Built in 1821, replacing an even older building dating to 1810.
Home of statesman, explorer and Propsect identity William Lawson.
Lawson was born in London and arrived in Sydney in 1800 when he was
posted to
Veteran Hall, reproduced in Blacktown City Sun, 2004
Norfolk Island. In 1806 he removed to Sydney and in 1808
aquired his first land at Prospect. By 1810 he was living on the site
of what would eventually be called Veteran Hall, where he remained
until his death in 1850, apart from a few years around Bathurst. The
original residence of Lawson and his wife, Sarah nee Leadbeater, was a four-room cottage.
Lawson set about expanding his land and by 1827 his property covered
some 3000 acres. In 1813 Lawson, along with Gregory Blaxland and
William Wentworth, were the first Europeans to cross the Blue
Mountains. In 1815 Lawson moved to near what is today the city of
Bathurst, building the homestead "Macquarie"
in 1824 (which still stands today) and running cattle. From 1819 to
1824 he was the Commandant of the Bathurst district and became the
regions largest landowner. Lawson built several other homesteads in the
region which also survive. Despite his duties at Bathurst, by 1822 he
was back at Prospect and living in the newly built "Veteran Hall", a brick and stone
homestead costing, at the time, 1,500 pounds, named after the Corps of
Veterans, which Lawson joined in 1812. Lawson was a member of the first
elected parliment and remained so until 1848 when he retired, not long
before he died. His family continued to live in Veteran Hall after his death until
around 1880. At the time of his death Lawson was one of the wealthiest
residents of the colony. He was buried in the Lawson family vault at
nearby St.Bartholomew's Church, Prospect.
With the construction of the nearby Prospect Reservoir in the 1880's
the home was aquired by the then Metropolitan Water Supply Board who
used it as a manager's residence until 1912. During WW1 the home was
leased by the
army, after which time it fell into disrepair and it was demolished in
1929. The foundations and a
memorial cairn (constructed of bricks from the house) remain on the
site, as well as row of trees leading to the site. The plaque on the
cairn reads: "This cairn marks the site of Veteran Hall, the home
of explorer William Lawson and commemorates his life and acheivements.
Erected 1970".
The
house site is located adjacent to a stand of Hoop and Bunya Pines,
which date to the 1820's. A three-railed
hardwood fence encircles the site.
The remains consist of brick footings, cellars, and a cement rendered
verandah floor. A 25.5 meter well is located 182 metres
from the site of Veteran Hall. It is 2 metres wide, lined with
sandstock bricks and contains 7.5 metre deep water. The house covered
1060 square metres and contained 18 rooms (another source claims 40
rooms, although this is less likely). Lawson built the colonial mansion
when Governor Macquarie asked him to marry his long-time partner,
convict Sarah Leadbeater, in 1822. The mansion was surrounded by orange
groves and wineries and was one of the best properties in the district.
Built from standstone, in its day "Veteran
Hall" was one of the most well known Australian homes.
Originally a four bedroom house, costing £1,500 to build, it grew
considerably larger over the following 100 years. In 1846 there were 40
people living at "Veteran Hall",
including the Lawson family and their retainers.
Whilst windmills were not uncommon across Sydney in Lawson's time, he
opted for the cheaper method of grinding grain with a millstone. After
being used on his farm at Prospect, the millstone vanished until the
1900's when Boral established its quarry in the area. The millstone
then spent the next few decades propped against the office wall. In the
early 2000's the millstone was identified and donated to the Prospect
Trust where it is now exhibited at their museum. The museum stands a
few hundred metres from the site of the Veteran Hall homestead.
Sir Henry Lawson
Photograph
(c) Blacktown & District Historical Society
Millhouse similar to that once at Veteran Hall
Blacktown Advocate
Sources:
Prospect Trust, "Back to Prospect" tour, 16/7/2000
NSW Heritage Office Website, http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au
"A Day of History & Heritage",
Prospect Trust, 1991. Pamphlet celebrating 200 years of settlement at
Prospect
"A History of Prospect", Frank
Bloxham, 2002, Blacktown & District Historical Society
"When the Country Became the City
Blacktown", 1996, Blacktown & District Historical Society
"Millstone Returns Home", Blactown City Advocate, 9/4/2008
"Mansion Site Centre of History Week", Blacktown City Sun, 7/9/2004.
