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An Historical Account of the HomesteadLondon Bridge Homestead is one of the earliest settlements in the Burra Valley. Originally a tiny, stone and timber cottage, it grew by various means and changed function as the needs of its inhabitants changed over time. Today, it is a remarkable example of five different building styles, all on the one site. For this reason the homestead and the lever press out the back, are listed on the register of the National Estate.

The various building styles reflect the changes in the availability and cost of labour and materials. The early buildings were constructed of local stone and timber, whereas imported corrugated iron and weatherboards were used in later buildings. The structure also reflects the isolation and hardship faced by the early settlers and their ability to ‘make do’.

Many OwnersThe McNamaras were Irish immigrants, who worked on the Woden property before taking up London Bridge with the purchase of 30 acres of land in 1857. Over time, the property grew to almost 9,000 acres with about 4,000 sheep and some cultivated paddocks on the river flats surrounding the homestead.The homestead remained in the family until 1921 when it was purchased by the Noone brothers. In 1928, it was sold to the Douglas family, with whom it remained until 1973, when the Commonwealth resumed the land to build Googong Dam.

L o n d o n B r i d g e H o m e s t e a d

Further Information:Phone Googong Foreshores: (02) 6207 2779 or Canberra Connect on 13 22 81Website: www.cmd.act.gov.au

Key to Homestead Buildings1. Stone Cottage2. Slab Hut3. Lath and Plaster (wattle and daub)4. Weatherboard Building5. Fibro Annexe

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Homestead Layout

external oven

fireplace

fireplace stove

1. Stone Cottage

The Stone Cottage is the earliest and most durable of the homestead’s buildings.

Dating from 1860, the cottage was built from siltstone quarried from a hill close to the homestead. The 40 cm thick walls were built from a random assortment of rock, mortared together in a ‘best fit’ and then rendered.

Originally three rooms—a kitchen/living room and two bedrooms—the cottage today has only two rooms, with the position of the dividing wall still evident.

At the back of the house is an external wall oven, built with hand made bricks, where some of the household cooking was done.

Conservation work to the floor vents and exposed stonework has been completed.

2. Slab Hut

The Slab Building was erected in the late 1870s using locally hewn timber.

It was originally used as two bedrooms to accommodate some of the McNamara’s 13 children. Later it was used as a bathroom and laundry. In the corner is the concrete slab that supported the copper kettle.

Close inspection of the internal walls will reveal a variety of coverings including wallpaper, old newspapers and the hessian from old wool packs.

In 1994, conservation work to this building was carried out. Repairs were made to the floor, supporting stumps and windows. Rotten slabs were replaced with new ones.

3. Lath and Plaster

The Lath and Plaster Building was constructed somewhere between 1890 and 1895 as a four roomed cottage—two bedrooms, a dining room and kitchen.

Using the ‘Lath and Plaster’ or ‘wattle and daub’ technique, a wall cavity, created by nailing ‘laths’ or ‘wattle’ to uprights, is filled with clay, plastered with a mixture of clay, horsehair and/or straw, and then painted with limewash.

Internally there are many modifications—the bricked in fireplace, the different ceilings and wall coverings and the floorboards covering the original rammed earth floor.

In 1999, conservation work was undertaken to repair, and in some cases rebuild the walls and repair the fireplace.

4. Weatherboard Building

The Weatherboard Building was built by Edward and James Noone in the 1920s.

Note the old Bega slow combustion stove, hand decorated mantle, the leather thongs on the verandah (which once supported a grape vine), the cotton reel used as a door handle and the inside tap.

5. Fibro Annexe

The Fibro Annexe was built by Robert Douglas in 1954 to house his overseer. Electricity was also connected at a cost of £200.

Unlike the rest of the homestead the weatherboard and fibro annexe were constructed from imported, machine-made materials. Only a few of the supporting posts and plates are from the surrounding area.

THESE BUILDINGS ARE A VALUABLE PART OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF GOOGONG FORESHORES. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH ANY

PART OF THE BUILDINGS, PARTICULRLY THE WALLS, AS DOING SO WILL HARM THEM.