Charles Sturt’s home, Grange

The Nursery Wing originally included the boys’ room, kitchen, laundry & bathroom. Later allowed to fall into disrepair & demolished, it was rebuilt when house restored and is now used as exhibition gallery.

 

First red brick house built 1840, with nursery wing added a year later, located on 390 acres taken up by Charles Sturt in the area known as Reedbeds. The home was surrounded by a large garden and an orchard of grapes, pear, plum & apple trees. The family returned to England 1853 for sons’ education and because of Sturt’s ill-health. The property was leased until sold Nov 1877 when the estate was subdivided for a township named “Grange”. Since 1908 there were calls for the house to be saved from demolition but it was not until 1956 that it was purchased by Henley & Grange Council. After restoration, Sturt’s grandchildren donated furniture, artworks, documents & artefacts and the Museum opened 1966. A detached cottage, the nursery wing, demolished by the last private owner, was rebuilt when house restored and is now used as exhibition gallery.

 

Charles Sturt was born 28 Apr 1795 in Bengal, India to British parents, schooled in England, enlisted in 39th Regiment, served in Pyrenees, Canada, France & Ireland. He arrived Sydney 1827 escorting convicts on “Mariner”. In Nov 1928 with Hamilton Hume, Sturt explored & named Darling River. A year later he led another expedition down the Murrumbidgee, discovering the Murray and, with 7 men in a small boat, travelled to its mouth, on their return rowing against the current. He was appointed Commandant of Norfolk Island garrison, revisiting England he published accounts of his journeys and married Charlotte Greene 1834. Returning to Sydney 1835, he settled at Mittagong. In 1838 he overlanded cattle to South Australia and decided to settle in that colony on land at the Reedbeds. Appointed Assistant Commissioner of Lands 1839, Registrar General 1841, set out on what was his final expedition north to the centre of the continent 1844.

 

“Captain Sturt, accompanied by Mr. Giles Strangways, may be expected overland in about ten days with a herd of fine cattle.” [SA Gazette & Colonial Register 16 Jun 1838]

 

“Captain Sturt left Adelaide on Sunday morning for Encounter Bay, to join the barque Hope for Sydney. We believe it is the Captain's intention to settle in our colony.” [Southern Australian 20 Oct 1838]

 

“the safe arrival of Capt. Sturt in our colony. . . He has brought overland from the Hume River between 400 and 500 head of cattle, and he performed the journey in little more than three months. Capt. Sturt is accompanied by Capt. Finniss, Mr M'Leod, Mr G. Strangways, and eleven men.” [South Australian Record 13 Feb 1839]

 

“We have great pleasure in announcing the arrival last night in the John Pirie of Captain Sturt, the new Surveyor-general, with his lady and family.” [SA Gazette & Colonial Register 30 Mar 1839]

 

“His Excellency the Resident Commissioner has appointed Charles Sturt, Esq., late Surveyor-General, to be Assistant Commissioner.” [Register 5 Oct 1839]

 

“the Governor has been pleased to appoint the Hon. Charles Sturt, Assistant Commissioner, to the office of Registrar General.” [South Australian 5 Nov 1841]

 

“Hunting.— The hounds meet to-morrow (Saturday), by appointment, at Grange, the residence of Captain Sturt.” [Southern Australian 27 May 1842]

 

“Hon. Charles Sturt, Registrar General, to be Colonial Treasurer of the Province of South Australia.” [South Australian 6 Mar 1846]

 

“His Excellency has accepted the resignation of Capt. Sturt as Colonial Secretary.” [Register 5 Jan 1852]

 

“On December 7, 1852, Sturt wrote to his son at Rugby:— ‘The Grange garden looks tolerably well, and there is a great show of grapes, pears, and apples. Apples this year have failed in consequence of a small fly getting into the blossom. Our dairy now consists of 14 quiet cows, which yield a good deal of butter, but really the annoyance of the servants may drive us to give up the pleasure of looking after these animals. We have 60 goslings and 23 young turkeys and a lot of young guinea fowls, as wild as partridges, but I have been unsuccessful with the ducks. Our bees get on famously. I am very fond of them. The boys have taken lots of fish in the creek this season.’" [Register 13 Apr 1912]

 

“The Henry Tanner cleared out for England yesterday, March 17th, with the Hon. Captain Sturt, our late Colonial Secretary, his family, and many other cabin passengers on board.” [Adelaide Times 18 Mar 1853]

 

“Death of. . . Captain Charles Sturt, one of the earliest and most distinguished of Australian explorers. . . on the 16th June, at the deceased gentleman's residence, Clarence-square, Cheltenham. . . nearly blind from ophthalmia — a malady which he had the misfortune to contract during his last exploring expedition. . . belonged to a very old Dorsetshire family, arrived in the colony of New South Wales in about the year 1825 as a captain in H.M.'s 39th Foot.” [Evening Journal 10 Aug 1869]

 

“Tenders are invited . . . for the Purchase of the Grange Estate, Reedbeds, adjoining Henley Beach, containing about 389 Acres.” [Evening Journal 28 Sep 1877 advert]

 

