The Mortlock Family

The Mortlock Family, 1921 – 1927

Under the Hoskins Brothers, Eskbank House was the residence for the managers of the Blast Furnace. From 1920 – 1927 the manager was William Mortlock who was born in the Vale of Clwydd, and was the first local and Australian-born manager of the Blast Furnace. He had been a manager with Sandford and continued as such with the Hoskins.

William Mortlock made changes to the property to render it more suitable for a young family. He enclosed the courtyard (now the gallery space), extended the Breakfast Room (now the entrance foyer) and added the bathroom. 

Mortlock’s daughters, Betty Mackenzie and Mavis Bitten have recorded their memories of the house and estate. These memories will soon be made available as Oral History recordings.

After Australian Iron & Steel’s main operations were moved to Port Kembla in 1928, Eskbank House was divided into residential flats. During WWII it was rented to the Paterson family who ran it as a boarding house for workers from the Small Arms Factory.