Tarro Historic Site (original township of what was formerly known as Upper Hexham)

Item details


Name of item:	Tarro Historic Site (original township of what was formerly known as Upper Hexham)
Type of item:	Archaeological-Terrestrial
Group/Collection:	Exploration, Survey and Events
Primary address:	16 Anderson Drive, Tarro, NSW 2322
Local govt. area:	Newcastle

Boundary:

Adjacent to 16 Anderson Drive

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
16 Anderson Drive	Tarro	Newcastle			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The Tarro Historic site is the site of the original township of Tarro, and the original site of St Stephens Church and burial ground from 1840. The site has local historical significance as a place of first settlement of the area and is associated with Edward Sparkes, the original grantee. The site has local associative significance with the development of a settlement on high land to the west of the Hunter River and may contains relics of the period.
	Date significance updated: 14 Mar 16
	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


Physical description:	The site is at the south-west corner of the intersection of Anderson Drive (adjacnet No. 16 Anderson Drive) in Tarro. The site is the actual site of the church of St Stephens and burial ground, and it represents the settlement of the area now called the suburb of Tarro.


Current use:	Road reserve
Former use:	church and burial ground

History

Historical notes:

The earliest land grants of the area were given to people who settled on the banks of the Hunter River from 1825, after the cessation of the penal settlement at Newcastle. This actual site was the site of St Stephens Church and burial ground, the foundation stone was laid in 1840. In the 1840s, the original grantee of the estate (called Woodlands at Upper Hexham, Edward Sparke) gifted land for a church and burial ground to the Church of England. This is now commemorated in a plaque established on the site of St Stephens Church, Tarro (by the Roads and Maritime Services). Upper Hexham is now called Tarro, and Tarro is the local Aboriginal word for stone.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
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)-

Recommended management:


	List on NLEP as an archaeological site and site of former St Stephens Church and burial ground and early settlement of Tarro

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Newcastle Local Environmental Plan 2012	A18	06 Oct 17	25

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Dulcie Hartley		Men of their time: pioneers of the Hunter Valley

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:	Local Government
Database number:	5063325

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.