
A herculean task: clearing the woolshed
Evocative reminders of Rouse Hill Estate’s rural past are the 19th- and 20th-century farm buildings that run along the hilltop behind the house. The woolshed is the first of these that visitors see up close: a long, low structure of simple, locally cut, timber-slab construction with a corrugated-iron roof. It’s thought to date from the late 1850s, when Edwin Rouse, son of the estate’s first owner, Richard Rouse, expanded the property he had recently inherited. The woolshed was built by Thomas Dickson [pictured], a Scottish immigrant who worked as overseer and lived with his family in a cottage, also built by him, that still stands nearby.

What’s in a name?
Although this building has long been referred to as ‘the woolshed’, its original use is unknown. Physical evidence, such as wall-mounted tether rings, indicates that part of it was used for horses. We know it as the woolshed because of oral histories passed down through the family, as related by Gerald Terry, the estate’s last permanent resident: ‘My grandfather [Edwin Stephen Rouse, son of Edwin] said that when he was a boy they used to use that shed to repack wool that had come over the mountains [from the Rouses’ country property Guntawang] … There was no trace of wool in there when I remember it. Grandfather used to use [the main room] as a feed shed, you know, fowl feed …’1
The building originally comprised just two rooms. Later, along with sawn timber floors, a series of low walls were added along one side of the larger room to form storage bays, and the room was divided with a partition to create a tool room. Edwin Stephen added a pigeon coop with distinctive weatherboard sides to the north end, which was later used for chickens. Over time, windows and extra doors were cut into the slab walls; the final addition was a carport, built against the southern end. From the 1930s, the largest room was repurposed for maintaining farm tools and machinery. It became known as ‘the engine shed’ after an engine was installed to run large power tools – drills, saws and grinding wheels – by belts that ran from an overhead shaft. Gerald Terry continued to use the engine room as a workshop into the 1990s.
As farming at Rouse Hill declined, the woolshed was increasingly given over to storage. A bewildering array of tools, farm equipment, machinery parts, furniture and paraphernalia accumulated on the benches, cabinets, walls and floors. It became a dense, complex and visually chaotic space.
- 1. Oral history interview with Gerald Terry by Joy Hughes, 23 September 1985, Sydney Living Museums.

Ongoing conservation
Rustic timber buildings like the woolshed were never intended to have long lives; they were instead typically demolished and replaced, or simply abandoned to the elements. The landscape between Rouse Hill and the Hawkesbury is dotted with the remains of similar structures. Following Rouse Hill Estate’s acquisition by the state government in 1978, the woolshed was stabilised. However, the ongoing deterioration of its simple timber-post footings, and past damage from termites and borer, meant that by 2020 a large-scale intervention had become necessary to ensure its survival. This follows similar, extensive conservation on the barn, cart shed and dairy in recent years. With these other structures, much of the collection – including carts and horse-drawn equipment – could be left in situ. At the woolshed, however, far greater access was needed, including lifting sections of the timber flooring. This meant the structure had to be fully emptied.
A complex task
A key factor in the significance of the collection at Rouse Hill Estate is that it’s preserved – wherever possible – in the same locations as in 1978. This presented a considerable challenge for the project team: not only would thousands of objects of all sizes need to be removed, but they would also need to be accurately returned to their original location at the project’s end. Because of the amount of disturbance it would involve, a full survey of the woolshed’s contents had never been conducted; a substantial amount of new documentation was therefore required.
To begin, we divided the rectangular structure into 16 zones, determined by the shed’s simple post-and-beam construction. Basic plans were drawn of each zone, identifying the position of large objects such as tables or machinery. The objects were extensively photographed and further notes made of their location. This proved an especially complex task where material was stacked or heaped: boxes full of hardware resting on a pile of hessian sacks, entangled with ropes, balanced on oil drums, and so on. Some material was especially fragile, such as a cardboard box full of heat globes, and their removal was a complicated, time-consuming procedure. It took the full team of seven to extricate a 6-metre ladder over and between machinery. The heavier objects to be moved included an anvil and a vehicle chassis weighing well over 150 kilograms.
Once removed, the objects were identified and assessed for conservation. All organic material – timber, textiles and paper – was sealed and then frozen for a week at –20˚C in case of any insect life. At the same time, the rear of the stables was fitted out for long-term storage. The woolshed has never been a sealed environment; subject each year to fluctuating humidity, high heat or near-freezing cold, conditions for storage are far from ideal. Further, a fine, pale brown dust blown in from the fields and unsealed roads routinely covers every object. The decision was therefore made that some significant objects should now be removed for their preservation to climate-controlled storage.
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Team members Julieanne Rabier and Gay Hendriksen cleaning trays of hardware and a portable pigeon coop.
Photo Scott Hill © Sydney Living Museums
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Team members Cameron Allan and Carlin de Montfort cleaning an axle and wheel thought to be from a Model T Ford.
Photo James Horan © Sydney Living Museums
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‘Telescopic’ folding cot used by the Sherwoods, set up on the verandah of the overseer’s cottage.
Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums
Traces of past lives
The most evocative objects in the woolshed are those linked to the stories of the estate’s various inhabitants. Sometime in the 1910s, Arthur Sherwood, a farmhand who lived with his family in the cottage built by Thomas Dickson, broke his leg, preventing him from enlisting in World War I. While recuperating, he slept on the cottage’s verandah on a folding bed – thought to be the one shown above right, found in the tool room. Manufactured by the New York Telescopic Bed Company in the early 1900s, the bed forms a neat package when folded; when in use, its canvas stretcher expands ‘telescopically’ on a crisscrossed frame. The same bed was used by Arthur’s wife, Clara, when she slept on the verandah in the fresh air while recovering from bronchitis.
Tucked away in a corner of the ‘engine room’ was a wheel and axle assembly from an early motor car (above, middle). Over the decades, the Windsor Road that runs past Rouse Hill House has seen dramatic shifts in technology, from foot and animal-drawn traffic to modern motorised transport. All of this was witnessed by Edwin Stephen, who grew up with horse-drawn carriages and later, in the early years of the 20th century, owned a Model T Ford. The wheel and axle uncovered in the engine room may be an actual remnant of that first car. The timber wheel with its metal rim certainly indicates that it’s from a very early vehicle, and resonates with newspaper reports of early cars ‘breaking’ their wheels in potholes along the then unpaved road. More pieces thought to be from this early car remain in the outbuildings at Rouse Hill Estate, including a hand crank, a transmission, and, unexpectedly, a windscreen repurposed as a shed window.

