13 August 1846 Samuel Davenport

Samuel Davenport bought the property which he named Beaumont on 13 August 1846 only three years after arriving in the South Australia. Beaumont House was actually built for Bishop Short in 1851 and he resided there until 1856 when Bishop’s Court in North Adelaide was completed. Samuel Davenport bought the house and made several extensions and planted vines and olive trees on the land, some of which still remain. Davenport also had properties at Macclesfield and in the South-East.

In spite of being deemed a ‘delicate lad’ Sir Samuel, knighted in 1884, lived to the ripe old age of 88 and died in Beaumont House on 3 September 1906. His legacy to the city was Beaumont Common which he bequeathed to the people of the area for all time. The house now belongs to the National Trust, donated by Mrs Lillian Brock in 1967.

Eric Gunton, Gracious Homes of Colonial Adelaide, Adelaide, 1983, pp.13-14.