Pine Grove is an all timber handcrafted homestead with council rates dating back as far as the late 1890's and up until the 1980's was in private ownership for over 90 years. From the 1980's onwards it was owned by the WA Main Roads Department and was set to be demolished to make way for the then Stirling Highway Development allowing for highway access to Rockingham for the general population of Perth. However a very public protest over many years put a stop to that development and Pinegrove along with many other homes were eventually saved with an alternative highway path as the solution. It was late 2006 that Pine Grove came up for auction when we purchased it in a terribly run down and neglected state but totally restorable to its former glory of an original craft era cottage / homestead as it stands today.
Over the years since 2006 the internal areas of this remarkably welcoming and spacious home have been fully restored with just the landscaping remaining a work in progress given it sits on approx 1600sq mtrs of land. To date the makeover has been to deliberately restore the building to its original structural styling removing all the old and varied additions it had acquired over the many years and its many owners. The solid nature and truly magnificent workmanship of the carpentry especially has allowed this home to stand the test of time and find itself easily restored and a true delight to now be enjoyed by all again at long last.
The original land size of this property was much larger in it's original form by all accounts as it was initially owned by the Fothergill Family of Fremantle fame. Captain Fothergill I am lead to believe was responsible for the Fremantle Port's as we know them today. The land Pine Grove now sits on is reported to have been the far back corner of the Fothergill's estate at the time and was primarily used as the garden to supply edible produce for the households kitchens according to the rate books of that time. Ironically at some stage the stables which are believed to have been part of this property have since been separated from the block and are now sit across the road on another property. Captain Fothergill's family homes still stand today on Hampton Road which allows one to appreciate how large the original land title must have been in its day.
On or about the 1920's the Council Rate records also show that the property became known as 'The Pinegrove Nursery' when it was first subdivided and sold off from the Fothergill Estate. This is the only record found that makes some sort of sense for this properties namesake and its origins as a standalone entity. Still today the hand carved sign 'Pine Grove' remains above the front entrance door testament to its most commonly known use of it's time. In fact if you look at the title picture above located on this web page on the far left hand side of the photo you will notice a sign "Pine Grove Nursery". This is an actual photo as it appeared in the news papers from the early 1920's reporting on the new road development to be called 'South Street' upon which it now sits. As you can see this was the only structure of any kind in the area apart from the hospital on the far right hand side and the very same fence and trees were still standing until recent renovations were necessary to repair the fence and improve the streetscape in late November 2009. Unfortunately despite professional attention the original 100+ year old pine seen on the corner of this picture that had survived the many years became necessary to remove in 2007 having died a natural death it would seem.
The same business name could be found in the phone books at that time over a period of years before it just seem to have disappeared as it was sold once again. From the days of the nursery it moved into the private ownership of a local doctor and during this time it is anticipated it was made into a family home and may well have been extended to its current size. This is only evident from the materials used and the building style as there were no floor plans on record ever until 2006 when we undertook the task of documenting its current existence.
The Restoration Project of Pinegrove as it is known today has allowed the former homestead to now become very habitable once again in all its glory with timber throughout, hand carved ceiling roses in the living areas and sits on a generous 1600sq mtrs of land . Boasting 5 typically large bedrooms all with Jarrah floors throughout and two magnificent fireplaces one in the living room the other in the master bedroom. The interior has been fully restored as the photos show with new bathroom facilities and an operating kitchen again. The outside landscaping is still a work in progress as the original gardens were long lost whilst under the main roads ownership and several new gardens and features are in progress.
This is where we are located, click here or on the map to go to 'whereis.com' for directions
