Guildford

The historic town of Guildford sited in the City of Swan on the outskirts of Perth is a beautiful reminder of how the colonisation of Western Australia would have looked. Everywhere in the town has some form of special recognition and is a great way to spend an afternoon understanding how early colonies must have looked. Convict labour came to the area in the mid-late 1800s to help construct the public buildings and local infrastructure and as a result increased the population and brought more facilities with it.

   

This can be seen with original pubs and hotels, general stores and the fact that many brickmakers, builders, carpenters and blacksmiths flocked to the colony in the early years.

The symbols on the original Town of Guildford crest – an anchor, a sheaf of wheat and a bunch of grapes – clearly reflect this role as a connecting point between agricultural production and transport on to the wider world.

 

It is such a good reminder that the National Trust of Australia has listed the entire area under a similar status as “Listed” status in the UK. It is also protected under special legislation to prevent the expansion of Perth imposing into the area. Nowadays, its tourists rather than convicts that help the town’s economy which is recognised as an important input to the point where the fantastic Visitor Centre was voted best in WA in 2009! It provided excellent resources in maps, local knowledge and advice that allowed me to look round without any difficulty and getting everything covered in the right order.

The whole town was bristling with history from the "Stirling Square Guns”, originally a German Krupps 105mm field gun presented to the town to commemorate the role of St Matthews Church as the adopted garrison church during the deployment of ANZAC troops prior to WW1. It became part of the Australian post-war memorials to present captured military weaponry to towns and cities as Trophies of War. Over time, however, these guns weren’t maintained so were removed and replaced with two 25pounders that are now looked after by the City of Swan.

The greenery of Guildford is an equally prominent part of the landscape of the town along with the design of the buildings. One of the tourist signs sums it up pretty well with a quote from Mr Guppy, former Councillor 1896, “In all civilised countries it is recognised that tree planting acts most beneficially on the health of the population and that the cost of maintenance of the trees is abundantly repaid by the beauty of the town”. Many trees were planted in the late 1800s with the majority commemorating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee anniversary

Many houses still reflect the boom years of the gold rush in WA around the late 1800s with this property belonging to the land surveyor and agent, Charles Crossland, a good example of construction focussing on location near the riverfront. Quarters for servants, cellar and its prominent spire are evident here showing the likely wealth of significant people.

The Swan River and the entrance to Guildford can be seen with the small wooden bridge and landing area used in the early years of trade from the colony. Moulton’s landing, named after the original merchants is a great spot for picnics or fishing.

Guildford’s homes and businesses are also committed to retaining the serenity of the community by displaying a huge variety of flowers, shrubs, trees and other ornamental features for the residents and visitors to enjoy whilst walking around. Here are some examples.

 

As well as the history and plants, the architecture is also a joy to view especially on the sunny day I was visiting. The traditional fire station doors,

Art Deco town hall,

modern railway features that criss crosses the town and parade of shops

as well as a Victorian Grammar School and Cathedral, kindly donated by an anonymous Scotsman.

The design and construction of Guildford was based around the traditional English country town that was aided by the views, beliefs and traditions owned by the pioneers. This can be seen with the avenue of trees and use of white picket fences that are common around the town. This planning belief has maintained for over 100years but I did manage to find some modern housing that thought was worth a mention!