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Lambrigg is an historical property close to Tharwa in the Australian Capital Territory which is listed by the ACT Heritage Council as a place of historical significance. It was the residence of William James Farrer who made a major contribution to the wheat industry by developing a strain of wheat that was resistant to wheat rust. Lambrigg was the site where Farrer conducted his work on genetic selection for his wheat varieties.〔ACT Heritage Council, "Lambrigg Precinct and Graves, Paddy's River", Online reference http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/13206/416.pdf〕 ==William and Nina Farrer== William James Farrer was born in 1845 in Westmorland England. His parents, who were farmers, were Thomas Farrer and Sarah Brunskill. He was academically very advanced and won scholarships and medals which took him eventually to Cambridge University where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1868. Soon after he contracted tuberculosis and, for health reasons, migrated to Australia in 1870 at the age of 25. Not long after he arrived, he became a tutor at Duntroon in Canberra. He intended to buy a sheep station but because of financial problems he was unable to do this. He qualified as a surveyor in 1875 and for the next eleven years worked with the New South Wales Department of Lands. In 1882 he married Nina De Salis at St Philip’s Anglican Church in Sydney.〔Wrigley, C. 1981 “Farrer, William James (1845-1906), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 8, Melbourne University Press, 1981, pp.471-3.〕 Nina was the daughter of Leopold De Salis and Charlotte Macdonald. She was born in 1848 and when she met William she was living on one of her father’s properties near Canberra called Cuppacumbalong. As a wedding present, Nina’s father, Leopold, gave her some land close to Cuppacumbalong. William Farrer called the property Lambrigg which was the name of the English village where his ancestors lived. The Farrers did not live at Lambrigg after their marriage but remained at Cuppacumbalong. Lambrigg, which was only a short ride from Cuppacumbalong, was established as a domestic farm by William Farrer. Charlotte De Salis, his niece, describes how he erected a large orchard at the southern end of the property, a vineyard that ran next to it along the Murrumbidgee River and a large dam. He also planted a rose garden and some weeping willows near the river. There were also horses and sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, turkeys and fowls which came under Nina’s special care.〔Archer, R. 1949 “William James Farrer”, F. W Cheshire, Melbourne, pp. 34-35.〕 At about this time Farrer began to plant his wheat for experimental purposes. The first building at Lambrigg was a homestead erected mainly for the farm worker and his family to live in. This was a six room house built of pise (mud). One room and a bedroom was reserved for William should he need to stay overnight.〔Archer, R. 1949, p.35-6.〕 This building has been demolished and only the footings remain.〔Dixon, T. 2007, “Under the Spell of the Ages: Australian Country Garden”, National Library of Australia, Canberra, p. 112.〕 However, there is a photo taken by the De Salis family in about 1900 which shows the homestead. (see photo below). The building of the main Lambrigg Homestead did not commence until after 1890 and was completed by 1894. Farrer decided that the setting of the house was to be facing the river and the north with the view from the front balcony being the winding Murrumbidgee and the surrounding blue hills. His laboratory for his wheat experiments which still stands today was built in 1898. It is a three roomed building made of pise with flagstone floors. It contains a small bedroom which was for Farrer’s laboratory assistant.〔Archer, R. 1949, p. 36.〕 A photo of this building was taken by the De Salis family shortly after it was built (see at bottom of page). The financial depression that struck rural Australia in 1890 ruined the De Salis family and they lost all their properties and were forced to sell Cuppacumbalong in 1894. George and Henry De Salis, Nina's brothers, were working on the properties and were severely affected. Lambrigg had been gifted to Nina and therefore was not affected by the De Salis foreclosure.〔Moore, B. 1999 "Cotter Country", Greg Moore, Canberra, p. 126.〕 After the completion of Lambrigg in 1894 all the families moved there. At this time there was William and Nina, Leopold De Salis, George and Mary De Salis and their seven children and Henry and Charlotte De Salis and their five children lived there. A photo of the adult residents is shown below. William Farrer continued with his wheat research work using his own resources until 1898 when he was employed by the Department of Agriculture as a wheat experimentalist.〔Wrigley, C. 1981, p. 471.〕 He developed strains of wheat which were disease-resistant and substantially improved the wheat industry. He died at Lambrigg of heart disease in 1906 and was buried on the property (see photo of his grave after his burial at bottom of page). Nina continued living at Lambrigg until her death in 1929 and was buried next to William. In 1939 a memorial was erected in honour of the Farrers and both their graves were included in the memorial enclosure (see photo at bottom of page). After Nina's death the McMurtrie family bought Lambrigg Homestead and lived there until 1941. The Merrivale family obtained the house after them and lived there for eight years. In 1949 they sold it to Jo and Ruth Gullett.〔Dixon, T 2007, p. 112〕 Image:Lambrigg under construction.jpg|Present Homestead under construction at Lambrigg in 1894. The verandah is incomplete and the railings have not been built. Image:Family at Lambrigg 1896.jpg|The residents of Lambrigg from 1894. Top row - George De Salis, William Farrer, Henry De Salis, Charlotte De Salis (Henry's wife). Bottom row - Mary De Salis (George's wife), Leopold De Salis, Nina Farrer. image:Old homestead at Lambrigg circa 1900.jpg|Photo of the old homestead at Lambrigg taken by the De Salis family circa 1900. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lambrigg, Tharwa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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