Ponies at Bull's Camp

Cave at Bull's Camp
(originally thought to house convicts overnight
but now considered to have been a store for food)

An article in the Nepean Times dated 8.2.1940 stated that permission had been given by the Blue Mountains Council (temporarily) for the establishment of ponies for hire at Bull's Camp reserve Woodford.  It would seem that the recreation was recommended as a good way to popularise the reserve.  The article went on to state that the reserve was of historic importance being the site of a military camp under the supervision of Captain Bull.  The camp was established for the convict road gangs that were employed in road building along the Western Road.  Woodford House was built later to accomodate the officers in charge of the road works in the mid twenties.

The reserve has subsequently been encroached on by contemporary road works and unfortunatelty, today, is in a sad state.  

Dam wall constructed by convicts



Early Residents - Ralph & Ida Abercromby

The Sydney Morning Herald dated 26.4.1926 carried the obituary of Ralph Scott Abercromby 'Vineta' Springwood.  He was aged 69 and his funeral was a private affair with a request that no flowers be sent. Ralph, who was born in Lanark Scotland, lived in Essendon Victoria during the 1890s.  Newspaper accounts from that time show that he may have been a victim of the economic downturn which hit Australia in the 1890s because  he was declared insolvent in 1896.   He was a commercial traveller, and the Warrigal Guardian dated 12.6.1896 related that his wife, Ida Laura, was the breeder of St Bernard dogs.  

At some point in time Ralph and Ida moved to New South Wales because in the 1920s they lived in the cottage 'Vineta' in Railway Avenue Springwood.  The property had some 15 acres attached plus a motor garage, coach house and stables.

Local ancedotal history suggests that he was a train commuter and - according to cemetery transcripts - fellow commuters were accustomed to the sight of Ralph striding ahead to catch the train followed by a coloured man carrying his bag and umbrella. 

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 18.7.1936 confirmed that Ida lived  in Strathfield and resided there for about ten years.  She died in 1950.  

  

Commercial premises Springwood

Delaney Bros Butchers

Hurley's who purchased Delaney's premises & house
This photograph is taken at the rear of the premises & shows
 the residence

William Rayner's General Store
left & Nosworthy & Bates is believed to be the shop on the right 

General Store

H.J. Baldwin – 1930s

Viv Colless - c1905 4 weatherboard shops located opposite the Post Office.  Burnt to ground in 1913 & rebuilt 1914.

Tom Ellis - building owned by Ted Honeysett.  Business later purchased by Eric Young

Archie Ferguson - early1900s

Fripps

W. Hall - located in one of Colless's shops

William Honeysett – c1893 store near Royal Hotel

George Mitchelmore – store purchased by H.J. Baldwin

Nosworthy & Bates – Thomas Nosworthy and William Bates shop located adjacent to present-day            School of Arts Town Square

William Rayner – late 1800s

Eric Young - c1930/40s business purchased from Tom Ellis

Butcher Shops

Edward Allen – c1896

Ashe (Horsley bought business)

Edward Ashcroft – took over Dilworth’s business

Ray Bennett – c1930s

John Blackmore – c1910

Mr. Brown – bought Stratton’s business

Eric Bunyan - 1932

Delaney Bros. – Hurley purchased business

Thomas Dilworth – building located on site of present-day Priceline chemist, owned by David Sharpe

Charles Goodwin – 1890s (was an employee of William Rayner)

J. Harris – c1900s

Horsley – 1905 (bought business owned by Mr Ashe)

William Hurley – purchased ‘Kirkstall’ and butchers business operated by Delaney Bros.

James Morrison – c1890s

J.B. Rogers – last butchers to operate from David Sharpe’s building

David Sharpe – c1900s (subsequently Dilworth, Ashworths & Rogers)

James Stratton – c1891 opposite station?  Bought by Mr. Brown

Hairdressers

James Moyes Adamson

W. Brown - from one of Colless's shops c1913

Ham & Beef Shop (now delicatessen)

William John Werner - c1913

Pharmacy

Lock Anderson - c1920s

Refreshment Rooms

Mr Kilduff

* This information is not definitive

Dairy Trade - Milkmen and dairy farmers

Joe & Beryl Benoit

Benoit family Valley Heights - 'Elmside' dairy & milkman started by Diana and Alexander Benoit in late 1800s. Merv Benoit carried on the tradition.

Thomas Dillworth - c1903 (sold to Mr Street c1905)

T. Farmer - 1924 dairyman

Amy Kearns - dairy Hawkesbury Road 'Sunning Hill' c1920s

Forbes Briown Kerry - diary & milkman (?) Raymond Road Springwood

Mr. J. Radcliffe - dairy & milkman Hawkesbury Road

William Henry Rowling - milkman Valley Heights

Stratton family - dairy Grose Road Faulconbridge (James, Isabella & Minnie)

F.C. Tart - dairyman 1932

Alf Webb - dairyman

Mr Street - c1905

* 'Weemala' at Linden had its own dairy

Architecture - The place of the summerhouse in public parks

Richmond Park England

A much more extravagant summerhouse in the grounds of Tring House Herefordshire

A recent post on this site mentioned how‘summerhouses,’ located in Lomatia Park Springwood, were used by tramps during the latter part of the 1930s.  This set me to wondering about the history of these small buildings that graced – but have now all but disappeared - many parks.  However, locating the history has been no mean fete and this offering is by no means complete.

