Buildings/woodbridge.html
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Woodbridge
Woodbridge, near Guildford, was named by Stirling, and he built a cottage there which is not extant. The current Woodbridge house (above) was built by Charles Harper for his wife Fanny de Burgh and family, commencing in 1883. They were able to move in by 1885, and lived there with their ten children and staff. 
They started a school in the house in 1885 for their and their neighbours' children, until 1900, when a separate school building was erected. That was later purchased by the Church of England and was the origin of the Guildford Grammar School - which operated in Woodbridge House until 1921. During the Second World War the building was used a home for Old Women. In 1964 it became an annexe of GSSHS, but only until 1968 when it was vested in the National Trust, as it now remains.
There is a public cafe, called Riverside, near the house.
Woodbridge is also the name of the suburb in that area, and its railway station. The Helena River runs through it. Governor Stirling Senior High School is in it.
References and Links
Carter, Jennie 1986, Bassendean: A Social History 1829-1979, Bassendean Town Council.
Statham-Drew, Pamela authors/statham.html 2003, James Stirling: Admiral and Founding Governor of Western Australia, UWAP.
National Trust page for the building.
Swan Guildford Historical Society.
Guildford Association website.
Guildford, Western Australia, Wikipedia.
My happy snaps of a visit there in 2006.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 9 September, 2019 and hosted at freotopia.org/buildings/woodbridge.html (it was last updated on 15 April, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.