Bowenfels National School Site

Item details


Name of item:	Bowenfels National School Site
Other name/s:	Bowenfels National School Site
Type of item:	Built
Location:	Lat: -33.5159544588 Long: 150.1206137720
Primary address:	70 Mudgee Street, South 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	372		DP	823384

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
70 Mudgee Street	South Bowenfels	Lithgow	Lett	Cook	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
	Private	23 Mar 99

Statement of significance:


	The former School master's residence and combined school room at the former Bowenfels National School is the earliest government school building remaining in recognisable form in NSW being erected in 1851. The Residence is also the first government school established west of the Blue Mountains. The former Bowenfels National School group of two sandstone buildings is the only known group of school buildings erected under the Board of Education which controlled education in NSW from 1848 to 1866. The two buildings demonstrate the evolution of educational country school history spanning the period from 1851 to 1969. The group of two buildings is the earliest of any type of school remaining in the Bowenfels and Hartley areas and form important components of the historic Old Bowenfels Historic Village. Both buildings remain little altered since built, the residence being an excellent example of local vernacular building and the class room building is a rare remaining work of the noted colonial architect Henry Robertson. The buildings have strong associations with the local community from 1851 and are associated with many noted local historical figures, in particular Andrew Brown of Cooerwall. The site is significant in not having changed appreciable[ly] since 1851 and forms an important landscaped component of the village of Old Bownfels.
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Description


Builder/Maker:	James Connor (mason)
Construction years:	1851-1853
Physical description:	1851-3 school house: 1851. It was built by local people to a local design. It contained three rooms originally, one the school room, the other two the living space for the school teachre, John Edhouse. It opened without furniture, water supply or toilet but the local 'patrons', mainly Scottish farmers, paid for improvements in 1852 and 1853. In 1866 a new school room was built and all three rooms of the 1851 building became the schoolmaster's residence.
Modifications and dates:	1866 separate school room built. 1851-3 building adapted as school master's residence 1969: adaptation of 1866 school as artist's studio; 1851-3 residence as residence


Current use:	residence
Former use:	School, artist's studio

History

Historical notes:

Public education began exceptionally early in the Blue Mountains, with the National School at Bowenfels erected in 1851. It was built by local people to a local design. It contained three rooms originally, one the school room, the other two the living space for the school teachre, John Edhouse. It opened without furniture, water supply or toilet but the local 'patrons', mainly Scottish farmers, paid for improvements in 1852 and 1853.

In 1866 a new school room was built and all three rooms of the 1851 building became the schoolmaster's residence. The stone mason was James Connor, an innkeeper who lived nearby in Umera, itself later a private school. Connor was a gifted craftsman and responsible for some of the finest grave markers in the local cemeteries.

The 1866 building remained in use as a primary school for an extraordinarily long time, over a century, until the end of 1969. Since then the complex has been privately owned. For a time the 1866 school was used as an artist's studio, while the artist lived in the 1855 (sic: 1851-3) building (Jack, 2014).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	City Club accommodation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Adapted heritage building or structure-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Private education-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Educating people in suburban locations-
6. Educating-Educating	Education-Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.	Public (primary) schooling-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with James Connor, stone mason-

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		00761	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former		00761	23 Jun 93	082	4193

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism		2007	Bowenfels National School Site	View detail
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Bowenfels National School Site	View detail
Written	Jack, Professor R.Ian	2014	'The heritage of education in the Blue Mountains', address to Blue Mountains History Conference 2014

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:	5045239
File number:	S93/00249/001

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