History: Sunnyside Farm – a little slice of England

A little slice of England flourished in Gunnedah in the late 1800s when an English couple transformed their farmlet, Sunnyside, into a garden of memories.

Today the only memory of this once productive orchard and grazing block is a sturdy brick hall erected by Sarah and Robert Ashford almost 150 years ago.

The couple came to Australia from England in the 1860s and selected land 20km from Gunnedah between the Blue Vale and Wean Roads.

Robert Ashford established an earth moving business with horse driven drays and large scoops. Over the next decade he put down all silage pits and constructed miles of drains and contour banks on Burburgate and other district properties.

After these were completed, he sank numerous dams, many of these on large holdings like Wandobah and Trinkie.

In the 1870s Robert Ashford sold his small selection to the owners of Burburgate, retired from earth moving and tank sinking and purchased a farmlet of 250 acres nestled beneath the hills to the south of Gunnedah.

The Ashfords named their place Sunnyside and set about creating the village style atmosphere of their home in England.

The home was built in two sections from cypress pine by local builder Walter Douglas, whose craftsmanship was evident in many facets of the solidly constructed homestead and the cedar beams in the old hall.

The sitting room and three bedrooms were located toward the front of the house, the kitchen and bathroom at the back with a verandah in between.

This conformed with the old way of erecting homes to preserve the living area in case of fire.

Six acres of land were planted with orchards and vineyards and while they waited for the trees to come into production, Robert Ashford built a brick community hall, a tearoom and summer houses which were surrounded by trellises. He also installed a large cellar under the biggest summer house about 30 feet in front of the hall. This helped their dream of creating a village atmosphere become a reality, especially when the orchard came into production.

According to local old folklore, Robert Ashford was methodical in everything he did, planning the enterprise right from the start so that this development could serve as a centre for the Gunnedah community.

It wasn’t long before the young people of Gunnedah started gathering at Sunnyside on Sunday afternoons to enjoy the oasis style surroundings. For one shilling admittance to the grounds, they could eat as much fruit as they liked but were not allowed to take any away. When the afternoon came to a close, Sarah Ashford would say: “Well done boys and girls, I think you have had a good afternoon.” And all the young people went home happy.

Sunnyside was closed on Sundays, however, with the Ashfords holding the firm belief that church, whatever the religion, was their place to be on a Sunday.

But Saturday night at Sunnyside was a great gathering place for young people to have parties, with the fruit freely available and ginger beer served from old stone bottles, with a marble stopper, stored in the cool cellar.

Sarah Ashford conducted most of the entertainment at Sunnyside Hall and had strict rules about behaviour and times when Sunnyside was available for patronage.

She would never allow parties on weeknights because she believed that young people needed adequate sleep during their working week. She was also steadfast in her rule that alcohol of any kind could not be brought to the premises. Apart from providing a community gathering place, Sarah Ashford raised produce tor local hotels.

Right up to the evening of their lives Sarah and Robert Ashford were busy people, growing and processing the produce they raised on their property.

Robert Ashford died October 8, 1906, at the age of 62. His death ended an era of English genteelism and Sunnyside ceased to operate as a ‘home-away-from-home.’ His wife Sarah lived there quietly until her death on December 14, 1917. Robert and Sarah Ashford are both buried in the Old Church of England section at the Hunter Street Cemetery.

The property was sold to Bob Edis and later it was acquired by Percy Simpson, passing to the Gallen family. In the 1920s.

The Gallens added a free-standing room known as the supper room in the space between the two buildings and covered in the verandah. Sunnyside remained a farm and an orchard until real estate development began to accelerate in the 1950s and Sunnyside Farm became one of the prestige home building areas in Gunnedah. The Sunnyside homestead was purchased by Craig and Sue Woodhead in 1997 and they lived in the old house for 13 months before deciding to demolish the homestead which was beyond restoration. The freestanding supper room with its timber floor and French doors was moved to a property on Hunts Lane where it became a much-loved games room.

The Woodheads restored the old brick building and today it is a gathering place for family and friends with the sounds of laughter again filling the delightful interior with its exposed timber beams and fireplace.

Nearby Alsford’s Watercourse is a silent reminder of a gentle English couple who gave so much to heir adopted town by creating a little piece of England in the harsh Australian countryside.

The Ashford’s headstone at the Hunter Street cemetery, Gunnedah.