Fernhill

Item details


Name of item:	Fernhill
Other name/s:	Australia Arms Inn
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Inn/Tavern
Location:	Lat: -33.5247317188 Long: 150.1518145440
Primary address:	Great Western Highway, Bowenfels, NSW 2790
Parish:	Lett
County:	Cook
Local govt. area:	Lithgow
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Bathurst

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	36		DP	619816

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Great Western Highway	Bowenfels	Lithgow	Lett	Cook	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
National Trust of Australia (NSW)	Community Group

Statement of significance:


	Fernhill is of State significance as an inn dating from the mid-nineteenth century that once formed a part of a chain of other inns stretching from Sydney to the Western Goldfields. It is significant as a group of well constructed buildings set in extensive grounds demonstrating the pattern of land settlement and travel during the late nineteenth century. Fernhill is significant for the collection of makeshift furniture made at and for Fernhill.
	Date significance updated: 01 Oct 97
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Builder/Maker:	John Blackman
Construction years:	1856-1859
Physical description:	Fernhill is a single storey dressed stone building with 10 rooms on the ground floor, four attic rooms and a cellar under the store room. The double pitched and hipped roof has a longitudinal valley and covered stepped verandah roof to three sides. The entrance door is six panelled with diagonally glazed sidelights and fanlight. Internal doors are four panel doors. Windows are six paned sash type. French doors lead off to the verandah. All joinery throughout is cedar. There are four fine stone fireplaces, one plain and three with well carved leaf, flower and acorn motifs. The timber shingled roof remains under the corrugated iron sheeting. The former bar has built-in cupboards with small paned glass doors while other door fanlights are rectangular small panes. The kitchen wing forms a separate brick wing and comprises of a large centre kitchen with ovens, fireplace, dining room and laundry, linked to the main house by a single verandah. The stables are in the form of a large rectangular building constructed of rubble sandstone and dressed quoins and lintels. The doorways are spanned by well-designed three-centred arches, the centre one leading to the coach space and the others to stable and feed and harness room with hayloft over. In the grounds there is a stone privy. The rubble front fence is built from stones of John Blackman's house in the Hartley Valley. The land comprises 37 acres (14.99 HA) of predominantly cleared grazing land with a gently undulating fall from the road commencing from behind the barn. There are many fine mature trees in the grounds. (Fairway & Sheedy 1975)
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Physical condition is fair. Archaeological potential is medium.
Modifications and dates:	Between 1856-1858 the Inn complex was constructed. The Initial complex included and inn, stables, privvy and kitchen block. Between 1910-1930s additional timber outbuildings and services for the separate portions of the property were constructed. An iron garage was constructed c1930s. A new stone fence was built on the front boundary c1934. In 1940 a spring fed dam was constructed and the garden was enlarged. c1950. Construction of a new bathroom between the kitchen wing and the main building took place c1950 and the kitchen was moved to the main building. (Lavelle 1993:31)


Current use:	Negotiations currently underway for use.
Former use:	Former Inn and house.

History

Historical notes:

The original land grant was issued to William Dwyer in 1837 for Portion 36, Parish Lett and County Cook. In 1856, Portion 36 was purchased by John Blackman. Between 1856 and 1858 the extant Fernhill complex was constructed and was known as the Australia Arms Inn.

John Blackman died in 1860 and his widow Elizabeth operated it as an inn until 1873, after which time she lived in it as her home and renamed it Fernhill House. After her death the property passed into the joint ownership of Richard Merrick (Blackman's nephew) and her nephew, James Peacock.

From 1910 to the 1950s their descendants continued to live in the property. Eva Merrick died in 1970 and bequeathed her portion and its contents to the National Trust of Australia (NSW). After protracted and financial negotiations the National Trust acquired the remaining shares in 1982.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	Innkeeping-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Making and using vernacular furnishings and decorations-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Fernhill is historically significant because it once formed part of an important link in the chain of wayside inns that stretched from Sydney to the Western Goldfields. Together with other inns it is a major component of the pattern of land settlement, transport and travel that characterised development along the Western Road, from the crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1815 to the opening of the railway to Lithgow in the 1860s. (Moore & Walker 1993:7)
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Fernhill is of aesthetic significance because it is a well crafted early colonial Georgian roadside inn complete with fine stone barn and other outbuildings, situated in beautiful grounds. (Fairway & Sheedy 1975)
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Fernhill is of social significance because it was built by a prominent family of early settlers in the district. It is also associated with major families in its district, that have been resident in the Lithgow, Bowenfels, Hartley area from the early eighteenth century to present, and who have a continuing association and concern about the welfare of Fernhill. (Moore & Walker 1993:7)
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Fernhill is of research significance for the wealth of information available about the place, through primary documents, through recollections of the associated family and particularly through the building fabric furniture, contents, garden and grounds. (Moore & Walker 1993:7)
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	00225	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00225	23 Jul 82	99
Local Environmental Plan		09 Dec 94
National Trust of Australia register		04 Aug 75
Register of the National Estate		21 Mar 78

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	National Trust of Australia (NSW)	1993	Fernhill, South Bowenfels / heritage properties restoration project	View detail
Written	Robert Moore & Meredith Walker	1993	Fernhill A Conservation Policy
Written	Siobhan Lavelle	1993	"History" in Moore & Walker, Fernhill A Conservation Policy
Written	T. Fairway & D. Sheedy	1975	National Trust of Australia (NSW) - Classification Card

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045000
File number:	S90/05926 & HC 32382

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