: This farm was part of a larger grant given to Richard Tress in 1819. It was likely used more for grazing animals than growing crops. The Winton family owned this property for 85 years, starting in 1884. They also bought Larkin's farm in 1903.
• Stevens Property: This land was granted to Daniel Millar in 1819. It was mainly used for dairy farming. The property is named after the Stevens family, who were the last known occupiers in the mid-20th century.

Farming at Windmill Hill stopped around the 1970s. In the 1990s, part of the land was developed into a water treatment facility.

What Windmill Hill Looks Like Today

The Windmill Hill Group today shows what early farms looked like. Most of the buildings are now ruins, but you can still see their foundations and some walls. There are also old plants and signs of past farming activities. The area still feels like a rural setting.

The farms (North, Middle, and South) are located along a ridge. To the east, the land slopes down to a small creek. This area was cleared for paddocks, where crops were grown and animals grazed. There's also some native bushland and an old stone dam.

North Farm (Brennan's Farm)

North Farm was 38 hectares (94 acres) of land. Today, you can see the ruins of a sandstone farm building and a worn-out timber slab house. The timber house is still in fair condition. It has a mix of timber slabs, weatherboard, and corrugated iron walls. The roof has been covered with corrugated iron over old timber shingles. Only the brick chimneys of the back kitchen remain.

Near the house, there are parts of a sandstone granary building. This was used to store grain. Only parts of the northern and western walls are still standing. The western wall has a strange V-shaped slit. Some people think it might have been a loophole for defense, like a gun slit, but this isn't proven.

Middle Farm (Larkin's Farm)

Middle Farm also sits in a landscape that still looks like it did in the 1800s. The main house here had stone walls and french doors that opened onto a wooden verandah. Inside, it had nice wooden details, including a fireplace and built-in cupboards.

Today, the main part of the house has three rooms with a lean-to section at the back. The walls are made of sandstone. The roof is covered with corrugated iron over old timber shingles. Most of the inside details like doors, windows, and floors are gone. There are also remains of the old kitchen at the back.

South Farm

South Farm has the remains of an early house. It had stone walls at each end and a timber middle part that has collapsed. The area around it is very overgrown.

The former dairy building at South Farm is still standing. It's made of timber frame with corrugated iron walls and roof on a concrete base. It's in fair condition. Other old features include a masonry well and parts of a timber fence. There are also some old fruit trees that were part of an orchard.

Stevens Homestead

The main feature of the Stevens Homestead site is the ruins of what was likely a sandstone house. It was about 15.5 meters long and 6.7 meters wide. The walls are mostly collapsed, but they show that the house had at least six rooms. You can also see signs of two fireplaces. There are also old brick pieces around the ruins, suggesting other buildings were once there.

Condition of the Site

As of 2014, the buildings at Windmill Hill are in poor condition. However, the overall Windmill Hill Group, including the farms and homestead, still has a good level of historical completeness. This means it still shows a lot about its past.

• North Farm: Good for its old architecture and potential for finding historical items underground.
• Middle Farm: Good for its old architecture and potential for finding historical items underground.
• South Farm: Not much left of the buildings, but good potential for finding historical items underground.
• Steven's Homestead: Good potential for finding historical items underground.

Why Windmill Hill is Important

Windmill Hill is important because it shows how farming and settlement happened in the Cumberland Plain area from the 1820s to the early 1900s. The ruined farm buildings, old plants, and archaeological remains are still in a mostly untouched rural setting. When you look at it from below the western ridge, you can really feel the history of the place. It's rare to find such a well-preserved historical farm group in the Cumberland Plain today.

The different building styles and ruins also show how people built things in the 1800s. They give clues about the lives of the early settlers.

Historical Significance

Windmill Hill shows the way middle-level farming and settlement developed in the Cumberland Plain from the 1820s to the early 1900s.

Aesthetic and Technical Significance

The Windmill Hill Group has a high level of beauty and technical importance. When seen from below the western ridge, there are very few modern things in sight. This helps keep the historical feel of the farm buildings and their connection to each other. North and Middle farms stand out visually along the ridge.

The simple, rural style of the buildings adds to the beauty of the group. The mix of cleared paddocks and native bushland also makes the setting special. Each farm is an important part of the area's history. The fact that you can see one farm from another makes the whole group even more connected.

The ruins also show different building methods from the early to late 1800s. This gives us information about how buildings were constructed back then. The old stone dam, which might be from the early 1800s, is also important. It's a rare example of an early way to supply water to a home.

Research Potential

The Windmill Hill Group has good potential for archaeological research. Each homestead site could provide information about early settlement in the southern Cumberland Plain. This includes details about farming methods like growing crops, milling, and managing water. It also offers insights into the daily lives of middle-class settlers. The sandstone granary at North Farm is especially important. It can tell us about how important it was to store and protect grain in the early 1800s.

The different building techniques used in the various structures can also provide information about when they were built. They also give clues about how well-off the early settlers were. Having so many possible research sites close together makes the group even more valuable for study.

Rarity

Windmill Hill is rare because it's an unusual group of early to mid-1800s farm building ruins. It also has old plantings and archaeological remains in a mostly untouched rural landscape. It's very unusual to find such a historical setting with few modern changes in the Cumberland Plain. While there are other old farms from this period, many have been divided up. The fact that these four farms are still connected in their landscape makes them even more unique. They also represent middle-level farming, which is different from the larger estates owned by wealthy families.

The old stone dam might be a very early and rare example of a home water supply from the early 1800s. The granary ruin at North Farm is also unusual because it seems to have a loophole or gun slit. If this shows it was a fortified farm building, it would be very rare in New South Wales.

Representative Example

The different building methods used at Windmill Hill are good examples of other similar structures from the early 1800s. They show how early settlers often had to "make do" with what they had to build their homes and farms.