Swan Guildford Historical Society Inc in Guildford, Western Australia | Non-profit organisation

Swan Guildford Historical Society Inc

Locality: Guildford, Western Australia

Phone: +61 8 9379 1829

Address: 119 Swan Street 6055 Guildford, WA, Australia

Website: http://www.swanguildfordhistoricalsociety.org.au

Likes: 1739

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Non-profit organisation

25.01.2022 Who remembers the wedding cake tins, a tradition from the 1960's onwards? For family or friends who could not attend, the wedding cake was carved up into small pieces, put into a small tin, and sent to absent friends, all over the world. It was a nice momento of the bride and groom's big day. Did you follow this tradition at your wedding?

25.01.2022 If you live in one of Perths older suburbs, you can now search a number of maps for free via the State Library of Western Australias website. RetroMaps allows you to explore the changed landscape of Perth through historical survey plans. View Perth properties from up to 100 years ago and freely download plans for your own use or research. https://mapping.sro.wa.gov.au/#/

25.01.2022 This drawing completed by Henry Wray shows the bridge over the Swan River at Guildford which was constructed by Captain E.W. Ducane. Henry Wray was selected to travel to Western Australia in 1851 with the 20th Company of Royal Sappers and Miners.After arrival he was appointed as a magistrate to the colony, and given responsibility for the construction of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison), based upon designs by Edmund Henderson. Wray personally designed many buildings, bridges and roads in the Perth area. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia.

25.01.2022 A beautiful child's china tea set. This one was made in the early 1900's. It was a gift to a little girl, who was never allowed to play with it! That's a bit sad, but probably the reason it survives to this day.

25.01.2022 This full-length two-piece wedding dress is believed to have been worn by Mrs A R Wilson when she married her husband Richard in Sandstone in 1911. They were early pioneers of the Roebourne area. Richard was also a Mayor of Guildford. The dress is made of cream voile and cotton lace and is featured in our current exhibition Walking Through History 100 Years of Wedding Dresses which is displayed in the Swan Valley Visitors Centre.

25.01.2022 This photo shows a young Lilian May Wright aged about 6 years. She was the daughter of James and Ada Wright. James Wright was the surveyor charged with the continuance of the Fremantle to Guildford railway from Guildford to Chidlows Wells. Ada Wright, nee Light was a relation of Colonel Light who designed Adelaide in South Australia.

24.01.2022 History matters! A little known fact about Guildford. In Stirling Square, a small plaque surrounded by a brick border acknowledges the spot where the first meteorological station for Perth recorded rainfall from January 1877. temperature recordings began in January 1904. Both observations were made by the Guildford Postmaster, until the station closed in July 1954.

24.01.2022 Part of our fabulous shoe collection, carefully preserved.

24.01.2022 This photo of Joseph Thomas Reilly and his second wife, Annie nee Fernihough was taken around 1906. Annie Fernihough was the daughter of Isaac Fernihough and Sarah nee Munday who lived in Guildford. Note the stern faces in this wedding photo!

23.01.2022 Another Guildford family. A 1902 studio photo of the Evans family, who lived in Helena Street. Ernest Evans, seated wears light coloured trousers, waistcoat, dark jacket, neckpiece and a white shirt. His wife, Alice wears a light coloured dress with high neckline and overbodice, with lace trim. Their son Sydney is wearing a dark plus-fours 3 piece suit and white shirt. Daughter Beatrice is dressed in a tunic dress with a white blouse underneath. Her dress has 3 rows of dark trim at the square neckline, waist and near the hem. Everyone is so beautifully dressed! Footnote: Earnest served as Mayor of Guildford. He also held the position of Commissioner of Railways in the 1930's.

23.01.2022 Did someone say hats? These ladies certainly nailed the brief with these wedding day outfits. This photo was taken outside of Guildford Grammar School in 1905 with bridesmaids Maisie and Kitty Harper, and Enid and Madge Bennett. at the wedding of Mr W and Mrs M Merry.

