Back in time

The historic town of Guildford could now be considered a suburb of Perth but back in the day, was once a contender for the state capital. A strategic location on the banks of the Swan River provided strong trade links that made the local economy flourish. Coupled with the arrival of convict labour to actually build the new public buildings and infrastructure, times were good for the residents of Guildford. Today it boasts restored and protected buildings within the jurisdiction of the National Trust of Australia overriding them creating a peaceful yet vibrant small town.

The Swan Valley Visitor Centre was a great starting point. Not only was it the first courthouse in the town from which law and order was maintained, it now ensures tourists stay on the straight and narrow providing a load of useful maps and local information to make your stay as informative as possible. This is an electronic copy of the map I used to explore and will refer each photo with the corresponding sign to the number on the map.

 

The layout of the town follows the style of an English country village with the focal piece being the Church and the green with the commercial and residential buildings stretching out of the village along straight roads. This design was created by Assistant Surveyor of the Swan River Colony, H.C Sutherland in 1829. The position of the colony within the bend of the Swan and Helena Rivers with a section of high ground connecting the town to the countryside afforded the new settlement with vital transportation links.

R7- Moulton’s Cottage – built by a pioneer merchant, Anthony Moulton in 1841

 

R6 – Moulton’s Landing – named in memory of Anthony Moulton
  

S5 Gunners Day - Guildford was originally the staging post for the Artillery and Horse Units training before deployment to Europe to fight in WW1. St Matthews, the church in the centre of the Square was chosen as the Garrison Church. Since this association, a long line of various captured and historic artillery has graced the Square in memory of the links. Every year in front of the Church, “Gunners Day” is held with military parades and the laying of wreaths.

What was strange was that the town is still located on the main thoroughfares of road and rail that added to what would have been a buzz back in 1800s. The main railway brought the town to a standstill every 20mins or so as the barriers came down so the traffic built up. Then as the train passed through the barriers lifted and the pressure on the town was relieved. It had a funny effect in that it seemed the town was reliving the heydays of the 1800s with the hustle and bustle of commercial activity even though the majority of the traffic was passing through.

 

C5 93 Terrace St – the old Bakery. The construction of the bakery was definite proof of the development of Guildford as a thriving colony. Records show that at the same time, population was growing and that the occupations of those in the town reflected the growth with 9 blacksmiths, 5 carpenters. 3 builders and 5 brickmakers in 1896.

 

There were many similarities with the styles and facilities being added into towns growing back in England here in Guildford with a Grammar school,

large Churches (this one was kindly donated by a wealthy yet anonymous Scottish contributor),

 

avenue of trees and the aesthetic use of flowers around houses and the town in general,

large ornate commercial buildings such as the Post Office, that still retains it original purpose,

Fire Station,

and Town Hall, that has been the focus of various renovations and upgrades as seen with some more modern Art Deco styling.

The modern day influences on Guildford are protected under a special planning act within WA State Law that will prohibit the growth and development of the expanding city of Perth into the Guildford area. It’s a similar act of protection as seen in Bath, England where any new buildings have to still retain the look of being clad in the local Bath stone. However, the roads and railway as well as the usual second hand and antique shops still operate as normal.

 

Such is the admiration of this special place that a recent protest was undertaken by local residents pressurising the local authorities to sort out the plans for the Grand Hotel. This famous landmark in the town had a fire many moons ago yet nothing has been done to get it back up and running. What did the locals do? They covered the boundary fence with underwear and socks to say that what was happening “stinks”.