James was given a Ticket of Leave in March 1838 on the condition that he reside in the district and attend worship weekly. His wife Margaret joined him from Ireland with his two children, and so he moved to Limekilns, as it was by now known. Two more children were born there.

Limekilns is a locality 23km north of Bathurst, 21km from Palmers Oaky and 15km from Wattle Flat. The first industry in the area was burning lime to supply developing Bathurst.

These lime deposits were discovered in 1821 by James Blackman, Superintendent of Convicts and one of Governor Macquarie’s 10 chosen settlers to establish the township of Bathurst in 1818. Prior to this, lime was brought by dray from the seashell lime pits in Sydney.

It was used to make the mortar to go between bricks, which were becoming the preferred building material.

When explorer Alan Cunningham came through Bathurst in 1823, he marked the area as Lime Kiln, most likely indicating that lime was being burnt there at the time.

James’ son John was one of the children who arrived with his mother in 1839. He married Mary McMahon and settled at Limekilns. He started building a hotel in 1851, which was first licensed as The Hargreaves Inn on April 19, 1853, Colonial Inn Number 131, at the Annual Licensing Meeting held in Bathurst, and signed by, inter alia, William Lee and Dr. Busby, both Justices of the Peace.

The inn was built as a staging post for the stage coach and horses on their way to the Turon goldfields. The horses were changed, while the travellers had refreshments, or even stayed overnight.

Ownership of the hotel transferred in 1857 to Samuel Taylor, who ran hotels in Sydney, an inn at Paling Yards and the Diggers Arms at Palmers Oakey in 1853. Taylor was appointed the first wholesale distributor of a product sourced from the chrysanthemum flower, which was later to become the Mortein Company.

Local knowledge says that John Tobin lost ownership of his hotel in a game of cards with Samuel Taylor in about 1857. In 1860, the two end rooms were added to the inn, which is still the same as we see today.

On March 10, 1863, the inn became the Limekilns Post Office, with Samuel Taylor appointed as postmaster until 1869. Thomas James Tobias Tobin (1), brother of John, married Harriet Taylor, the daughter of Samuel Taylor, in June 1861 and later took over the running of the hotel until its closing in 1890. 

Thomas, with his sons Thomas Joseph (2) and James, continued to burn limestone for mortar, ran the Rosedale Marble works until 1917 and also operated a timber mill. Marble from the Limekilns area was used as facing stone in the stairway of Her Majesty’s Theatre in Sydney, the Art Gallery of NSW and several other public buildings. 

There is a marble topped cedar centre table in Elizabeth Bay House, the brecciated marble having come from Limekilns.

Ownership of the building passed to Thomas’ son, Thomas Joseph. Born in 1868, Thomas married Florence Beatrice Lewis of Palmers Oaky in 1898, and they resided at the inn, which had by now been renamed Rosedale. 

The property was used for several purposes, including a general store, a post office, and a local school. It was also used for magistrates’ hearings in the district. Following Thomas’ death in August 1953 at the age of 84, ownership of the property passed to his sons, another Thomas (4), born in 1906, and James Spencer, born in 1914.

James enlisted at Limekilns on November 12, 1941 and was discharged on September 30, 1945. He returned to Limekilns and married Harriett Alice Gibson in 1948. He and his family lived at Rosedale, with his brother Thomas, until about 1963, then James and his family moved to Bathurst and James worked on the railways until he retired. 

He remained in Bathurst until his death on August 21, 1988. Thomas lived at Rosedale until he moved to Macquarie Homes in about 1979, following which James Spencer’s son Martyn moved into Rosedale and still lives there with his wife, Helen.

Many original features remain in the building, including fireplaces and mantles, pressed metal ceilings, 12 pane windows and four pane doors with original locks. The baker’s oven is still in the old kitchen and the original bar is still in use.

The building has remained in the Tobin family for over 160 years, less just a few years when it was owned by Taylor. John Tobin would surely feel honoured to know that his descendant has restored the inn, ensuring it will remain for many years to come. It is now a private residence, but remains a significant example of an early gold rush inn, overflowing with history, and the National Trust acknowledges the Tobins for their commitment to the property.