22.01.2022 The Guildford community tried to establish a volunteer fire brigade in 1903, and again in 1906 but were opposed by the municipal council. It was not until Boxing Day 1907 when a large fire destroyed Geoffrey Pargeters hairdressing and stationary business that the council had a change of heart. The Guildford Voluntary Fire Brigade was established on 23 April 1908, fighting their first fire at the Padbury Stores and stables. Each member was supplied with one dress uniform and one working suit. The fire station in the old commissariat building was opened in June 1908. This early photograph of the volunteers was taken around 1908.

22.01.2022 We are back in 2021! The Colonial Gaol and Taylor's Cottage attraction is open for guided tours from this morning. Opening hours are each Tuesday to Saturday, 10AM to 2PM. We are located in Meadow Street, Guildford. Right next door to the Swan Valley Visitors' Centre. After your tour, why not stay in Guildford for a while. Take a break, have a coffee or lunch. Browse the antique shops along James Street. There's something for everyone in Guildford.

22.01.2022 This delightful studio portrait taken in 1913 features baby Hugh Chapman Bird and his mother Emma Beatrice Bird who lived in West Guildford (now known as Bassendean). Hugh is wearing a white christening gown that was sent from England for the occasion, this gown is also housed in the Societys collection.

21.01.2022 Who's been sleeping in my house? A sepia photo of the Fernihough home at 17 Hubert Street Guildford, around the early 1900's. It is a brick and iron house with an iron covered front verandah, behind a wooden picket fence.

21.01.2022 Check out the new shirts our volunteers are wearing! A bright splash of colour so you can easily find them when you visit us for a tour of the museum. Rajes and George are rocking their red shirts, dont you agree?

21.01.2022 This photo shows what is believed to be the first car accident on Terrace Road near Meadow Street. It occurred just across from the Post Office, shortly after the warning bells were installed at the crossing.

21.01.2022 Today is International Children's Day! 28th October 2020. We'd like to take you back to a more leisurely time when these beautiful children, known as the Carmichael triplets, Jessie, Betty and Ann were the talk of the town in Guildford. They would have been born in approximately 1906. Local newspapers note the triplets attended social gatherings such as fancy dress balls. An article in the Sunday Times, 3rd September 1933 records the wedding of Betty Carmichael who married Mr. D. Nevile. Her two sisters Jessie and Ann were bridesmaids.

20.01.2022 It seems there's a wealth of history in every Guildford street. Did you know Guildford once had a Masonic Hall? Tucked away in Station Street, the only hint of its original purpose is the signage at the front of this now privately owned house. The Guildford Lodge was formed in 1896, the first of its kind since the formation of the Grand Lodge of Scottish Freemasonry in Western Australia. Initially Lodge meetings were held at the Guildford Hotel. In 1900, the foundation stone for a new Masonic Hall was laid. This was made possible by a generous gift of a piece of land by the Mayor of Guildford, Mr. R.J. Wilson, himself a prominent Lodge member. (Western Mail, Saturday 20th January 1900, page 57).

20.01.2022 James Morrison (pictured) married Clara Charlotte de Burgh on the 23rd March 1870 at St Matthews Church in Guildford. The couple raised four sons and two daughters. James, a stock and station agent, was born in England and came to Australia in the 1860s. In Guildford he developed Waterhall and Spring Park where he mostly resided, and also lived at Toapin, York in 1870. During his lifetime he subdivided and named the suburb of Claremont, and was Director of AMP Society (W...A), the WA Trustee Executive and Agency Company Ltd, Sun Insurance Company and Dalgety and Company Ltd. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Western Australian Parliament from 1890 to 1894.

18.01.2022 Recently this red pillar box was moved from just inside the driveway at 24 Meadow Street Guildford, to it's new home outside our headquarters in Swan Street. Originally made by the J & E Ledger iron foundry in Pier Street Perth, these pillar boxes were once a common sight in Perth and country areas. The distinctive hexagon shaped boxes are a romantic reminder of times gone by. The J& E Ledger company made about 100 of the boxes (and yes, Heath Ledger was a descendent of the owners). It looks very smart in it's new location!

