An Aerial View in 1956

 

This aerial photograph from 1956 demonstrates how much Campbelltown has grown in 65 years. The area shown covers from Kialba Road at the bottom of the picture to Hollylea and the Plough Inn at the top of the image. At the very bottom at the left of the aerial shot is "Kialba" and its surrounding trees. "Kialba" was a large federation-style home located at 29 Kialba Road. The home was built and occupied by Alfred Payten, an architect from the well-known Payten family. It is now vacant land and its palm trees still exist.

In 1956 Kialba Road joined Campbelltown Road. This can be seen in the photograph where it bends to the right and connects with Campbelltown Road. A little further north and Campbelltown Road crosses Bow Bowing Creek. On the banks of the creek at this spot stood the iconic Keighran's Mill. Built in 1855, it was also referred to as Payten's Mill. In later years it had displayed on it's wall an advertisement for Wolfe's Schnapps. The mill was dismantled in 1962. 

Heading further north along Campbelltown Road and on the left is the home "Woodbine". This fine old house could date as early as 1817 and was home to the Payten family from 1873. It was surrounded by magnificent trees such as kurrajongs, acacias, pines and cedars. "Woodbine" was demolished in the 1960s after the land was zoned industrial. What a shame! The site of the house is about where 7 Hollylea Road is today.

The right of the photo shows the growing suburb of Leumeah. The railway lines runs through the middle of the aerial photo between Leumeah and "Woodbine". In 1956 when this photograph was taken, Campbelltown Road was aligned differently. It followed the path of where today's Hollylea Road is located. The two-storey house "Hollylea" and adjacent Plough Inn can be seen on the old alignment of Campbelltown Road at the top of the photo. "Hollylea" was known as The Three Brothers Inn in the early days of the settlement and was owned by Nathaniel Boon.

Written by Andrew Allen

Sources:

ALLEN, Andrew 2018

More than Bricks and Mortar: Remembering Campbelltown's Lost Buildings

Campbelltown: Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society

Diaries from a Bygone Era

One of the treasures we proudly hold at Campbelltown Library are the Payten Diaries. Penned by James Payten of "Woodbine" homestead in the 1880s, the frail old books give a fascinating glimpse of rural life in Campbelltown which has long disappeared. They cover everything from seeds sown and calves born, to family holidays in Gosford.

The "Woodbine" property, once located off Campbelltown Road near the suburb now named in its honour, was a productive farm with a variety of crops and stock. James Payten was not only a well-known farmer and community leader, but also an all-round cricketer and successful pony breeder. His daughter Rose became a champion tennis player and had a nearby road named after her.

James Payten photographed in the 1880s

The diaries were donated to the library in 1994 by Mrs Dariel Larkins, whose family had retained the diaries for many years. The fragile pages have been microfilmed for public viewing.

Written by Andrew Allen

Source:

Macarthur Advertiser, November 23, 1994

Keighran's Mill

Just south of the original Woodbine homestead, and adjacent to the old Sydney Road (since renamed Hollylea Road) there once stood an imposing landmark named Keighran's Mill. John Keighran purchased the site in 1844 and in 1855 built the mill on the banks of Bow Bowing Creek. The mill was a relic of colonial days when wheat was harvested on surrounding farms. It was built of sandstone and had a shingled roof.

During the 1870s the mill fell into disuse when rust ruined local wheat crops. An 1875 entry in James Payten's diary, now held by Campbelltown Library, reads "Harris and I nailed up doors and windows in old mill". This suggests the mill was by then deserted. In 1879, Kidd and Fieldhouse acquired the mill but probably did not use it for gristing wheat.

Most Campbelltown residents who remember the picturesque landmark knew it as Payten's Mill. Percy Payten was the last member of the Payten family to own the mill. In 1954 he offered the mill to the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society.

In later years, the mill became a favourite haunt of children's games. Young Rose Payten and her brothers loved to climb its secluded heights. In a recent interview I did with Leumeah local Noeline Jury (nee Hawkes) she describes how the mill entertained them as children and later as teenagers. On one occasion she was exploring the mill with a friend when they noticed a noose hanging from the rafters! This, combined with the constant croaking of frogs in the nearby creek, added to the creepiness of the place.

A large sign advertising 'Wolfe's Schnapps' was painted on the side of the mill. This can be seen in the photograph below taken by Steve Roach in 1959.

By the 1960s, Council considered the mill to be in a 'ruinous and dangerous state' and the Department of Main Roads indicated the Campbelltown Road was about to be widened. The historical society also didn't have enough funds at the time for its restoration and the Heritage Council of NSW had not yet come into being. So, in 1962 the mill was dismantled and the stone was used in the building of the RAE Memorial Chapel at the School of Military Engineering at Moorebank, which opened in 1968.

The old mill was one of the all-time favourite landmarks of our district. It even features as the logo for Campbelltown North Primary School.

Where is the site of the mill today? The re-alignment of Campbelltown Road makes it difficult to pinpoint its exact location using old photographs. After talking to a number of local residents who remember the mill, the general consensus is that it was located somewhere in the area bounded by the overhead railway bridge on Campbelltown Road, Bow Bowing Creek and Campbelltown City Ten Pin Bowl.

                   This undated photograph shows the mill adjacent to Campbelltown Road.

Written by Andrew Allen