Our History
Built from 1853 by owner Henry Morley Snr, Enderslea is one of the earliest homestead complexes in the Shire of Chittering. The conservation of this significant place has been a labour of love for owner Diane Pope and her family.
Commitment to Preservation
Their commitment to its preservation is evidenced by successive grants received from the Heritage Council of WA through its grants program. The first of these funded the preparation of a conservation plan with one of its main aims being to outline the priority of any works. This was followed by grants assisting with the stabilisation of the barn, the re-roofing of the main residence and most recently the restoration of the stone barn.
Heritage Council
Mrs Pope recently invited Heritage Council representatives to visit Enderslea and expressed her appreciation for the encouragement and financial help provided. “We really appreciate the latest grant for work to the barn as the mortar is eroding away and the stone walls need a lot of work,” Mrs Pope explained.
OUR HISTORY
Erected in c. 1859, the large, stone barn is believed to have been constructed by ticket of leave men employed at the property by Mr Morley Snr. Not only did the barn play an integral role in the working life of the farm, but it was used as the venue for events to raise funds for the building of the 1886/1887 Holy Trinity Church.
On 9 November 1887, The Inquirer newspaper described one of the fund raisers as follows “… in the evening a dance took place in Mr. Morley’s barn, a magnificent stone building where the young folks engaged themselves till early morning with dancing, songs, and recitation…”
Mrs Pope eventually plans for the barn to again be used for such functions, “I look forward to when the barn can be used in some way for the local community,” she said. The staged conservation of Enderslea is a wonderful example of what can be achieved to heritage places by passionate, private owners.
Enderslea Farm is National Trust registered and also a Heritage listed property. There is a complete Conservation plan recorded and available through the Heritage Council of Western Australia.
Enderslea Farm has had several locally well known owners, including The Morley Family, Elsie Rankine Finlayson and The Clarke Family.