Client Feature: Chatsworth Pastoral

For 170 years, Chatsworth has provided a magnificent breeding ground for sheep, cattle and horses. Straddling the meandering Crookwell River and nestled in the rolling hills of the Southern Tablelands, Chatsworth has, since the mid-1800s, been a nursery for British breed and Merino lambs, calves, thoroughbreds and even Clydesdale draught horses.

History

Having moved to Binda from Parramatta with his family as an infant some 25 years earlier, a young Edward Alexander Webster applied for and in 1874 was granted 40 acres on the Crookwell River, some 4 miles south of the village. He named this property “Chatsworth.” Soon after, he built the original stone house on his block to accommodate his young and growing family, and over the next 25 years purchased adjoining country along the river to the north and west until he had built up the property to some 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares). At various times leasing and owning numerous other local properties, in addition to the base at Chatsworth, he also built a large Merino sheep breeding and wool growing operation in the district.

His other passion was breeding and racing horses, and many fine thoroughbreds were bred at Chatsworth in the late 1800s, as well as stock horses for the British Army in India and elsewhere.

Having died prematurely in 1903, Edward’s executors continued to expand operations at Chatsworth, growing the property to 4,300 acres by 1920 when the property was sold as a whole to the family of Dr R. O. Williams of Goulburn in order to give effect to the terms of Edward’s Will. Chatsworth remained in the Williams family for the next 58 years until the property, now somewhat reduced in size through sub-divisions, was purchased by Edward Alexander’s grandson, also Edward Alexander Webster in 1978. Chatsworth had now rejoined other Webster land holdings in the Binda district.

Now owned by the original Edward Alexander’s great-grandson, Ian Webster, Chatsworth has been expanded once again to around 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) covering a similar but not identical footprint to that of 1920.

Grazing Operations

Traditionally a Merino sheep and wool growing property, since settlement of the district in the 1840s, Chatsworth proved to be a fine horse breeding property during the late 1800s.

Merino ewes were regularly supplemented with purchased wethers from the Western division during that early period. This tradition continued until the year 2000, when annual purchasing of Merino ewes replaced wethers to accommodate a transformation from wool growing to prime lamb production.

Under ownership of the Williams family, sheep and wool were mainly replaced by an excellent Angus cattle breeding operation, which also continues to the present.

Today, Chatsworth no longer has any horses other than a children’s pony or two, but has grown the Angus herd to 300 self-replacing breeders serviced by “Millah Murrah” and “Milwillah” bulls.

The greatest expansion however has been into prime lamb production. Large framed Merino ewes purchased originally from northern NSW, but more recently from the Riverina, have, since 2000, taken the place of the former Merino wethers.

To accommodate this growing operation, sheep facilities have been expanded significantly in the last few years. With new sets of sheep yards constructed at each of the two wool sheds, as well as silos, hay sheds and machinery sheds, Chatsworth is now a well equipped property to handle large volumes of sheep and lambs, as well as significant cattle and calf numbers at the same time.

Now wholly run and operated by family members, Chatsworth Pastoral looks forward to meeting the ongoing needs of its growing number of clients for many years to come.