The historic Yass property 'Walgrove', about to go to auction, has a colourful social and political history.
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The land was part of a primary grant of 2,560 acres to Frederick Manton, son of the renowned London gunmaker Joseph Manton, in 1829.
Frederick and his French Mauritian wife Emilie Blanchard named the property 'Mon Réduit' most likely after the President's residence 'Le Réduit' in Port Louis.
The Manton's built a substantial two-storey residence and had numbers of assigned servants to work the property, but moved to Sydney in 1837.
Later that year they sailed for England leaving the property in the care of Emilie's brother Julien Blanchard.
They returned to the colony in 1839 but not to Yass, settling in Melbourne.
Mr Joseph Franklin who died at Yass in 1898, emigrated from Ireland in 1839 on 'The Orient'.
He recalled three English gentlemen on the same ship, John George Llewellyn Williams, a Mr Skeite and Dr Haines Gibbes Alleyne.
Williams and Alleyne were working on the Manton property within months of landing.
Manton experienced financial difficulties unable to repay a mortgage on the property.
Joseph Franklin stated that having substantial capital, the partners purchased land near Yass, now known as 'Walgrove', but "in the early days better known as the Red House, on account of the large two storied brick buildings those gentlemen erected".
They engaged Joseph Franklin as their overseer of a large staff of men to run their farming and grazing enterprise of approximately 8000 acres.
Joseph claimed the station was twice raided by bushrangers who plundered the stores and horses.
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It was not a successful venture, with Williams and Alleyne advertising the dissolution of their partnership in October 1841 but they appear to have still worked together for some time.
Dr Alleyne was declared bankrupt in 1844 and returned to medicine.
Williams stayed in the district becoming a successful farmer and magistrate of the local Bench.
The Goulburn Herald records Mr James Garner purchasing 'Walgrove' consisting of 1,800 acres from Mr Henry Jefferies in 1855.
James senior dies in 1860.
Tragically his son James has already been killed when he was thrown from his horse in 1853.
So, it is probably his grandson James who has to deal with a fierce storm which rips the roof off the Red House in 1899.
James advertises for tenders to remove the damaged top storey and reroof the lower storey.
At the same time, he angrily advertises he will prosecute anyone pulling down fences or making roads through his estate.
By 1901 the rabbit plague sees him welcoming shooters onto his property who were bagging up to 425 rabbits and hares at a time, but he laments "it makes no difference".
In 1892, this substantial settlement, five miles from Yass on the Yass river, regularly held its own church services to cater for the many families working on the property and surrounding area.
Mr and Mrs Garner welcomed the prominent families of Yass as guests to the wedding of their daughter Ava in the 'Walgrove' drawing room in 1907, followed by sumptuous hospitality and dancing till dawn.
Tragedy follows, however, in 1910 when 15 year-old Norman Garner is accidentally shot and killed by his brother in the kitchen at 'Walgrove' as they are about to set out on a hunting expedition.
Alfred Garner is on the call up list in 1916 but his father, James, does not live to see his son severely wounded.
James dies in December 1916 and the property, of 1,970 acres freehold, is finally sold to Mr AJ Christian for £12 per acre in January 1927.
AJ Christian becomes a significant political voice in the district gaining preselection for the United Country Party for Eden Monaro in 1934.
Arriving in 1919 from England, he married the daughter of the Honourable HE Pratten, Minister for Trade and Custom in the Federal government.
'Walgrove' obviously suited his wool growing plans.
The fine new house he builds just escapes fire when the garages are burned down in June of 1927.
He becomes a well-respected local citizen whose death in 1938 is mourned by the district.
His widow continues to receive visitors at the comfortable homestead for several years.
The property subsequently passed to Mr J E Pratten, Mrs Christian's nephew.
In 1966 Tony Pratten holds a barbeque for the Young Country at 'Walgrove'.
In 1969 Mr and Mrs Cusack own 'Walgrove' and retain ownership to welcome National Trust visitors to their home in 1996.
The property was subsequently sold to Mr Stan Waldron, a relative of the Cusacks.
In recent times much of the property was subdivided and now in 2020, just 9.45 hectares and this "grand country homestead" are all that remain of the original 'Walgrove'.
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