A plan to safeguard Nowland’s Lochinvar Coach House and Setting now and into the future has come to fruition.

The iconic property, 12 kilometres west of Maitland, was recently listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in recognition of its pivotal role as the first coach station inland along the Great North Road.

Owners Dr Allan and Dr Lisa Thomas were elated by the decision, following a recommendation from the Heritage Council of NSW.

“We have cherished this estate for 35 years,” they said.

“So, we nominated it for State Heritage Register listing to help share its history and preserve this landmark for generations to come.

“The Georgian Colonial-style coach house was a vital rest stop for weary travellers and horses on the Great North Road, a major colonial trade and communication route connecting Newcastle, Maitland and the developing inland settlements.”

Lochinvar Coach House and Setting was built by visionary entrepreneur Henry Nowland.

He developed an extensive coaching network predating the well-known Cobb and Co by more than two decades.

Mr Nowland was one of the earliest Royal Mail contractors and established routes spanning from Maitland to Morpeth, encompassing the Hunter Valley settlements, inland regions like Armidale, and extending all the way to Brisbane.

The house itself is a testament to the period’s architectural heritage.

Constructed with locally-sourced materials and convict labour, it showcases the Georgian Colonial-style, referring to buildings constructed in Australia from 1788 to 1840.

“At the beginning of the 1800s, transport and communication between early colonial settlements was fraught with danger,” Heritage Council of NSW chair Frank Howarth said.

“Passage through the country was notoriously uncomfortable and bushrangers would wait for the coaches on isolated roads to rob the mail runs.

“So, Nowland’s Lochinvar Coach House and Setting, along with its spelling paddocks, provided a welcome respite for equines and passengers.

“The (Georgian Colonial) style was popularised during the reigns of the four British monarchs George I-IV and featured buildings, which were symmetrical in design.

“Rural houses were generally humble in their presentation with a hipped roof and wrap around veranda.

“The coach house has served many purposes over the years, from a wayside inn and Royal Mail station to a licensed inn and eventually a residence, all the while maintaining its structural integrity and historical significance.”

NSW Department of Planning and Environment executive director heritage Sam Kidman admitted Nowland’s Lochinvar Coach House and Setting was an extraordinary example of a colonial property.

“It’s largely original and has been continuously occupied from the time it was constructed in the 1840s,” he said.

“It is a rare and exemplary representation of rural architecture from that period.

“This listing will provide protection to the Lochinvar Coach House to ensure its stories are upheld.”

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