Clear Oaks Moxey's Farm House

Item details


Name of item:	Clear Oaks Moxey's Farm House
Other name/s:	Moxey's Farm
Type of item:	Landscape
Group/Collection:	Farming and Grazing
Category:	Farm
Location:	Lat: -33.5935559993 Long: 150.7492926880
Primary address:	135 Francis Street, Richmond, NSW 2753
Parish:	Ham Common
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Hawkesbury
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	100		DP	789415

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
135 Francis Street	Richmond	Hawkesbury	Ham Common	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
	Private	26 Mar 99

Statement of significance:


	A good representative example of the Colonial Georgian farmhouse of the Hawkesbury valley. Contribution to townscape, the house fills the northern vista of Bosworth Street (AHC)
	Date significance updated: 19 Apr 12
	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


Construction years:	1819-1819
Physical description:	The siting is important and listing includes the land as far as the roads and to the bottom of the hill behind. Two storey brick stuccoed farmhouse of low proportions. Encircling verandah to ground floor supported on timber posts; gabled roof sloping at rear. Nine pane windows, unusual six pane exterior doors. Majority of joinery is intact. House is connected with the local Onus and Moxey families (Register of the National Estate Database).

History

Historical notes:

INDIGENOUS OCCUPATION
The lower Hawkesbury was home to the Dharug people. The proximity to the Nepean River and South Creek qualifies it as a key area for food resources for indigenous groups (Proudfoot, 1987).
The Dharug and Darkinjung people called the river Deerubbin and it was a vital source of food and transport (Nichols, 2010).

NON-INDIGENOUS OCCUPATION
Governor Arthur Phillip explored the local area in search of suitable agricultural land in 1789 and discovered and named the Hawkesbury River after Baron Hawkesbury. This region played a significant role in the early development of the colony with European settlers established here by 1794. Situated on fertile floodplains and well known for its abundant agriculture, Green Hills (as it was originally called) supported the colony through desperate times. However, frequent flooding meant that the farmers along the riverbanks were often ruined.

Governor Lachlan Macquarie replaced Governor Bligh, taking up duty on 1/1/1810. Under his influence the colony propsered. His vision was for a free community, working in conjunction with the penal colony. He implemented an unrivalled public works program, completing 265 public buildings, establishing new public amenities and improving existing services such as roads. Under his leadership Hawkesbury district thrived. He visited the district on his first tour and recorded in his journal on 6/12/1810: 'After dinner I chrestened the new townships...I gave the name of Windsor to the town intended to be erected in the district of the Green Hills...the township in the Richmond district I have named Richmond...' the district reminded Macquarie of those towns in England, whilst Castlereagh, Pitt Town and Wilberforce were named after English statesmen. These are often referred to as Macquarie's Five Towns. Their localities, chiefly Windsor and Richmond, became more permanent with streets, town square and public buildings.

Macquarie also appointed local men in positions of authority. In 1810 a group of settlers sent a letter to him congratulating him on his leadership and improvements. It was published in the Sydney Gazette with his reply. He was 'much pleased with the sentiments' of the letter and assured them that the Haweksbury would 'always be an object of the greatest interest' to him (Nichols, 2010).

In marking out the towns of Windsor and Richmond in 1810, Governor Macquarie was acting on instructions from London. All of the Governors who held office between 1789 and 1822, from Phillip to Brisbane, recieved the same Letter of Instruction regarding the disposal of the 'waste lands of the Crown' that Britain claimed as her own. This included directives for the formation of towns and thus the extension of British civilisation to its Antipodean outpost (Proudfoot 1987, 7-9).

Clear Oaks Moxey's Farm House:
Clear Oaks is located on part of a grant of 100 acres made in 1804 by Governor King to the free settler David langley

Research done over the last ten years by Mr Alan Byrnes has shown that Clear Oaks was built for the original owner of the 100 acre grant, a David Langley. It is probable that a James Vincent was involved with the actual building.

When Langley sold the property in 1819 to a Joseph Onus there was already a substantial building on the site. It is likely Onus improved the building by bagging (rendering).

Proof the building is pre 1819 is:
1. The sale price to Onus indicated there was a building on the land worth (Pounds) 150-160 and though Onus would have improved it, he would not have demolished it.
2. The transfer to Onus in March, 1819 included the following condition 'possession of the ground is to be given without delay reserving in the house two rooms for Mr. Langley for his use for four months from the date hereof.'

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	(none)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	(none)-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Aaron Muron Bolot, architect-

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 Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00058	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00058	24 Oct 80	156	5565
Local Environmental Plan			18 Dec 89
National Trust of Australia register	Nat.Trust Suburban Register	7042

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Alan Byrnes	2003	Information supplied to the Heritage Office
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Richmond Heritage Walk	View detail
Written	Nichols, Michelle	2010	Macquarie and the Hawkesbury District

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045225
File number:	S90/06202 & HC 32068

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