The 1954 Plantings Grenache: Thomas Charles Hockridge

“Thomas Charles Hockridge was originally a stonemason, emigrating to South Australia in 1875. In 1885, he built the trigonometric survey station on Mt Lofty — later named Flinders Column — before moving to the Watervale region and turning his hand to farming, establishing this very garden in 1898.”

When we acquired the land that is now the Watervale Gardeners Vineyard, it comprised three historical titles. Tracing each title back through the land records revealed stories of remarkable individuals who shaped this fertile corner of Watervale over generations.

One of these titles, documented as Certificate of Title Volume 53 Folio 239, dates back to 12 July 1864, when Thomas Myatt first secured “57 acres or thereabouts” from the Crown. Myatt’s story is shared on the back label of our 1954 Plantings Riesling and expanded on our website — but the land’s legacy did not end there.

In the 36 years that followed, the same 57 acres passed through three sets of hands without any change to its boundaries. On 2 September 1898, with Transfer No. 332546, it was Thomas Charles Hockridge, listed as a farmer of Watervale, who became its next custodian. But farming was far from Thomas Hockridge’s first vocation — his life was one of remarkable journeys and achievements, leaving an indelible mark on South Australia’s built and rural landscape.

Thomas Charles Hockridge was born in the English port city of Plymouth on 22 October 1851. A spirited young man with a taste for adventure, he first travelled to America at age 18, returned to England, then ventured again to San Francisco two years later. His voyages eventually led him to Australia: arriving in Sydney on 20 August 1875 aboard the Northern Steamship Company’sMacGregor, a state-of-the-art steamship that attracted thousands of sightseers upon docking.

Soon after arriving in New South Wales, Thomas made his way to South Australia, where he applied his skills as a trained stonemason. He became a foreman with Brown & Thompson — then Adelaide’s premier 19th-century building contractors. From 1874 through 1880, Hockridge contributed to the construction of many of Adelaide’s enduring heritage buildings. Brown & Thompson were renowned for delivering entire construction solutions: they employed their own architects and sourced stone and timber from their own quarries and mills, including the well-known ‘Glen Erwin’ quarry at Tea Tree Gully, purchased in 1852.

Given the period of his employment, it is highly likely that Thomas Charles Hockridge played a significant role in erecting some of Adelaide’s most iconic Victorian-era structures — many of which still stand proudly today as part of the city’s architectural heritage.

By 1885, Hockridge had turned his craftsmanship to a new landmark: building the trigonometric survey station atop Mt Lofty, which would later be named Flinders Column in honour of explorer Matthew Flinders.

However, Thomas’s journey did not end with masonry and monuments. He eventually sought a quieter, yet no less industrious, life in the Clare Valley. In 1898, he purchased the 57-acre parcel that would become part of the Watervale Gardeners Vineyard. Here, he traded stone and mortar for vine rows and garden beds, contributing to the region’s reputation for fertile gardens and quality produce.

Thomas Charles Hockridge’s story — from skilled English artisan to respected farmer in Watervale — is woven into the fabric of this land. Today, the vines that flourish on the very ground he once cultivated pay tribute to his craftsmanship, vision and unwavering commitment to building a lasting legacy, both in stone and in soil.