17.01.2022 These boys are enjoying play time on the flooded river banks in the 1930's. The photo was taken at the back door of the Agnew home, 44 James Street Guildford. I wonder if many boys today go out in their canoes when flooding laps at their back doors?

17.01.2022 A precious item from our collections. this wooden vanity case was given to Edith Viveash on her 14th birthday in 1867. It is painted cream, with ornamental flowers surrounding the base, and is lined with pink satin. Edith was the daughter of Dr. Samuel Viveash and his wife Edith. The family lived in Middle Swan. The suburb of Viveash near Midland is named after Samuel Viveash. You can view this vanity case at the Colonial Gaol in Guildford.

17.01.2022 Wearing a delightful wedding dress made of cream lace, Miss Burns married Mr L Gordon in 1949. The same dress was worn by Mrs Gordons daughter, Barbara when she married Gordon Dundas in 1977. No alterations were made.

17.01.2022 The entrance to the Colonial Gaol in Guildford. There are only four cells left now, but the Gaol once contained eleven cells. The footprint in the carpark (foreground) shows where some of the cells once were. Dont they look tiny?

16.01.2022 This photo courtesy of the Australian War Memorial shows the entrance to the 2/1st Australian General Hospital in Guildford around 1942.

16.01.2022 How's this for multi-tasking? The land where Guildford's Stirling Arms Hotel is located was sold to local carpenter and jack of all trades, John Welbourne in 1851. The front part of the hotel was probably built around this time, using convict labour. Welbourne also built the gaol just down the road in Meadow Street, where he was the police officer and gaoler. This meant patrons could drink at his hotel, be arrested for drunken behaviour, and locked up in the Gaol. ... Besides keeping law and order, Welbourne worked as postmaster for a time, and as the town's undertaker. Multi skilled Mr. Welbourne. A photo of John Welbourne on the left, with J.T. Woods beside him.

16.01.2022 Cultivated in the early days of the regions settlement, Henley Park sits on an area of historic significance in the Swan Valley, Western Australia. In 1895, on partial retirement, the Honourable Henry John Saunders beautified "Henley Park" by cultivating around 500 acres of the property, incorporating an extensive orchard and a 12 acre vineyard. However, it wasnt established as a winery until 1935 when it was purchased by Englishman Jack Hillard. This photo was taken around 1929.

12.01.2022 All Saints Church in Henley Brook is the oldest church in WA. It was built by Richard Edwards, an early pioneers of the area, between 1838 and 1840. It has been hosting services since 1841. The site is on a small hill overlooking the Swan River and near the conjunction of the Swan and Ellen Brook. The site itself is the very place Captain James Stirling camped in 1827. This photo from an unknown source was taken in 1934.

12.01.2022 This family portrait features several members of the Harper and DeBurgh families and was taken in the late 1800s. It features from left to right Ella Brockman, Gresley Harper, Clara Harper, Walter Harper, Prescott Harper, Fanny Harper and Fannie DeBurgh. Gresley was educated at Guildford Grammar School and killed at Gallipoli in 1915. Prescott Harper was Western Australias second Rhodes Scholar in 1905 and Fanny Harper was the eldest daughter of Mr. Robert de Burgh, an early colonist. In 1879 she married Mr. Charles Harper.

11.01.2022 The Swan Visitor's Centre has reopened and therefore you still have time to visit our wedding dress display before it is changed out later this year. The exhibition showcases more than 100 years of the history of wedding attire.

10.01.2022 This gorgeous photo taken in 1914 features a very young Judy Harper with her pet collie called Bobs.

10.01.2022 Julia Gretchen Harper came to the colony from England in 1836 with her husband the Reverend Charles Harper who had been trained for the legal profession. Mrs. Harper and her husband resided for a short time at Guildford, and afterwards at Spring Hill, near Northam, and next at Nardine, near Newcastle. Here Julia is pictured at "Braybrook" in Toodyay in 1896. An interesting fact is Julias grandfather Lionel Lukin invented the lifeboat!

