Peter and Christine Conn will open the garden surrounding their 1880s homestead to the public on Sunday, October 22 as the Wellington Garden Group Inc hosts its annual Open Garden Day.
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The 6000 acre property, “Towri”, was purchased by Mr Charles Hampden Barton in 1880, followed by Nanima Estate, 8000 acres in 1894, and Murrungundy, 8000 acres 1909.
Charles Barton was the CBC bank manager in Wellington from 1874 until 1900. Charles caused to be built, sometime during early 1880s, a substantial dwelling to become known as “Towri” homestead.
Conclusive evidence is unavailable as to who the builder was, or when construction commenced. There is also some conjecture about who this house was built for, and who lived there. Common thinking is that Charles Barton built this dwelling for his manager, Robert Smith, but some accounts have Robert and his wife Annie, living in a cottage away from the homestead.
From most accounts, Charles, at this time, lived at Vis a Vis, Montefiores. After purchasing a block of land on the corner of Swift and Percy streets, he built a large two-story building as the CBC Bank, with a residence above the bank for himself and his wife, Annie Smith, where they lived in until they moved into Nanima around 1901.
An extract from The Farmers’ Co Operative News in the 1900s:
“This interesting, and now famous, holding, which is situated at Maryvale, near Wellington, affords a startling example of what can be done now-a-days in the way of up-to-date farming – and done, too, practically by the energy, forethought, and executive skill of one or two individuals, when those individuals press onwards with untiring determination to overcome any obstacle which may arise.”
When Charles Barton passed away in 1912, the properties remained in the hands of his wife Annie. In 1917, the property was split up and portions sold. The portion that remained as ‘Towri’, with the homestead, was reduced to 966 acres and sold at public auction to the Clark family. The Clarks ran the property for a number of years, during which time most of the outbuildings were removed, and only a portion of the homestead was utilised.
In 1946, ‘Towri’ was again sold. It was bought by E.I. & L.C. Stratton. The Stratton’s only held onto ownership for a short time, before selling the property at public auction on September 17, 1953 to Mr Hilton Leonard.
The Leonards ran ‘Towri’ effectively until in the early 1960s a large and costly legal battle ensued over the Shire Council’s proposal to resume a large portion of ‘Towri’ for an airstrip. Mr and Mrs Leonard, supported by many neighbours, eventually won this battle. Following the untimely passing of Mrs Leonard, the house was closed up and vacated, with Mr Leonard travelling out from Wellington each day to work the farm.
‘Towri’ was again sold at public auction on April 7, 2006 to the current owners.