Tranby House, Maylands, given permanent heritage listing

6/11/95

Historic Tranby House, on the Swan River foreshore in Maylands, has been permanently entered on the State Register of Heritage Places.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said the listing, recommended by the Heritage Council of Western Australia, would ensure the home was subject to the full protection of the Heritage of Western Australia Act.

Mr Lewis said Tranby House, built in the 1830s, provided an important link with our colonial past.

"It is the oldest functioning residence in the inner metropolitan area and an important focus for cultural tourism," he said.

"Situated on the banks of the Swan River, Tranby House, together with the oaks nearby, is a landmark in the area.

"It was one of the early residences in the district, closely associated with rural development along the Swan River.

"The surviving trees from the early landscape, including oaks, olives and mulberries, also contribute to an understanding of that period of development."

Tranby House was the home of Joseph Hardey and his family, farming pioneers who were influential in the colony's religious, business and political life.

It was built by the first Methodist community in Western Australia who arrived in February 1830 aboard the ship, Tranby, to found a small religious community in the new colony.

The home remained in the Hardey family until 1913.

The property was restored in 1977 and is open to the public as a museum depicting life in the colony during the early years.

Tranby House is a single storey farmhouse with a long, low gable running east-west with a break-pitch verandah all around.

It is built in the old colonial Georgian style, with brick walls which are plastered inside.

The residence, which received an interim entry on the Register late last year, is also on the Register of the National Estate and has National Trust classification.

Media contact:  Bronwyn Hillman 221 1377 or 222 9595