One article suggested that the modern jargon describes the ‘Gazebo or Summerhouse as a structure built in the garden for rest and recreation.’[1]   The structure is regarded as a place of refuge and has taken on different architectural forms which in the extreme include styles like Renaissance, Baroque, Palladian, Chinese, Gothic, Indian, American and so on.[2]  Most were modest in size and relatively cheap to construct however, there were exceptions especially structures that were built in private homes.[3]  As such, the summerhouse has a long history because it would seem that they gained popularity in England during the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries where they were placed in ‘large parks and private estates.’[4]

Another article confirmed the above and suggested that in the 1920s a firm in England began to manufacture revolving ones in order to catch that elusive English sun.[5] It would seem there is a brisk trade at auctions for anyone interested in acquiring a genuine old summerhouse.  Pre-war examples by Barnard, Bishop & Barnard from Norwich and the firm of Henry & Julias Caesar sell for thousands of pounds.[6]

However, the ones that were found in public parks in Australia were usually of the modest kind;  built out of weatherboard or a combination of wood, brick or sandstone.  Examples, although difficult to access because of road widening, exist in Blaxland, but the concrete fabricated  ones in the park at Mount Victoria are more easily reached.

Jackson Park Faulconbridge

Concrete structures Mount Victoria Park

Pope's Glen Wentworth Falls

War Memorial Park Woodford

Pamela Smith      

---

[1] The Australian Summerhouse Company, ‘The History of Gazebos,’

   http://www.summerhouse.net.au/history-   of-gazebos.html, accessed 20.9.2011.

[2]  Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Katrina Burroughs, Times Online, ‘Gimme Shelter,’ http://property.timesonline.co.uk, 22.7.2007, accessed

  20.9.2011.

[6] Ibid.

Newspaper articles

The Blue Mountains seemed to attract its fair share of wandering tramps during times of economic stress.  For example, several years after the Great Depression the Nepean Times newspaper reported that an incident involving wandering tramps was causing duress to the residents of Holland Street in Springwood.  It would seem that the tramps made a habit of visiting Lomatia Park on Sunday to wash their megre wardrobe which was hung over the oval fence to dry. 

This was not a good advertisement for Springwood because visitors wanting to spend a few pleasant hours  at the park went away in disgust (perhaps never to return).  Furthermore, it was no longer safe for local children to play on the swings in the park because they were located between the 'summer houses' tenanted by the tramps.  Parents were forced to warn their children away.  A plea to the council had not remedied the situation thus residents were urged to apply to the local area League to allay the nuisance. 

Scouts at Lomatia Park c1930s

Ref: Nepean Times, 10.2.1938      

Royal Visits to the Blue Mountains

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh – 7^th February 1868

Prince George (Later King George V) and Prince Albert Victor – 1881

Prince Francis Joseph Battenburg – 1895

Duke & Duchess of York – 1901 (Opening of Federal Parliament)

Edward, Prince of Wales – 1920 (not a visit – drove loco for a distance on the mountains)

Duke (later King George V1) & Duchess of York – 1927

Duke & Duchess of Gloucester – 1934 and in 1946 when he was Governor General

Queen Elizabeth II – 1954

Duke & Duchess of Gloucester (successor to above Gloucester) – February 1979

Other

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Archduchess Sophie, who were assassinated at Sarajevo in June 1914, visited the Blue Mountains in May 1893

Peter Chinn

Prince Alfred 1868

The visit made by Prince Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh to the Blue Mountains and particularly to the waterfalls at Weatherboard (now Wentworth Falls) was reported in the Queanbeyan Age on 8^th February 1868.  The party consisted of the Bishop of Sydney; the Bishop of Goulburn; the Earl of Belmore; the Hon. James Martin QC (Premier); the Hon. Henry Parkes, Colonial Secretary; the Hon. J. Bowie Wilson, Secretary for Lands; the Hon. James Byrnes, Minister for Works; the Hon. J. Docker, Postmaster General; the Hon. T.A. Murray, President of the Legislative Council; Dr. Badham, Professor of Classics Sydney University; Commodore Lambert; Colonel Waddy C.B.; Lord Newry, the Hon. Eliot Yorke; Mr. Brierly;  the Hon. George Allen MLC; Captain Beresford; Mr. Piddington MP; Mr. Lord MP; Mr. Windeyer MP; Mr. Barnet, Colonial Architect; the Countess of Belmore and about twelve other ladies.

Water falls at Wentworth Falls

The article was extensive and reported precise details about the event from the time the party left Sydney to the particulars of who was seated in the ‘Royal’ carriage. The article praised the Nepean Bridge, as one of ‘our greatest wonders,’ and the zig zag, which made rail travel across the Blue Mountains possible.  It mentioned corn fields, orange groves and orchards visible from the train as well as ‘bare-legged... half naked children’ and poorly clad men and women who lined the route as the train steamed past.  About 100 people clad in ‘bush working dress’ met the train at Weatherboard where the Prince and his party alighted to board the waiting carriages which conveyed them to the waterfalls.  

After viewing the falls for around three hours waiters served a sumptuous luncheon in the tents which had been set up for the occasion.  An unfortunate event marred his visit to Australia however when an attempt was made to assassinate the Prince when he visited Clontarf in that same year.

Arrest of would be assassin at Clontarf

Prince Francis Joseph Battenburg 1895

The Prince arrived in Adelaide in February 1895 after spending time in India where, according to The Advertiser, he joined the mail boat in Colombo. He was to spend a short time in the Australia before returning via New Zealand and America.  The paper reported that the Prince had a pleasant intellectual face but he had a ‘suggestion of a stoop in his figure.’

The Advertiser stated;

“he was born in Padua in 1861 and was the son of Prince Alexander of Battenburg (Hesse) who was brother to the late Empress of Russia.  His eldest brother, Prince Louis of Battenburg, an officer in the English Navy, married the eldest daughter of the late Princess Alice of England.  Another brother, Prince Alexander of Battenburg was... Prince of Bulgaria while Prince Henry married Princess Beatrice of England in July 1885.”