Typewriter
Royal ‘No 5’ model manual typewriter, c. 1911, from the tool room.

Business card
Fragment of business card for George Hawkins & Co, General Auctioneers and Valuators.

Brand
The ‘crooked R’ Rouse cattle brand, painted on the woolshed walls.

Initials
The initials E S painted on the woolshed walls.

Seed planter, 1920s
This manual device is for planting corn or bean seeds. The ‘beak’ is pushed into the ground, then the device is leant backwards onto the hinged foot, which opens the beak and releases a corn kernel from the hopper. It closely resembles the ‘Segment’ model advertised by the Luthe Hardware Company (USA) in the 1920s. At Rouse Hill the field in front of the overseer’s cottage was variously planted through till the 1940s with corn, beans and potatoes.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Luggage label, c.1940-50s
For use on Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company – better known as ‘P&O’ – ships, this luggage label has the initial ‘T’, for Terry. Pasted onto the luggage, labels such as these were used to coordinate storage in the ship’s hold. The stout case to which it is fixed can be seen in early 1900s Anthony Hordern catalogues.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Lawn mower: Deutscher model C, early 1960s
Several of these mowers were needed to cut the extensive lawns in Rouse Hill’s garden, and family members recall entire weekends dedicated to mowing. The engine powers both the blades and propels it forward – an important feature as it is incredibly heavy and took 4 of the team to lift. Prior to mechanisation long-handled scythes were used – and mechanised mowers were initially termed ‘rotary scythes’.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Hessian sack
Amongst a pile of heavy hessian sacks was this, with its stencilled label for ‘Laying Mash’ from Doust & Rabbidge, animal food suppliers, Alexandria. Next to the woolshed is a low-roofed structure covering a fire pit, used for boiling up mash for chickens housed in the nearby coop. The weight in pounds dates it to before June 1970. Reused many times and with copious repairs, other sacks were labelled for bakers flour, seed potatoes and oyster farms.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Crate of glass bottles and jars, first half 20th century
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Crate of glass bottles and jars, first half 20th century
Team member Julieanne Rabier was drawn to this crate of jam jars and bottles, which highlights recycling and repurposing at Rouse Hill as opposed to single-use everyday objects. While these jars have long lost their original paper labels some have their manufacturers’ names pressed into the glass.
Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Chaff cutter, early 20th century
Constructed of cast iron with a timber hopper into which dry grasses were fed, this hand-cranked chaff cutter was used to produce food for penned animals at Rouse Hill – especially horses in the nearby stable. A standard piece of farm equipment, this would have seen less and less use as farming at Rouse Hill was mechanised, until it was redundant.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Fire hoses
These fire hoses remind us of the constant awareness of grass and bush fires at Rouse Hill, a concern still taken very seriously. Pressurised fire hoses are located across the property, and staff are trained in their use. Likely bought as a job lot at auction in the 1940s or 50s, a pile of these tightly rolled hoses were never actually installed. Before colonisation the entire area was routinely fire-stick farmed by the Darug people.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Mattress label and ticking
Of blue striped ticking and stuffed with coconut husk, this mattress has a label from the department store ‘Beard Watson Ltd., 361 George St Sydney, manufacturers of pure bedding’. The prominent firm had a factory in the inner-city suburb of Redfern. Another mattress in the shed, filled with kapok, has a label from the then rival department store David Jones.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Mattress label and ticking
David Jones mattress label. From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Easy chair
Apart from tools and machinery the woolshed also contains furniture, including several Windsor chairs, bedframes and this 1950s easy chair. Long faded, the upholstery was originally a deep brown colour.
Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Timber balustrade, late 19th century
Underneath [hidden/concealed] a pile of mattresses in the tack room was a jumble of sawn timber segments; when reassembled it was recognised as the balustrade from the balcony at the rear of the servants’ quarters. Originally covered by an awning, and reduced slightly from its original width, this balcony was reached by a steep timber stair whose angle can still be seen on the brick wall.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Balcony
The balustrade from the balcony at the rear of the servants’ quarters. Originally covered by an awning, and reduced slightly from its original width, this balcony was reached by a steep timber stair whose angle can still be seen on the brick wall.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Pile of tools in the harness room
This pile with its different forms of spades, shovels and rakes is a reminder of how specialised tools are made for various purposes. Located right next to a door it suggests they were placed for quick access, and still in use into the 80s.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Radio cabinet, c.1930s
Once an expensive acquisition, this veneered, free-standing radio cabinet with its art deco details was later stripped of its dials and internal mechanism and reused as a cabinet. One of several such repurposed radio cabinets at Rouse Hill, it was a favourite object of project member David White.
From the Woolshed, Rouse Hill Estate.

Cleaning a radio cabinet
Team member David White cleaning his favourite object, a 1930s radio cabinet.

WWII battery case
Dated 1941 this case once housed a portable battery; instructions pasted inside the lid detail both the recharging procedure and how to refill the water compartments – including how to create clean, non-gaseous distilled water. With the battery removed it was then used to hold a set of well-used wad punches – possibly used on drive belts and animal tack.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

Animal bones
These bones all show clear signs of butchery – straight cuts from knives or cleavers. Found inside the woolshed, they were brought to the surface by rabbits who had burrowed beneath the floors and so likely pre-date the construction of the building in the 1850s.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

Clock parts, brass, 19th century
Tiny, intricate pieces from a clock mechanism were found across the engine room, along with the frame and circular glass of a clock front. Gerald Terry collected and tinkered with antique clocks, so attributing particular clocks to a specific date over the house’s long occupancy can be a complex process.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

hardware.jpg
Miscellaneous hardware
Thousands of random pieces of hardware – such as this assortment of springs, bolts, hooks and pieces of pipe – are scattered throughout the woolshed, in cupboards, on benches, and across the floor.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

Stencil, late 19th century
Though it conjures up images of wool bales, this stencil was more likely to have been made to label crates and boxes being sent by rail to Riverstone, which was the closest village and train station to the Rouse estate. It raises the question of the shed’s name – wool was not produced at Rouse Hill, and certainly not in Edwin Stephen’s lifetime.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

Taps, late 19th C
The installation of piped water through the garden – made possible by Bessie Rouse’s father giving her and Edwin Stephen an elevated water tank as a wedding present in 1874 – meant that Bessie could pursue her love of plants and gardening with far greater ease than their predecessors at the Rouse Hill.
From the Woolshed. Rouse Hill Estate.

Collection storage during works. Once removed, the thousands of objects needed to be stored while work began on the structure itself. Aside from 2 shipping containers – one of which a deep freeze in which all organic material was frozen to destroy any active pests - the stables stalls were outfitted with temporary flooring and shelving. Timber palettes protected the sandstone paved floor from heavy objects including machine parts and a car chassis.