Barnet Road 44
| Place type: | House |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Orange Grove |
| Address: | 44 Barnet Road |
| Town or Locality: | Evanston |
Site of 'Orange Grove' - W G Payne's renowned garden
In the 1900s & 1910s William Gilbert Payne’s ‘Orange Grove’ property was renowned for its grand home, beautiful garden and extensive orangery - photos were even included in Coombe’s (1910) ‘History of Gawler’! The property was a large triangular block of about 6 acres, situated between Barnet Road and the railway line, just south of the Gawler Railway Station at Evanston (part of allotments 5, 6 & 7 Evanston – see allotment diagram). The Gilbert and Co Chaff Mill stood on the north eastern portion of the property with the railway siding entering into it. The contemporary address of the remaining section on which the house stands is 44 Barnet Road Evanston.
The property evolved significantly over the years. Back in the 1890s the view from the mill shows barren ground with the original ‘Mill Cottage’ a simple symmetrical cottage in the background. From 1887 the site was owned by William Gilbert, who established the mill and in 1888 his newly married nephew William Gilbert Payne moved into the cottage to take on management of the mill. In 1902 William Gilbert leased the property to W G Payne and William Henry George, and then in 1907 the property was transferred into W G’s name.[1]
During his time there W G Payne, a passionate gardener, developed extensive gardens. There are numerous photos of the house and gardens [see album] and his daughter, Clethra, who spent her childhood there, later described them…
“A straight path ran from the house to the mill, with Cecil Brunner roses growing on each side. One half of the ground was planted with oranges, and the other with shrub and roses, with two winding paths going the length to the mill, and with several archways of climbing roses on them. In front of the house were two tall palms and a prickle hedge separated the house and garden from the railway, which shuntered [sic] trucks into the cover of the mill for bags of chaff. Halfway to the mill was another lawn about eight yards in diameter with a cotton palm in the centre and a nearby family swing. A wire enclosure with climbing roses was near the family swing. At the top of the garden was a big lawn with a date palm, and nearby was a single swing, and opposite a heavy see-saw and a mission house with thatched top and climbing roses on that too. A very prickly lemon tree nearby had a red robin pair who rested there each winter.”[2]
By 1906 the property was known as ‘Orange Grove’, photos show the original ‘Mill Cottage’ had been extended, with a self-contained wing on the western Barnet road side (W G’s parents resided there when they migrated from England).[2] Extensive trellises and greenery surrounded the home. At this stage the original Mill Cottage, with the veranda facing the railway line to the east was still visible.
Around 1913, the home was further extended and upgraded, with a Queen Anne style addition to the north eastern corner of the home, including a room with turret, which became the new lounge room.[2] A Union Jack flag was flown from the tall flag post on special days.[2]
In 1918 W G Payne put the mill, house and grounds up for sale in order to retire to the Henley Beach. The advertisement provides an excellent description of the property, which was purchased on 13 September 1918 by Wilhelm Daniel Noack, who continued the chaff mill business.
Since then the property was sold and subdivided numerous times. By 1989, the chaff mill which had still been standing in 1980 (although in bad repair),[3] had been developed into housing (the mill was at about the address now known as 7 Warhurst Court). An additional block of land on the opposite side of Barnet Road that was used for hay storage for the chaff mill (part lots 21 & 22 – which was transferred at the same times as the main Orange Grove property), was sold off in 1951, but remained a paddock until 2005, before being developed into housing in 2006 (this is the area north of Birkett Street, including Flynn Court & Eastick Court). [***See property diagram***]
As of 2025, the Orange Grove homestead last sold in February 1993, a copy of the 1992 real estate brochure, including a floor plan is included in the album. Sections of the land have been subdivided and sold off since then, with more allotments going up for sale in 2025.
In her recollections, W G Payne’s daughter Clethra mentions that there were two cottages and the mill manager Mr Curnow lived in one of them,[2] the location of the second cottage has not been determined but there is a photo from the Payne family collection of a cottage that is not ‘Mill Cottage’.
Note: in the 1998 ‘Glimpses of Gawler’ book[4] the property with its extensive orangery is captioned “The Orangery”, rather than “Orange Grove”.
Click here for photos, articles and other information relating to 44 Barnet Road.
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Compiled by Nikki Wight - with thanks to William Gilbert Payne' granddaughter Miriam Smith (nee Cheek) for sharing her extensive research, photographs & documents.
References
- ↑ Certificates of Title 372/66, 662/26 & 771/149
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Clethra Spilsbury nee Payne (1987) Family History & Recollections – Unpublished (from the collection of Miriam Smith nee Cheek – Clethra’s niece)(Gratitude from GHT for access to this resource & to the late Clethra Spilsbury for recording her recollections, aged 84)
- ↑ Phillips, Susan & Pilkington, Michael (1980) Gawler’s Industrial Buildings 1839-1939, Architecture Papers, Department of Architecture, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia.
- ↑ Stan Roulston (1998) ‘Glimpses of Gawler and District: Volume 1’, Rotary Club of Gawler, Gawler, South Australia, page 23.
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