Davenport graves near Macclesfield on their property called Battunga.
Image by denisbin
Macclesfield and the Davenports.
This pretty little town near the banks of the Angas River was part of the Special Survey taken out by George Davenport in 1840 called the Upper Angas Survey. Davenport took out the survey with Roger Cunliffe and Frederick Luck after his eldest son Francis Davenport had selected the area for their 4,000 acres. Luck and Cunliffe are memorialised by street names in Macclesfield. George Davenport a banker and investor returned to England in 1841 and returned in 1843 with his wife and children and his two brothers Samuel and Robert ready to establish himself in the new colony. But George died soon after returning in 1843 so his brothers took over the land at Macclesfield. The Davenports were agents for the earl of Macclesfield hence the naming of the town. Another brother Henry gave his second name Devereux to one of the town streets. The main street Venables street is named after Samuel’s wife’s maiden name. Samuel Davenport also took up farming land at Beaumont where he donated some of it for the Beaumont Common. The Davenports owned many of the town blocks and they only sold their town land and their farming estate outside the town in 1924. Their estate was the Battunga estate where some of the Davenports (mainly Robert and his family) lived and were eventually buried. Other areas of the Central Hills were also taken up at this time by Special Surveys. They included the Angas River Survey at Strathalbyn by George Fife Angas, the Meadows Survey by Charles Flaxman, the Three Brother Survey at Echunga for Hack and others, and the Green Hills Survey at Bull Reek for Sir John Morphett. These surveys were in addition to the Mt Barker Survey and the Native Valley Survey at Nairne for Matthew Smillie. The wealthy property developers all had a good eye for well-watered high rainfall land.
Macclesfield was laid out on Davenport land in 1848 but it grew very slowly as the Victorian gold rushes took men away from the district from 1851. But the town progressed slowly as it was on the way to Strathalbyn and the nearest river port to Adelaide which was a Milang. In the railway age it was completely bypassed as the train line to Strathalbyn in 1883 took another route beyond Mt Barker. Macclesfield was lucky in that an early architect lived in the town, Frederick Danker the son of the Macclesfield draper and it had access to some local low grade white marble and to the beautiful purple Mount Lofty sandstone which was used in the early 1850s as a building material. The first major public structure in the town was the Congregational Church which was on land donated by Samuel Davenport. Reverend John Austin a gentleman farmer and minister took over ministry at the church in 1850 two years after it had been built. This church is not much younger than the Anglican Church at Blakiston. It has fine pointed Gothic windows and is made of golden sandstone. The last service were held here in 1927. The church was then used for church camps but it is now a residence. The Davenports were all staunch Congregationalists. The church is on the north western side of Davenport Square the central park of Macclesfield. Almost next door to the church facing Davenport Square is the original police station with 16 paned Georgian style windows and two front doors. It dates from the early 1850s and the old lockups are still in the back yard. Across the main road from Davenport Square is the current Anglican Church in local white marble stone. It replaced the early church in 1926 although the land for it was purchased in 1913. The church cost £700 to build.
A stroll along the main street, Venables Street and the parallel street to the east, Luck street will show you most of the interesting old buildigns in Macclesfield except for a few in the street parallel to the west which is Cuncliffe Street. Starting at the northern end of Venables Street south of Davenport Square:
•On the east corner are the old butcher shop cottages. This land was leased from the Davenports in the 1840s by a wheelwright and then a butcher. The buildigns date from the 1850s and 1860s.
•Opposite is the original school room now the RSL building. It is made of Mt Lofty pink/purple sandstone and was erected as a town school in 1857. Note the fireplace on the front wall. When a new school opened in Cunliffe Street this school was sold to the RSL. Note the cut keystones above the 24 paned windows.
•Next is the Macclesfield Hotel built around 1850 although not much of this original building still remains. It was licensed from 1850 and it was extensively remodelled with a second storey was added in 1882.
•Across the street are Mulberry Cottages built in 1862. The original owner gave his trade as tin worker or tinker.
