Holly Lea and Plough Inn

About

Holly Lea and Plough Inn is a heritage-listed site on Holly Lea Road in Leumeah, New South Wales, an outer suburb of Sydney, Australia. The heritage listing includes a former residence, an inn and a storage shed. It was built from 1816 by William Ray. It is also known as Plough Inn; Three Brothers (inn); The Travellers' Home (inn); Borobine House; Hollylea; and William Ray's Cottage Inn Coolroom. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

The Plough Inn was constructed c. 1816 on 24 hectares (60 acres) of land purchased by William Ray (1772–1835), a convict transported for burglary. He arrived in Sydney on 13 October 1791 on the Albermarle, married Sarah M Harrigan (1793–) and had three children between 1809 and 1822.

There are references in the Campbelltown & Airds Historical Society Journal volume 1 no. 3 to William Ray conducting the Plough Inn as early as 1821. Descendants of Ray have claimed that his daughter Maria was born in a sandstone cottage on the site in 1822.

Ray built the inn between 1816–21 and sold it in February 1826 to Nathaniel Boon (1791–1839), a convict transported for burglary (arrived 29 September 1811 in Sydney), who was recorded in the November 1828 Census as living in Airds. William Ray died on 18 October 1835 aged 63 and was buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, Campbelltown.

Boon arranged an 1829 mortgage of A£ 252 on the property which is believed to have been used to build the present two storey brick residence.

Boon married Sarah Wade on 27 July 1831 and c.1830 had triplet sons. c. 1830 Boon built "Holly Lea" and that same time he was licensee of "The Three Brothers". Boon licensed the property in July 1832 as "The Three Brothers" and this license was renewed until at least 1835. Nathaniel Boon died on 15 February 1839.

On 25 December 1845 William Ray Jr. (one of William & Sarah's two sons) leased the Plough Inn and Holly Lea from Boon's widow, Sarah. In 1857 William Ray Jr. was named in the Publicans' Index for "The Travellers" Home' (also leasing the inn off Sarah Harrigan (Boon). By 1869 he was declared insolvent. That year John Jenkins bought the site due to Hay's insolvency. Jenkins had married Sarah's daughter Maria Ray and acquired the property from William Ray Jr in 1869.

By 1884 the site was called " Borobine House " and had a new owner, The Hon. John Davies CMG. Davies renamed it " Holly Lea " and continued to live there until he died in 1896. Sarah Boon died on 5 July 1887, aged 93. By c. 1900 the site was operating as a private boarding school. By c. 1914 it was again a private residence.

In 1922 Arthur Payten was its owner and used the site as a farm and his widow continued to live there almost until 1957 when it was bought by Mervyn Whitten The buildings were derelict by then. After 1957 M. & K. Whitten, his wife and family made a great deal of repairs to renovate the property and make it habitable, painting, laying a concrete floor, installing hessian ceilings and rebuilding the chimneys. They continued to run the property as a dairy farm until the late 1960s when most of the land was resumed for industrial purposes by Campbelltown City Council.

Since then Mr & Mrs Whitten have used the buildings and a small area of land about them as a private home. In recent years the buildings were listed by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and the Heritage Council of NSW. The property was placed on the market for sale in c. 1980.

The immediately-previous owner Alwyn Hutchinson used the property for nominal storage purposes. That owner indicated that prior to purchasing the property in c. 1990, it had been used for "casual retail" functions.

The Plough Inn was constructed c. 1816 on 24 hectares (60 acres) of land purchased by William Ray (1772–1835), a convict transported for burglary. He arrived in Sydney on 13 October 1791 on the Albermarle, married Sarah M Harrigan (1793–) and had three children between 1809 and 1822.

There are references in the Campbelltown & Airds Historical Society Journal volume 1 no. 3 to William Ray conducting the Plough Inn as early as 1821. Descendants of Ray have claimed that his daughter Maria was born in a sandstone cottage on the site in 1822.

Ray built the inn between 1816–21 and sold it in February 1826 to Nathaniel Boon (1791–1839), a convict transported for burglary (arrived 29 September 1811 in Sydney), who was recorded in the November 1828 Census as living in Airds. William Ray died on 18 October 1835 aged 63 and was buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, Campbelltown.

Boon arranged an 1829 mortgage of A£ 252 on the property which is believed to have been used to build the present two storey brick residence.

Boon married Sarah Wade on 27 July 1831 and c.1830 had triplet sons. c. 1830 Boon built "Holly Lea" and that same time he was licensee of "The Three Brothers". Boon licensed the property in July 1832 as "The Three Brothers" and this license was renewed until at least 1835. Nathaniel Boon died on 15 February 1839.

On 25 December 1845 William Ray Jr. (one of William & Sarah's two sons) leased the Plough Inn and Holly Lea from Boon's widow, Sarah. In 1857 William Ray Jr. was named in the Publicans' Index for "The Travellers" Home' (also leasing the inn off Sarah Harrigan (Boon). By 1869 he was declared insolvent. That year John Jenkins bought the site due to Hay's insolvency. Jenkins had married Sarah's daughter Maria Ray and acquired the property from William Ray Jr in 1869.

By 1884 the site was called " Borobine House " and had a new owner, The Hon. John Davies CMG. Davies renamed it " Holly Lea " and continued to live there until he died in 1896. Sarah Boon died on 5 July 1887, aged 93. By c. 1900 the site was operating as a private boarding school. By c. 1914 it was again a private residence.

In 1922 Arthur Payten was its owner and used the site as a farm and his widow continued to live there almost until 1957 when it was bought by Mervyn Whitten The buildings were derelict by then. After 1957 M. & K. Whitten, his wife and family made a great deal of repairs to renovate the property and make it habitable, painting, laying a concrete floor, installing hessian ceilings and rebuilding the chimneys. They continued to run the property as a dairy farm until the late 1960s when most of the land was resumed for industrial purposes by Campbelltown City Council.

Since then Mr & Mrs Whitten have used the buildings and a small area of land about them as a private home. In recent years the buildings were listed by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and the Heritage Council of NSW. The property was placed on the market for sale in c. 1980.