What happened to the Claise Brook?

Everyone knows of the location, Claise Brook in East Perth, but did you know it was named after a real brook of the same name? Discovered by Europeans in the 1820s, the brook was integral to the area.

Over the decades, the brook hosted a public abattoir turned convict depot, a mulberry plantation for silkworms, a homeless camp and finally a recreational ground called Haig Park.

As the area gradually industrialised, the brook became polluted and relegated to a drain—eventually completely underground. It's still there to this day, but is there anything tangible to see?

Scroll down for library resources.

Sources:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claise_Brook

https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wetlands/city-development/Claise-brook

https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/1MINSTAT/000315.pdf

https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/PER_documentation/A0698_R0653_PER.pdf

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-05/east-perth-silkworm-industry-history-mulberry-way/102302214

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/state-records-office-of-western-australia/stories-the-state-archives-collection

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Clause#:~:text=Clause%20was%20born%20on%202,with%20it%20until%20August%201828.

https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Place:East_Perth%27s_Engineering_Industrial_Heritage

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth_Wetlands

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Perth_Gas_Works

https://developmentwa.com.au/projects/redevelopment/claisebrook- village/overview

https://www.emergeassociates.com.au/project/claisebrook-cove-redevelopment/

https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Place:Drainage

https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/RedirectURL?OpenAgent&query=mrdoc_15691.pdf

https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/content/silk-handkerchief

Image Sources:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Setting_Camp_of_the_survey_expedition_at_Clause%27s_Lagoon._Western_Australia_1828_by_Frederick_Clause.png

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1923967_1

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3984904_1

https://www.wga.hu/html_m/s/stradanu/silk2.html

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3973016_2

https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb7152477__Sclaisebrook__P0%2C14__Orightresult__U__X6?lang=eng&suite=def

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/3763126

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2536089_8

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1923183_1

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3760876_4

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3760876_2

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3165629_1

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3966008_2

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2441086_1

https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3003749_001

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-22/perth-swampy-past-rediscovering-historic-wetlands/5758760

Plans:

https://archive.sro.wa.gov.au/index.php/perth-18d-plan-of-perth-townsite-showing-lots-streets-between-brisbane-bazaar-streets-albert-square-and-swan-river-claise-brook-additions-alterations-undated-and-unsigned-scale-6-chains-to-an-inch-tally-no-005756-295

https://archive.sro.wa.gov.au/index.php/perth-13-plan-of-lots-lakes-streets-in-area-bounded-by-goderich-street-in-south-lake-irwin-in-west-edward-street-lake-north-claise-brook-in-east-plan-to-accompany-sections-of-levels-for-drainage-of-lakes-by-a-c-gregory-1854-no-scale-ta

https://archive.sro.wa.gov.au/index.php/burswood-tally-no-502661-116-2

https://archive.sro.wa.gov.au/index.php/perth-east-sheet-1-tally-no-504986-1395

Video Source:

https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb6573046__Seast%20perth__Ff%3Afacetmediatype%3Ag%3Ag%3AVideo%20Lw%3D%3D%20Film%3A%3A__P0%2C6__Orightresult__U__X4?lang=eng&suite=def

Trove Sources - sorted by date and with quick descriptions:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/640631?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

5th Dec, 1835

Farm for lease https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65581843?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

27th April, 1942

A nice description of a cottage to be let. “Claise Brook Hill Cottage”. Good insight into the area, before industry.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65742203?searchTerm=claise%20brook%20-road%20-rd

13th Sep, 1851

There was an application to the government for a portion of the brook to let out as a water mill.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38876813?searchTerm=claise%20brook

24th Sep, 1851 (written 1929)

Public Abattoir was announced. Advertised as being out of town but “not an inconvenient distance” away. Also advertised as having a plentiful supply of water. It wasn’t decided if the butchers would pay an annual fee or per head slaughtered.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65484807?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

29th Oct, 1851

A party of ticket of leave men proceeded to Claise Brook to quarry stone for the abattoir.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3172836?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

7th Nov, 1851

Tenders were open to carpenters and “others” to enclose the site of the abattoir with “strong post and rail”.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3173439?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

21st May 1852

Construction of the abattoir was progressing, but slowly. Was apparently quite large, to anticipate the population growing.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3174122?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

7th Jan, 1853

Abattoir was completed and was called the Public Slaughter House for the town of Perth.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/718649

8th July, 1853

Letter by M. Edwards. Abattoir not popular with the public. Too expensive to use and it was legislated that butchers had to use it – no slaughter of animals was allowed in the town centre. So, butchers were packing up shop and going elsewhere. Additionally, there were accusations that the location was unsanitary and that butchers were getting sick from using it.

