Grantham Heritage Park

Blacktown City Council respects and acknowledges the Dharug people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land on which Grantham Heritage Park stands.

Overview

Grantham Heritage Park is located on the heritage listed former Grantham Poultry Research Station, 71 Seven Hills Road South, Seven Hills.

Council restored and embellished Grantham Heritage Park in 2023, so this iconic historical site can be accessed and enjoyed by our proud Blacktown community. The park features new playspace equipment, sheltered picnic settings, viewing decks, park furniture and seating, a yarning circle, interpretation signage, tree planting and minor upgrade to the existing car park.

Grantham Heritage Park includes one of the largest remnant Cumberland Plain Woodland in Seven Hills, and one of few in the eastern part of Western Sydney.

History

The former Grantham Poultry Research Station has historic and social significance as the focus of the poultry industry in New South Wales for over 70 years. Operating as an experimental farm under the NSW Government the property strongly reflects government support and initiative to further the efficiency and productivity of the poultry industry. The scientific research undertaken on the property, particularly research into manganese and vitamin deficiencies in food and their effect on hatchability, effectively saved the Poultry Industry from ruin and brought international acclaim, establishing the estate as one of the six leading poultry research stations in the world. The estate also has State significance, presumed to be the only poultry research station in New South Wales.

The site illustrates the changes in agricultural use and government policy, from its operation as a private farm to its development under the Soldier Settlement Scheme, and its subsequent operation as a series of governmental research stations including its establishment as a model poultry farm. Since the time of early grants and ownership, the property has a continuity of use as a working farm, (Source from State Heritage Inventory).

The two farm residences, Melrose House and Drumtochty, and the Old Feed Shed have aesthetic significance as good examples of rural structures that remain attached to their original farm property, providing an important link to the early history of the area (National Trust of Australia (NSW) 1997).

For further information for the history of the former Grantham Poultry Research Station and this park, please click here.

For information on the Grantham Heritage Park War Memorial, please click here.