Bingara Houses
Written by Graham Wilson
Bonnie Doon
‘Bonnie Doon’ was a family home in Riddell Street. Walter Earnest Wearne and Clara Louisa Bridger married in Bingara in 1887 and lived next door to John and Ann Bridger in ‘Bonnie Doon’. Clara died aged only 22 years of complications following measles in January 1892. She is buried in the Bingara Cemetery.
Collins
A house in Narrabri Road was built for Messrs Collins in 1934.
Cotta Walla
‘Cotta Walla’ was built as the family home of William Bathgate and Florence Evelyn Trayhurn (nee Powell), c1909 on the western side of Barraba Road, just after it crosses Halls Creek. This couple had married at Moree in 1908. William left Bingara in 1915 and the Smith family bought the property. Several years ago, the house was re-located on the northeastern corner of Heber and Dinoga Streets
William, the son of Edwy and Kezia was born on 28 July 1883 at Armidale and died on 11 April 1947 in Sydney. He was cremated at Rookwood. He married Florence on 2 February 1908 at Moree. Florence was born on 20 March 1886 and died on 7 July 1962. She was cremated at Rookwood.
William, a butcher worked in his father’s shop that he took over after his father’s death in 1905. He operated the business until he left for Sydney in 1915.
W.J. Crawford
A ‘substantial residence’ for W.J. Crawford was erected in Riddell Street, on its west, between Martyn and Heber Streets in 1934.
C.H. Degotardi
In March 1898 C.H. Degotardi a jeweller of Maitland Street, Bingara called tenders for the erection of a building at the corner of Cunningham and Maitland Streets. The tender of Peter Hansen for ₤320 for the shop and dwelling was accepted in April.
During 1934 a number of buildings were constructed in Bingara for the following residents: F.J. Ryan in Cunningham Street; Collins and Saunders on each side of Narrabri Road; F.H.R. King, Don Hall and Arthur Hall on the north side of Martyn Street; two substantial buildings between Martyn and Heber Streets for W.J. Crawford and W.N. Smith and a brick cottage at the corner of Finch and Riddell Streets for Dave Jennings. Investor V.R. Peacocke completed three homes close to Martyn Street.
Doctor’s House, corner of Maitland and Finch Streets, Bingara.
The personal entrance was at 39 Finch Street and the surgery entrance was in Maitland Street. It was also known as Peglar’s Corner and was once the site of Henry Bowman’s wine shop, Don Peglar’s store then a boarding house. The building was demolished because of drainage problems during heavy rain. The block was vacant for some years until Dr Shineberg selected the site for his medical practice and residence in 1934. Much fill was used to bring the surgery and house to the same level as the adjoining streets. Dr Shineberg disposed of his residence to Dr T. Dudley Haggar and left for Tamworth in May 1938. He had been resident in Bingara for some ten years.
The block was subdivided and Bill Bullough, the newly arrived chemist, built his house next door in Finch Street. He served the community for many years.
Dr Frank Hollinshed, who also occupied the doctor’s residence, arrived in Bingara as a medical practitioner in 1946 and served the town for some 38 years before his death in 1994. A wing at the Bingara Hospital commemorates his name.
Photograph above: The former Doctor's House corner Maitland and Finch Street, Bingara. Blake & Wilson 2006
W. Edmunds
Further west in Martyn Street on the same side of the street as the Hall homes, W. Edmunds erected a house removed from alongside Fay’s store.
Harry Fay
Henry James Fay arrived in Bingara in 1893 to work as bookkeeper for the John Byrnes General Store in Maitland Street. He married Alice Elizabeth Schroder on 1 January 1895. Harry and Alice had four sons and two daughters. Initially they lived in Riddell Street but in the early 1900s built a new house in Finch Street to house their growing family. The house was built complete with ornate entrance pillars, tiled walkway and steps leading onto the front verandah with its ornate cast iron lacework. This new location had large grounds and a cordial factory located in a large shed at the rear of his backyard orchard.
At one stage, the backyards of four houses conjoined. Alice and Phillip Carl Fay (Carl born 1904) who next door to each other in Finch Street, and Henry Roy Fay (Roy born 1895) and Hubert Edward Fay (Bert, born 1901) in Junction Street.
A. Hall
A house was constructed on the north side of Martyn Street for A. Hall in 1934.
