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ARCHIVES

UNEARTHING THE

BISHOP’S GARDENS

Last July, Old Haleian John Viska (1961- matters, much information had been A kitchen garden was located in the lower
65) approached Hale School Archives recorded on gardening activities. Being section of the site between the house
to assist him with his research into interested in documenting the garden and Mounts Bay Road and its produce
the Bishop Hale Garden on St Georges history of the State, I decided to view entered in the Horticultural Society’s Fruit
Terrace, currently the home of Lamont’s all the transcriptions and subsequently and Flower shows. The prize winners’
Bishops House restaurant. As custodians the story of Bishop Hale’s Garden was list shows that strawberries, asparagus,
of the Bishop Hale diaries written revealed. lettuce, beetroot and bananas were
between 1856 to 1875, we were only too In 1848 he married Sabina Molloy, the cultivated.
happy to help.
daughter of Captain John and Georgiana The diaries revealed that he had a great
John is the founding Chairman of the Molloy, an early WA botanical collector, interest in conifers and had raised from
West Australian Branch of the Australian and in 1856, purchased two acres (0.8 seed, stone, maritime and Aleppo pines,
Garden History Society (AGHS) and a keen hectares) at the western end of the which were planted along the entrance
historian. His research culminated in a Terrace, and after the construction of drive from St Georges Terrace leading
community talk at the Royal WA Historical Bishop House, took up residence in 1860. up to the carriage loop. As well, he had
Society in August and an article in the The 1861 diary proved to be very recorded the growth habits of a Norfolk
Australian Garden History Society journal. informative, and payments made during Island and Hoop pine growing in the
John has summarised his findings below. garden.
the year revealed that a productive garden
In 2001, I purchased four letters at a was being established on the ground In 1875 he took up the position as Bishop
local auction relating to Joseph Wylde, between St Georges Terrace and the of Brisbane and left Perth. In 1876, Dean
a colonial nurseryman who I had been house. His first gardening activity was Geeg wrote that Bishop Hale had created
researching for many years. One was to plant a vineyard and construct a vine “A good garden well stocked with fruit
a letter of introduction with distinctive trellis. His entry for 29 April 1861 stated, trees and vines, and the grounds generally
handwriting and had a Bishop’s mitre on “The first posts of the vine trellis are are tastefully laid out with ornamental
the letterhead. The last page was missing, setup” trees.”
so the author was unknown.
Peaches, apricots, apples, loquats and Today, Bishop Hale’s vineyard and orchard
Years later, in the Haleian, there was guavas mentioned in other entries show is covered with high-rise buildings, the
an article on how Bishop Hale’s diaries, the extent of productive plants grown. house converted to a restaurant and the
1856 to 1875, had been lodged in the Many references record Hale working in lower garden has had many makeovers.
School’s Archive with an extract showing the vineyard, and as he was known to be Through the fortunate purchase of
his writing. I recognised it as the same an abstainer, the grapes would have been the Wylde letters and accessibility to
as the mystery writer of my 1867 letter for eating, drying and jam making with the the Bishop’s diaries, not only was a
and wondered if Wylde’s visit had been varieties Muscatel and Crystal recorded. firsthand account of Hale’s unknown
recorded. I contacted the archivist The purchase of six dozen zinc labels garden revealed, but also an insight into
and subsequently arranged to see the and his references to plant 44 and 45 in gardening in colonial Perth.
transcribed 1867 diary. In my quest to find the orchard, as well as noting to make a John Viska (1961-65)
the circumstances of the letter, I noticed memo to keep an orchard book, show this
that, as well as ecclesiastical and social was the major focus of his activities.

John Viska - image of Bishop Hale’s garden circa 1880.

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