BIRCH BROTHERS HOMESTEAD NO. 2

There are several surface features related to former farmhouse, including the remains of stone footings for the house visible in the 1945 aerial imagery, the remains of a small garden area to the south of the house, and the earthworks north of the footings. Other evidence, as identified in 1991, includes the presence of a well. The limited amount of ground disturbance across the HO site indicates there is potential for domestic archaeological deposits and features to be present. The potential archaeology at the site is likely to contribute to an understanding of how early pastoral properties evolved over time, particularly in relation to the domestic layout and use, the occupational period of which dates from around 1857 until at least 1945.

The Three Trees Site is of local historical and archaeological significance.

Archaeological evidence, whether intact or in a degraded state, could provide details on the age and layout of the farmhouse and any associated outbuildings, along with that of the farmhouse’s garden. Additionally, the site could provide information as to how the property changed over time in relation to the change from strictly pastoral activities to include agricultural activities. There is also the potential to find out further details relating to those individuals and families who lived on the site, dating from Arthur and Annie Birch in 1857 and any subsequent tenants, providing an insight into their daily lives. This would also allow for a clearer understanding of the use of the house and garden throughout its ownership by the Seven Hills Estate Company, and its ownership by absentee landowners such as Leonard Robinson Carter, or by John Morrish who resided at his large homestead on adjacent Seven Hills Estate land. Additionally, this would help close the gap in knowledge about the site between 1912 and the property as seen in 1945 aerial imagery, up until the present day.