10.01.2022 William Catton Grasby, born in 1859, was an agricultural journalist and educationalist. In 1904 he reported to the WA Government on agricultural and fruit growing possibilities. From 1905 he was the agricultural editor for the Western Mail, and The West Australian newspapers. His weekly advice column for farmers was called Mutual help. With his friend Charles Harper, he developed the first Western Australian wheat varieties named Gresley and Wilfred in honour of Harpe...rs two sons, both killed on the same day at Gallipoli. William Grasby died at his East Guildford home in 1928. He is buried at Guildford Cemetery.

09.01.2022 This amazing 1891 studio photo shows Sydney Chester, his wife Betsy (nee Devenish), their 9 sons and two daughters! Eight of the boys' names are recorded as Ernest, Conrad, Stan, Arthur, Norman, Raymond, Hubert and Lewis. The girls are Hilda (baby) and Maud. The family lived in West Swan.

09.01.2022 This spectacular crowd gathered to see Governor Ord turning the first sod for the Fremantle-Guildford Railway back on 3 June 1879. Image courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia.

09.01.2022 As we enter Movember, we thought this photo fitted the bill quite nicely! Ernest Alfred Evans was a Mayor of Guildford, Commissioner of Railways and a warden at St Matthews Church. He died in 1941, aged 76.

08.01.2022 Fancy a trip to Sunday School? These would have been your teachers at the Methodist Church in 1915. Methodist church services began in Guildford in 1837 when the Hardy brothers travelled to Guildford. The services were held in private homes, the open air or in the Court House after it was constructed. Guildford Church became part of the Perth Methodist Circuit when it was inaugurated in 1840. In 1856, the first Methodist Church building was erected near the present Guildford railway station. That land was resumed to allow for the construction of the railway line from Perth to Guildford in February 1883. The church was demolished and the cemetery alongside was moved to Wellman Street and then later to South Guildford. The present chapel was opened on 21 August 1883.

08.01.2022 Can you help us identify the people in this photo. It is of the Harper family taken c1904 on a family picnic in Albany. It was donated to the Society but those pictured are unknown.

08.01.2022 These boys are enjoying play time on the flooded river banks in the 1930s. The photo was taken at the back door of the Agnew home, 44 James Street Guildford. I wonder if many boys today go out in their canoes when flooding laps at their back doors?

08.01.2022 This aircraft is a Douglas C-47A-20-DL Skytrain. It was delivered to the US Army Air Force in 1943. Later it was sold in Australia and registered with MacRobertson Miller Aviation (MMA). In the early hours of Sunday 2nd July 1949, the plane took off from Perth Airport on a regular flight, bound for Carnarvon. It climbed steeply until the port wing and nose dropped sharply, after which it dived steeply to the ground. All 18 occupants (4 crew, 14 passengers) were killed. ...In its sudden death plunge, the plane narrowly missed several huts in the Guildford settlement known as Camp 22, located near Kalamunda Road. Amazingly, all in the camp escaped injury. The crash was noted as WAs worst airline disaster. Photo courtesy of the State Library of Western Australia

07.01.2022 Our little exhibition about the life of early pioneer, Eliza Shaw is complete and now on display in the Swan Visitors Centre. The exhibition features Elizas last diary kept shortly before her death in 1879.

06.01.2022 Did you know? Mechanics Institutes were funded by wealthy land owners and businessmen as a way of improving the education of working/tradesmen in the Colony (not for girls as they didn't need to be educated!!) The Guildford Mechanics Institute Hall was built in 1865, and opened in 1868. It's still an important meeting place in the town. Mechanics Institutes were the forerunners of free public libraries in the State.

