Marwick's Shed is a heritage-listed shed in

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is ...

, constructed in about 1876 to serve as a storage and stabling facility for the significant wheatbelt transport and trading business established by

William Marwick William Marwick (1833-1925) was a settler who came from England in 1852 as an 18-year-old boy, to York, Western Australia, and "by sheer industry, perseverance and enterprise"A colonist of forty-four years, and goldfields pioneer: Mr William Marw ...

, which operated from York. It is one of the few surviving vernacular structures of similar form and age in Western Australia. The shed is an important landmark of York and is a favourite subject for photographers and artists. Its "romantic abandoned appearance" makes it a popular spot for taking wedding photographs. The lean-to extensions were used as stables for the horses and it is possible to see the hollowed out tree trunks which acted as troughs.

Construction technique

The shed is unusual in its construction because of its dominant spreading roof and double gabled entrance. It also uses internal columns as a principal means of support to create a vast internal space free of load bearing walls.

History

The shed was constructed on Lot 130, owned by Samuel Evans Burges of Tipperary farm, the first employer of William Marwick. It was not until 1899 that ownership of the land was formally transferred into the names of Marwick's sons. Initially, the shed served a number of functions relating to the Marwick family's

haulage Haulage is the business of transporting goods by road or rail between suppliers and large consumer outlets, factories, warehouses, or depots. This includes everything humans might wish to move in bulk - from vegetables and other foodstuffs, to cloth ...

business, including storage for goods awaiting transportation, the repair and housing of drays and other equipment used by the business, storage of

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

for horses, and stabling of horses. This business and use of the shed reached its high point during the Yilgarn gold rush, as York was the principal staging post for the goldfields. Prospectors would arrive in the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

through the

port of Albany The Port of Albany is located within Princess Royal Harbour in King George Sound on the south coast of Western Australia, in the Great Southern region. Location The port is located on the northern shore of Princess Royal Harbour, a natural ...

, travel by rail to York and then make their way to the goldfields. Businesses providing stores, equipment and transport to the goldfields thrived. York ceased to be the main staging post for the goldfields after the railway was extended from Northam to Coolgardie in the late 1890s. After that time, the Marwick family was mainly concerned with farming, and the shed became a central base from which work was undertaken on various properties that the family owned. The shed gradually fell into disuse. The shed is now used as a repository of old and redundant machinery, including old items from the family business, as well as discarded household furniture.Conservation Plan p.19

Heritage listings

The building is listed on the Shire municipal inventory (31 December 1995), classified by the

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

(5 March 1985), and on the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

(20 March 1978).

References

{{reflist, 30em Buildings and structures in York, Western Australia Heritage places in York, Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of York