The property today known as Eleven Eighty is entering its 3rd unique chapter as owners Richard and Clare Mills launch it as a recently restored and renovated boutique wedding venue on the South Coast. Our guests tend to be interested in the history of this unique venue. It is in part, its rich and varied past that gives it the atmosphere and character that are guests are enamored with today. Eleven Eighty is Vintage meets Rustic Charm. Country meets Heritage. Looking to the future, we note on our website that the best stories are to be made at Eleven Eighty but with its rich and diverse history, a fabulous narrative has already told.
The continued interest in this unique, wonderful property from the local community and our recent guests has encouraged us to tell you its story. This is the first of a 3 part blog covering the key chapters of 1180 Bolong Road:
Chapter 1: Life as a School: 1861-1959
The buildings known today as the former Coolangatta public school (The Old School Hall) and Schoolmaster’s house (Main Residence) , at 1180 Bolong road, Coolangatta, were placed on the NSW heritage list in 1985, as they were noted to be of significant historical importance to the area. Here’s why:
By the 1850’s the increased number of tenant farmers and workers on the Coolangatta Estate meant that numerous families and children were living on site. In response to the need to provide education for the children, their parents got together and leased a building made from cabbage trees (palms) from David Berry in 1861. Adjoining the building was a residence which was also leased for use as the schoolmaster’s residence. The first teacher (Samuel Watson) was paid by the parents for 6 months prior to an application to the Board of Education for a teacher’s salary and registration of the school as a Government school. By today’s standards, Mr Watson did not have a stellar resume for the job with no academic qualifications and no teaching experience. He could, however, read and write!!! At the end of 1861, enrollment was at 32 students but attendance sat at only 25. Many of the enrolled students were often needed to work on the estate or to mind their younger siblings. The Coolangatta National School was est in 1861 and renamed the Coolangatta Public School in 1867.
By 1868 the cabbage tree building had been demolished and the school relocated to another temporary building. Late in 1867 construction of the new teacher’s residence commenced with the building completed the following year. The foundations were laid for the new school but it was not completed until 1883. A major change was made to education in NSW through the 1880 Public Instruction Act which introduced compulsory education and Government secondary schools. Compulsory attendance led to more aboriginal students attending school. In 1882 there were approximately 30 Aboriginal children attending the school at Coolangatta. When the school’s benefactor and owner of the property, Sir John Hay, died in 1909 the school and residence was sold to the Department of Public Instruction for 475 pounds.
In 1955 the nearby village of Jerry Bailey changed its name to Shoalhaven Heads. The children from the Heads would walk 5 miles each way over swampy ground to get to the school. (Can you imagine our kids doing that today?) They would get in trouble if they had dirty shoes, so as most only had one pair, they would walk bare foot across swamps and streams with their shoes or boots tied around their neck. If you happened to live within 2 km of the school, you would run home at lunch time for food and jobs, returning for the afternoon. In February 1958, the name of the Coolangatta School changed to the Shoalhaven Heads Public School and in 1959 the school moved location from Bolong Road to Shoalhaven Heads.
The School and its residence provides evidence of the development history of the Berry Estate by demonstrating the growth in the numbers of tenant farmers and workers on the estate by the mid 19th century. The former Coolangatta Public School has strong historical associations with the Coolangatta Estate, a major undertaking in colonial NSW. The school building is an excellent example of a single classroom Victorian weatherboard school. The residence is a good, although modified, example of a Victorian Georgian cottage exhibiting key characteristics of the period.
For nearly 100 years these buildings served as the first and only school in the area for the local Coolangatta and Shoalhaven heads community. By 1960 it had no purpose………………….
Look out for Chapter 2: The History of Eleven Eighty: Wedding Venue
