Gumeracha. South Australia. Kenton Park house. William Beavis Randell built this two storey house in Gothic style in 1844. He had a flourmill and 1000 acres. The rear wall Gothic and windows door and stairs . .
Gumeracha.
David McLaren took out three Special Surveys of the Torrens Valley area for the SA Company in 1839/40. They had a manager’s residence built there called Tinmath, then renamed Ludlow House for the sheep and cattle herd manager. William Beavis Randell, a SA Company manager arrived in SA in 1837 and was sent to work at Tinmath House. Before his contract with the Company expired in 1845 he bought land for himself in Kenton Valley adjacent to Gumeracha. On this land he first built a two storey stone barn in 1841 followed by Kenton Park House in 1844. The Randall family with seven children then moved into Kenton Park Gothic style house in 1844. Randall had around 1,000 acres of prime land. In 1847 he built a stone flourmill which still stands in Gumeracha7. From 1848 he bought wheat from the early settlers at Blumberg for processing in his flourmill. One of his sons, William Randall managed the mill. In 1853 this son called William entered Governor Fox Young’s sponsored race up the Murray to prove that it was navigable and suitable for steam boat river trade to the junction with the Darling River. This William was known as Captain Randell of Mannum and he was the winner of the race and the monetary prize. Much of the flour produced in the Gumeracha Randell mill from 1853 onwards was carted by bullocks to Mannum to be loaded onto a Randell ship for transport up the Murray and Darling rivers and to the gold mining centre of Bendigo and the Murray River sheep stations! Eventually the Randell mill was converted to a butter factory, a butcher’s shop, a milk depot and recently a bed and breakfast establishment.
William Beavis Randell was a good Baptist and friend of David McLaren the former SA Company manager who was also a Baptist. McLaren had lived in Ludlow House himself for some time. Early Baptist services for the Gumeracha area were held in Randell’s barn until the Salem Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist congregation in SA, was opened in 1846 by Reverend Thomas Playford. Randell donated some of his land for this church. Until 1899 baptisms were conducted in a spring in the circle of oaks opposite the church. William Beavis Randell subdivided some of his land to create the township of Gumeracha in 1853. A Methodist Church opened in Gumeracha in 1860 followed by the Institute in 1864 which was demolished for the Town Hall to be built in 1909. The District Hotel was erected in 1861 and up the hill from it is the second Court House and police station built in 1865 and now the oldest police station still in use in SA. It was built in Georgian style. Although post services began in 1848 the current Post Office was built around 1890 to 1900. It is a fine stone building.
Gumeracha. South Australia. Kenton Park house. William Beavis Randell built this two storey house in Gothic style in 1844. He had a flourmill and 1000 acres. The rear wall Gothic and windows door and stairs . .
Gumeracha.
David McLaren took out three Special Surveys of the Torrens Valley area for the SA Company in 1839/40. They had a manager’s residence built there called Tinmath, then renamed Ludlow House for the sheep and cattle herd manager. William Beavis Randell, a SA Company manager arrived in SA in 1837 and was sent to work at Tinmath House. Before his contract with the Company expired in 1845 he bought land for himself in Kenton Valley adjacent to Gumeracha. On this land he first built a two storey stone barn in 1841 followed by Kenton Park House in 1844. The Randall family with seven children then moved into Kenton Park Gothic style house in 1844. Randall had around 1,000 acres of prime land. In 1847 he built a stone flourmill which still stands in Gumeracha7. From 1848 he bought wheat from the early settlers at Blumberg for processing in his flourmill. One of his sons, William Randall managed the mill. In 1853 this son called William entered Governor Fox Young’s sponsored race up the Murray to prove that it was navigable and suitable for steam boat river trade to the junction with the Darling River. This William was known as Captain Randell of Mannum and he was the winner of the race and the monetary prize. Much of the flour produced in the Gumeracha Randell mill from 1853 onwards was carted by bullocks to Mannum to be loaded onto a Randell ship for transport up the Murray and Darling rivers and to the gold mining centre of Bendigo and the Murray River sheep stations! Eventually the Randell mill was converted to a butter factory, a butcher’s shop, a milk depot and recently a bed and breakfast establishment.
William Beavis Randell was a good Baptist and friend of David McLaren the former SA Company manager who was also a Baptist. McLaren had lived in Ludlow House himself for some time. Early Baptist services for the Gumeracha area were held in Randell’s barn until the Salem Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist congregation in SA, was opened in 1846 by Reverend Thomas Playford. Randell donated some of his land for this church. Until 1899 baptisms were conducted in a spring in the circle of oaks opposite the church. William Beavis Randell subdivided some of his land to create the township of Gumeracha in 1853. A Methodist Church opened in Gumeracha in 1860 followed by the Institute in 1864 which was demolished for the Town Hall to be built in 1909. The District Hotel was erected in 1861 and up the hill from it is the second Court House and police station built in 1865 and now the oldest police station still in use in SA. It was built in Georgian style. Although post services began in 1848 the current Post Office was built around 1890 to 1900. It is a fine stone building.