Bassett Town
| Place type: | Locality |
|---|---|
| Site type: | Land section |
| Town or Locality: | Bassett Town |
| Year constructed: | 1857 |
Bassett Town was the name of the settlement that developed to the east and west of the Gawler Railway Station. The eastern portion is now the southern part of Gawler South and the western portion part of Evanston.
The establishment of the Gawler Railway Station in 1857 enhanced the potential of land in the area, providing an excellent opportunity for William Bassett who owned the farmland adjacent to the new station. A portion of his farmland purchased for £40, sold for £3000 and was subdivided by surveyor George Warren to form the blocks of Bassett Town.[1] It was part of the broader plan to connect the railway station with Gawler's main street (Murray Street) and facilitate settlement and development along the routes.
The first 71 blocks were put up for auction on 2 November 1857 by George Warren, who offered free travel aboard a special train and champagne lunch in a marquee to entice prospective buyers from Adelaide.[2] (see Auction Advertisement - Adelaide Times 31 Oct 1857). The original blocks (see 1857 Bassett Town Plan), were bounded by Station Terrace (Twentythird Street) and the Gawler Railway Station to the west, Blanch Street (Eighteenth Street) to the north, William Street to the east (part of Adelaide Road) and Elizabeth Street (Twentyfirst Street) to the south.[2] The following year, an additional 58 blocks of land were released (see 1858 Bassett Town Plan), extending the town southward to Cherry Street (Twentyfifth Street). Patrick Kelly’s property, now the Gawler Racecourse, was to the south of the new town. In 1873 (see 1873 Bassett Town Plan), 46 blocks to the west of the railway station were added, bordered on the west by Adelaide Road (this was not the Adelaide Road we now know and later became Barnet Road, Evanston).
Bassett Town Streets
Many of the streets in Bassett Town were named after Bassett family members – William Street was named after the patriarch and oldest son, Elizabeth Street after the matriarch and oldest daughter, Ann and George Streets in honour of the other surviving Bassett children. Cherry Street honoured Edward Cherry the husband of Bassett daughter Elizabeth and first Gawler Railway Station Master. Murray and Coulls Streets honoured significant local figures of the era, Henry Dundas Murray one of the original proprietors of the Gawler Special Survey and William Green Coulls assistant engineer of the Adelaide to Gawler Railway. The reason for the name Blanch Street has not yet been discovered – it was not the name of William Basset’s mother, mother-in-law, daughters-in-law, or one of the significant figure’s wives – comment below if you know or have an idea who Blanch may have been!
A realignment of boundaries in around 1930, saw the eastern sections of Bassett Town become part of the suburb of Gawler South and their named streets changed to numbered streets, whilst the section to the west of the railway line become Evanston with some street names changed and some remaining (see below). Both suburbs are part of the Gawler Corporation.
Bassett Town holds historical significance, with many buildings and sites listed on the Town of Gawler Local and Contributory Heritage List. The oldest surviving building in the Bassett Town region is the Bassett family cottage at 13 Twentyfirst Street.[3] For more information about the streets and for photographs of the heritage buildings along them, see the individual street pages:
- Blanch Street (east of railway line - Eighteenth Street)
- Murray Street (Nineteenth Street)
- George Street (Twentieth Street)
- Elizabeth Street (east of railway line - Twentyfirst Street)
- Ann Street (Twentysecond Street)
- Coulls Street/Station Terrace (Twentythird Street)
- Unnamed Street (Twentyfourth Street)
- Cherry Street (western half became Twentyfifth Street and the more recently developed eastern half was named Cherry Street)
- William Street (portion of Adelaide Road – about 37-63)
- Blanch Street (west of railway line, became Dean Street, Gawler West)
- Elizabeth Street (west of railway line, remained Elizabeth Street but suburb became Evanston/Gawler West)
- Adelaide Road (different to current Adelaide Road – became Barnet Road, Evanston/Gawler West)
- Railway Terrace (remained Railway Terrace but suburb became Gawler West)
Bassett Town Businesses
In the original advertisement for land in Bassett Town, George Warren described the site as a “Centre of Business” and the “Commercial Depot of the North”, suggesting it would be suitable for wheat stores, warehouses and business premises, tradesmen, artisans and hoteliers. Indeed, this was what happened in the longer term, but initial growth was slow. A c1880 photograph of the Gawler Railway Station and surrounds shows very few buildings, despite the land starting to sell over 20 years earlier. The town eventually saw significant residential and industrial development, particularly in response to the railway and other industries, such as the highly successful May Bros Foundry, which was established in 1885 by Frederick and Alfred May. Other significant businesses that operated or continue to operate in the Bassett Town region include:
- Engine and Driver Hotel/Criterion Hotel (18 Nineteenth Street)
- Terminus/Railway/Overway Hotel (27 Eighteenth Street)
- Grain Store/Chaff Mill/Sanders Bros Grain & Fodder (2 Twentythird Street)
- Britannia Foundry (Barnet Road)
- Humphrey’s Store/Whinnen’s Store (19 Eighteenth Street)
- Corner Store with attached cottages (41 Adelaide Road)
Click Here to view photo's relating to Bassett Town
References
- ↑ “Reminiscences. Gawler and Gawler People. Mr William Bassett.” - Bunyip 6 Nov 1896 <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97576822>
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flightpath Architects (2020) Town of Gawler Heritage Review
- ↑ Danvers Architects Pty Ltd, Anna Pope & Peter Jensen (1998) ‘Gawler Heritage Survey 1998’
Memories of Bassett Town
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