There are two letters on the same page, the other by “X.Y.Z”. He shared the same sentiment as Edwards and proposed the building be converted into an immigration depot.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3174536?searchTerm=%22Public%20Slaughter%20House%22%20%22Perth%22

15th July, 1853

Someone identifying as only “a subscriber” hit back with their own letter a week later – stating that not only was the abattoir called for, but was essential for the townsites health and well-being. He called the claims in one of the letters “notoriously fallacious”. Spicy.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65484952?searchTerm=%22Public%20Slaughter%20House%22%20%22Perth%22

20th July, 1853

Further calls for it to be converted into an immigration depot. Claims the drainage was insufficient for butchery and that was the cause of people getting sick.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3175162?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

21st April, 1854

50 ticket of leave men were stationed at the abattoir. It was now to be called Claise Brook Station – which is impossible to research for obvious reasons.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65742369?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

7th June, 1854

Still lots of vacant land by this point. 54 acres of land with river frontage were advertised. This was next to the abattoir (still referred to as an abattoir?).

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3366681?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

21st Jan 1864

Talks like the abattoir was shut by then, but confirms the butchers paid by head. 3s 6d for cattle, 3d for sheep, 1s for calves. It sounds like it was running at a loss for the Colonial Treasury, and the building was instead used as a convict depot. Refer to irate letter.

The law was that butchers couldn’t slaughter within 4 miles of a townsite boundary, but this government one was within one mile of Perth’s centre.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65931991?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

18th Oct, 1871

2,595 mulberry trees had been grafted.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65931615?searchTerm=claise%20brook%20-road%20-rd

18th June, 1873

The mulberry farm by this point 1.5 acres with 2000 trees. They had been growing for 12 months and were considered healthy, ranging from 8 to 16 feet tall.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2979477?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

5th July, 1878

Government wanted to lease the plantation out. By this point, it was 16 acres and included over 4,000 trees.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/65954693?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

9th October 1878

The whole mulberry plantation was handed over to the city council from the government

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3187165?browse=ndp%3Abrowse%2Ftitle%2FW%2Ftitle%2F30%2F1897%2F11%2F03%2Fpage%2F761535%2Farticle%2F3187165

3rd November, 1897

By then, the land is set aside by the City Council for campers and charge 10 shillings a month. E. Henry paints a grim picture, however and claims that price is exorbitant. The sand is so soft you sink into the sand (to the top of your boots). It’s so infested with fleas, that life in a tent is miserable.

The letter goes to say that an older couple refused to pay such a high price for lowly conditions and that a Mr. Lockwood appeared with 2 men and a cart. They proceeded to pull down their tent, gather their belongings into the cart and dump them onto the road.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/33160821?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

5th Aug, 1898

Claise Brook was starting to be considered a location for sewer filter beds

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3211058?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

16th Nov, 1898

The Claise Brook Drain cost 20,000 pounds.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212394876?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

20th May, 1899

The Claise brook was full of “liquid filth”.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37565676?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/25696279

15th Feb, 1907

A good headline to use if nothing else. “ALLEGED INSANITARY CONDITIONS”. The city health officer inspected it in 1907 and described the drain as “most foul, filthy and insanitary”. When it was cleaned out, they found rotten paper, rags, decomposing vegetable matter and the carcases of dogs and cats. The top of the water was quote “covered with a thick scum”.

Second mention of 20,000-pound contract for pipe drain works.

19th Oct, 1907

Referred to as the Claise Brook Drain by this point, was 8 foot 6 inches then (At least, at the intersection of Royal and Lord Streets.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26214057?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

19th Nov, 1908

Tenders were accepted for construction of the Claise Brook main sewer.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37587158?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

17th July, 1909

Construction of the filter beds was complete.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59441207?searchTerm=%22claise%20brook%22%20-road%20-rd

19th May, 1935

By 1935, the sewer system was being replaced with an ocean sewerage scheme to Subiaco. The filter beds at Claise Brook were to be demolished (as they were underperforming) and no more sewerage for the swan river. A pumping station was built.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41276941?searchTerm=claise%20brook%20-road%20-rd

13th feb, 1937

Named after Frederick Clause, the surgeon aboard the HMS success on its first voyage up the Swan River in 1827. James Stirling named the brook “Clauses Brook”, but apparently he pronounced his name “Claise”.

“Sunk to the dimensions of a mere drain” as per the West Australian in 1937.

Library Resources:

Claise Brook : the lost river of Perth / John Gordon: https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1278523__SThe%20claise%20brook__P0,2__Orightresult__U__X6?lang=eng&suite=def&ivts=kKJ%2Fxo83ItSUmCJCI3XMyg%3D%3D&casts=tXG4vDixmq98KiAhCSUePA%3D%3D