Brief History of Maylands
Maylands is a suburb in the Perth Metropolitan Area of Western Australia. In 1896 the name “Maylands” was first used to identify the area, appearing on a poster advertising a land auction. However, the exact reason how the area got its name is something of a mystery. One theory is that Mephan Ferguson (owner of the local foundry) was responsible for naming the area, in honour of his aunt and daughter who were both named May. Another theory is the area was named by Edgar. W. Hamer (Golds Estates of Australia) after he inspected land in the locality sometime in the month of May.
Things You May Not Know About Maylands
The post code for Maylands in 6051.
One of Maylands best-known landmarks, the Peninsula Hotel, nearly became a car park. It has also been at the centre of great urban myth. Click on the link to find out more.
Joseph Hardey was one of the first to settle in the area. In 1830 he was granted land on the eastern bank of Maylands Peninsula.
After two of his houses were washed away because of the rising waters of the Swan River, Joseph Hardey built Tranby House which still stands today.
In 1898 after Mephan Ferguson won the contract to build the water pipes for C.Y.O’Connor’s Goldfields Water Supply Scheme (goldfields pipeline), he purchased land in Maylands and built the Ferguson Foundry (Falkirk).
In 1901 the then Duke of York (later King George V) visited the Falkirk Foundry to view the pipe manufacturing process.
It seems the street names near where the Falkirk Foundry were greatly influenced by Mephan. Mephan and Ferguson Streets were named after himself, Falkirk Street after his hometown, Foundry Street after his business and Rowland Street after the Works Manager in Perth.
Between 1927-1936 the Maylands Brickworks had a capacity to produce up to 7 million bricks per year.
Today the Hoffman Kiln at the Maylands Brickworks is one of only two that still exist in Australia.
In 1948 Helen Keller (blind & deaf American author) visited the ‘Royal Institute for the Blind’ in Maylands and was shown a braille version of the plans for the proposed alterations and additions to the institute.
The Maylands Station was built as a result of the success of the Ferguson Foundry but was originally going to be called Falkirk Station after the “Falkirk Siding” situated near the foundry.
Lake Brearley and Lake Bungana were both named after aviation themes. Lake Brearley is named after Sir Norman Brearly who ran the first airline at the Maylands Aerodrome and Lake Bungana is named in honour of one of the planes.