“the Grange. This is an estate of 380 acres, which was selected by Captain Sturt after his return from his exploring expedition in 1845 [sic]. Captain Sturt having as extensive a practical knowledge as most men of the land around Adelaide, and this estate having been selected by him for his own personal residence. . . The soil appears to be of fair quality, capable of growing lucern, fruit trees, and vegetables. . . There are fine gum-trees on the estate, and a perennial stream winds its way through the grounds, with quantities of teatree growing on its banks.” [Express & Telegraph 22 Mar 1878]

 

“The Grange Township. The 380 acres comprising the Grange Estate, and situated between the Semaphore and Henley Beach, is, under the direction of three enterprising Adelaide gentlemen, being rapidly transformed into what must ere long become an attractive seaside watering-place. . . The land was formerly occupied by Captain Sturt, the explorer, who selected it as a preliminary section under the land order to which he was entitled. The house occupied by the gallant explorer still remains, and is being renovated and extended by the new proprietors with a view to rendering it suitable for a temporary hotel.” [Register 14 Sep 1878]

 

“Mrs. M. Howard, of the Grange, gave a private continental at her residence on Saturday evening. Over 200 guests were present. The Old Grange House which was originally built for Governor [sic] Sturt and occupied for many years by David Murray, is surrounded by lovely lawns, and the grounds being decorated with hundreds of Japanese lanterns, presented a scene suggestive of fairyland. . . For the night the mosquitoes held off.” [Critic, Adelaide 14 Feb 1906]

 

“Sturt's home. . . The residence of the famous explorer is one of the few remaining Australian historical relics. The recent owner has done much to beautify its surroundings. . . I would suggest to the Government that they should at once purchase this interesting property to prevent its demolition, and convert it into a teahouse and gardens for the public use. Or it might be possible to find a generous spirited patriot willing to make the freehold a gift to the community under certain conditions.” [Register 20 Jun 1908 Letter to Editor]

 

“the Grange, the homestead owned by Capt. Sturt. . . which is now occupied by Mr. J. A. Hardy, is a short distance from the Grange Jetty. The late Capt. Dashwood, the father of the present Crown Solicitor (Mr. C. J. Dashwood, K.C.), and the late Sir Richard Chaffey Baker lived in the historic home. Capt. Dashwood was Collector of Customs at the time.” [Observer 20 Apr 1912]

 

“The recent demolition of the cottage at Thebarton occupied by Colonel William Light, founder of Adelaide and first Surveyor-General, created dismay among students of early South Australian history. . . thoughts have now turned to the historic home of Capt. Charles Sturt (discoverer of the River Murray), at Grange, one of Adelaide's most favored seaside resorts. That house has been in respectable occupation ever since its erection by Sturt. . . Charles Sturt resided at the Grange until March 17, 1853, when he went to England on a life pension of £600 a year, granted by the South Australian Government.” [The Mail 22 Jan 1927]

 

“The necessity of preserving the historic home of Captain Sturt at the Grange, known as ‘Grange House’, was brought before the Henley and Grange Town Council. . . The property consists of the large house and 7½ acres of land. The alderman stated that the property could be bought on terms for £3,000.” [Advertiser 9 Apr 1929]

 

“the historic home of Capt Sturt at Grange. . . The home is vacant, and vandals have made their unwelcome appearance on the property. When Mr. Mitton visited it recently he found that some of the windows had been broken. . . It has been suggested that the Tourist Bureau could advertise trips by charabanc through delightful scenery to the spot. Morning and afternoon tea could be provided.” [News 28 May 1930]

 

“Captain Sturt's house at the Grange was one of the first built in SA, erected about 1840. The building, which faces Mount Lofty, had an attractive rose garden in front. The explorer had a penchant for flowers and animals. . . North of Sturt's house is a cottage of three rooms. It is said that Sturt had the cottage built first and moved into the more commodious premises later, using the former as a storeroom. A number of horses that he used on expeditions ended their days on the homestead at the Grange. Particularly attracted was he to a roan horse, on which he used to ride to and from the city.” [Chronicle 31 Aug 1944]

 

“When the old Grange Railway Company decided to manage its own train service [c1883]. . . it was faced with the problem of finding house room for its staff. Only vacant house in the district happened to be Sturt's, known as the 'old Grange mansion', which was delapidated [sic] and a shelter for swagmen. There being no option, the two enginedrivers — the late Tom Fanning and John Chapman — reluctantly decided to make the best of a bad job by taking over the old home, and .sharing it. . . The Sturt bedrooms included a dressing room of equal size which modem owners must have regarded as so much waste space, as when I visited the place 30 years later they had been converted into separate compartments by bricking up the doorways.” [Advertiser 11 Nov 1948]

 

“Mr. Anthony Sturt visited the old home of his famous great grandfather, explorer Charles Sturt, at Grange today.” [News 1 Mar 1951]

 

“Mr. Justice Cooper lived in Capt. Sturt's home at the Grange after the family went to England. Judge Cooper had planted the palms in front of the house. Mr. Berry's father, who was Capt. Sturt's gardener, used to play with the Sturt children at a small stream on the west side of the house. . . Mr. Berry saw the Sturts leave the old home in a bullock dray over the sandhills to Port Adelaide.” [Chronicle 2 Jul 1953]

 

“Capt. Sturt's former home Grange, which, because of its location, condition and surrounding land, the committee did not recommend should be preserved. . . The surrounding land was lowlying and possibly liable to flooding.” [Advertiser 13 Aug 1953]

 

Done