D. Hall
A house was constructed on the north side of Martyn Street for D. Hall in 1934.
Dave Jennings
Dave Jennings constructed a ‘pretty brick cottage’ at the corner of Finch and Riddell Streets in 1934.
Karoola
William and Agnes Reading built a house in Maitland Street opposite the present day museum. The son of Henry James and Emma, William was born on 1 February 1876 at Ironbark Creek in the Barraba District and arrived in Bingara with his parents in 1886. He died on 20 August 1951 and was buried in the Church of England Cemetery at Bingara. He started Reading’s Bakery in Maitland Street opposite Harry Fay’s store in 1909. He married Agnes Emily Trayhurn on 2 January 1900 at Bingara.
F.H.R. King
A house was constructed on the north side of Martyn Street for F.H.R. King in 1934.
Makepeace House
The first home of Richard and Letitia Makepeace was built of wattle (Cyprus) and daub construction at 15 Old Keera Road in 1908. The building is still standing on the banks of the Gwydir River. Richard (Dick) Makepeace married Letitia (nee Kenny) at Mudgee in 1893. Dick and his family left the Mudgee goldfields for the Bingara goldfields in 1908. A son Herb Makepeace became a Bingara blacksmith. His shop is now located in the grounds of the Bingara Museum.
Meadows House
The home was located on the eastern side of Riddell Street between Finch and Cunningham Streets. The house has been extended and later became the family home of Rowan Dixon and family.
Niara House
‘Niara House’ was built by John T. Byrnes, Bingara’s first Mayor and owner of a large flour mill. The house was built by Inverell builder, Ben Wade.
Photograph left: Niara on Keera Road, Bingara. Blake & Wilson 2006
V.R. Peacocke
He constructed a cottage in Riddell Street, Bingara in 1934.
Pinegrove
‘Pinegrove’ was the Veness family’s Bingara home. John Charles Lawson Veness, the son of Charles and Louisa was born at Tamworth in 1858 and died in 1950 at Sydney. John married Elizabeth Rebecca Fisher Robinson (nee Robinson) at Tamworth in 1882.
John began publishing the Bingara Telegraph in 1884 until 1934 when failing eyesight forced him to close. In conjunction with William Finkernagel, he built Bingara’s first movie theatre ‘Bingara Moving Pictures’ in 1912.
V.R. Peacocke
V.R. Peacocke constructed two dwellings in Byrnes Street in 1936. By April 1938 V.R. Peacocke was building a dwelling and garage in Finch Street near the intersection of Maitland Street.
Reading
In September 1937 I.T. Reading called tenders for the erection of a four roomed weatherboard cottage in Maitland Street, Bingara. By April 1938, Miss I. Reading had had a new building erected at the lower end of Maitland Street.
William and Agnes Reading
Early in the 1920s, a weatherboard house was built for William and Agnes Reading at no. 11 Maitland Street, Bingara. The house ‘was named Karoola after the hospital ship on which Agnes’ sister Pearl had served as a nurse during the 1914-18 war’ (Bingara History News, April 1994, p.8)
F.J. Ryan
A house was constructed in Cunningham Street for F.J. Ryan in 1934.
Saunders
A house in Narrabri Road was built for Messrs Saunders in 1934.
W.N. Smith
A ‘substantial residence’ for W.N. Smith was erected in Riddell Street, on its west, between Martyn and Heber Streets.
Thomas Steel
Brick-maker, Thomas Steel lived in the corner of Spring and Bywong Streets, Bingara. The house still stands without its detached kitchen. One hundred metres along Bywong Street, Thomas and Stanley Steel built a house onto a garage.
Trayhurn Family
In the 1870s, the Trayhurn family home was a small weatherboard building ‘Haroldene’ with a detached kitchen at the rear. It was located three doors south of Heber Street on the western side of Maitland Street. It was the family home of Edwy Johan and Kezia Trayhurn (nee Maddy) from c1891-c1913.
Edwy John Trayhurn was born on 29 May 1847 at Hexham, the son of George and Agnes. He died on 15 April 1905 at Bingara and was buried in the Old Church of England section in the Bingara cemetery. Edwy married Kezia Charlotte Maddy on 21 May 1873 at Muswellbrook and settled in Bingara c1891. He operated his butcher’s shop in Maitland Street between the ‘Imperial’ and ‘Commercial Hotels’.