•Next is the Institute building erected in 1881 of purple sandstone. It has a classical facade with dressed quoins and good symmetry. Note the triangular pediment above the front door. The architect was Frederick Danker who also designed the Stirling Institute, the old Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital, other churches and grand houses in the Adelaide Hills.
•Frederick Danker’s father’s store is next door. Henry Danker had this store built in 1851 of purple sandstone. The store was also his residence for his wife and six children. Walk down the alley between it and the Institute and see the unusual cantilevered rear balcony to the house. The fine Georgian style of the house and residence is impressive. Note the decorative arch for the recessed front door, the small pediment to hide the roof line etc. The single storey shop adjoining the two storey residence was probably built around 1860.
•Across the street is the Three Brothers Arms Hotel which was established in 1841 by S Jackson. In the 1850s it was capitalising on the bullock trade to the port of Milang. The hotel was extended in 1848 and again in 1882 and then it was unfortunately “modernised” in 1955. It started life as the Goats’ head Hotel and then became the Davenport Arms before its more recent name was adopted. Make sure you walk inside and look at the gigantic timber beams.
•Next along the street is Dixon’s store and house also in purple sandstone and also in Georgian style. The front veranda is a more recent addition and the original 12 paned windows have been replaced. It was built around 1860 as a chemist shop.
•DIVERSION. If you take the small lane on the right or western side and cross the creek on a foot bridge to you get to Cunliffe Street. In this street look for the former Wesleyan Methodist Church on the corner built in 1857. A vestry was added in 1936 and the whole building was unfortunately rendered in 1955. It then became the Uniting Church. Turn right and walk north to look at the old Brewery site which is behind the Three Brothers Arms Hotel. The brewery need a good water supply so it was sited on the creek bank. It began in 1851 by W Miller and the stone complex was built in 1868. Eventually William Danker purchased the brewery and it continued operating until 1903. At that time it was converted into a cheese and butter factory that operated until 1937. Then a new butter factory opened further along Cunliffe Street. It was the Jacobs Dairy Factory. It was sold to Southern Farmers in 1975 and they immediately closed it. Return to the Main Street over the footbridge.
•Back in Venables Street you will see next the Heinrich Barn with an historical marker in front of it. This old barn has recently been restored. It was built in 1860 for a wheelwright and then it became a blacksmith’s shop. Later it was used as a coach depot.
• Across the street is the Cummins Cottage which was built in the 1860s. Part of it was used as a chemist shop. It has a very steep roof.
•Take the next street to the left and then turn left again at the next street with is Luck Street and is parallel to the Main Street.
•On the corner as you turn is the old Anglican cemetery. It is worth exploring as the first Anglican Church was built on this spot too. The land was donated by Robert Davenport. The church opened in 1857 but the interior was not finished until 1863. It was demolished in 1926 when the new Anglican Church was opened on the road to Adelaide. There ae some interesting old graves in this cemetery and some unusual old red brick grave enclosures with curved edge topping bricks.
•A bit further along Luck Street is the Catholic Church which opened in 1876. It is a large Gothic building but with no interesting features. The Davenports encouraged Irish tenant farmers to their rented lands and they were the ones who used this church. A convent school also operated on this site. Behind the church is an old foot bridge back to the main street. It opened in 1883 and was totally rebuilt in 1989.
•On the eastern side of Luck Street all in a row are three other interesting buildings. They begin with the Wenzel Kepert Cottage. Kepert was a shoemaker hence the steep German style roof with stone quoins and the unusual half rounded top on the roof. Usually such a roof line indicates that a blacksmith operated in the building. ‘
•Next to it is another old cottage which was a blacksmith’s works and cottage. A Mr Robinson operated it in the 1850s for a time but a store operated in this building through to the 1930s. Perhaps he did his blacksmithing in the cottage next door?
•The third building is a 1870s cottage with an elevated veranda, brick quoins and a three quarter cellar. Now return to the main street.