06.01.2022 School holidays are nearly here so why not plan a visit with your children, grandchildren, friends and family to Guildford and include a visit to the Old Gaol and precinct. Learn about early family life in Taylors Cottage and take a guided tour of the Gaol. We are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 2pm, there is so much to see and learn. Wed love to welcome you.

06.01.2022 Happy New Year! The annual Perth Cup takes place at Ascot Racecourse tomorrow, 2nd January 2021. In 1893 and 1894, jockey George Cleverly won back to back Perth Cup races on the horse Scarpia. This feat was not equalled for many years.... In 1937, George moved to Helena Street Guildford, where he kept horses in his backyard. Every day he could be seen riding his horse up and down Helena Street. The photo shows George with the magnificent Scarpia.

05.01.2022 When the Dutch explorer, Willem de Vlamingh, ventured up the river as far as Perth in 1697, he noticed the large number of black swans there and so named it the Swan River. Although the French travelled up the Swan River as far upstream as the site of Whiteman Bridge in 1801, it wasn't until 1829 that European settlement occurred, following Captain James Stirling's exploratory voyage two years previously in 1827. This image is of Willem de Vlamingh's ships, with black swans at the entrance to the Swan River. It is a coloured engraving (1796), derived from an earlier drawing (now lost).

04.01.2022 If you live in one of Perth's older suburbs, you can now search a number of maps for free via the State Library of Western Australia's website. RetroMaps allows you to explore the changed landscape of Perth through historical survey plans. View Perth properties from up to 100 years ago and freely download plans for your own use or research. https://mapping.sro.wa.gov.au/#/

04.01.2022 A special find this morning in our collection. A document called "Rules and regulations for the guidance of the Guildford Mechanics Institute". Patron His Excellency Governor Hampton. President W.L. Brockman Esquire. Established March 11th 1862. Special mention of the section "Rules for the Reading Room', stating 'Any member destroying or injuring any books, papers, or other property of the Institute will be expected to make good such damage'. Quite right too. Just wow.

03.01.2022 This is Lilla Ruth Joscelyn Percy on her wedding day in 1916 to Mr. Bayly. Lilla was a friend of Maisie Harper nee Drummond, and godmother to Judy Hamersley nee Harper, granddaughter of Charles and Fanny Harper who lived at Woodbridge. Thanks to Judy Hamersleys foresight, Swan Guildford Historical Society Inc - SGHS was established in 1962, to preserve and record the history of Guildford and surrounding areas.

03.01.2022 The Swan Visitors Centre has reopened and therefore you still have time to visit our wedding dress display before it is changed out later this year. The exhibition showcases more than 100 years of the history of wedding attire.

02.01.2022 Managing a museum collection is never ending and there are always a lot of interesting jobs that need to be done. Today were cleaning our shoes so theyre all shiny and new.

02.01.2022 On the eve of Remembrance Day 2020, we honour the end of the First World War at 11am on 11th November 1918. We pay tribute to all those who fought and died in the line of duty to keep us free. Also remembering service men and women who returned home again with injuries, or suffered ongoing mental health issues throughout their lives due to trauma. The photo shows Gilbert Murray Davis who worked as a mail contractor and lived at 7 Meadow Street Guildford. He was one of fiv...e brothers who enlisted. Three of his brothers were killed in action. Gilbert returned to Australia in 1918. He is pictured here with his wife Mary and their five children. Lest We Forget

02.01.2022 Seated on their front verandah at 6 Helena Street in Guildford around 1912 is Ernest, Alice and May Evans. Ernest was the Mayor of Guildford in the 1930s and also Commissioner of Railways in that era.

01.01.2022 We are very excited to announce that after a few months of being closed, the Gaol and precinct here will reopen today. Now more than ever, with local tourism being so important and visitor numbers limited due to travel restrictions, we encourage you to visit, bring your friends and family and see all that we have to offer here. We have extra procedures in place to adhere to Covid requirements and to ensure your visit is safe. For more information please see our website. https://www.swanguildfordhistoricalsociety.org.au/