Originally the ground of Fenden Grove the land was once an extensive orange grove and vineyard, named after the pioneering Jenkins Family.
The history of this area is based on Francis Fendon and is great step Grandchildren the Jenkins Family.
Francis Fendon
Francis Fenden was a shipwright by profession and when he first came to South Australia he owned the Glenelg Hotel and much land near Adelaide and Port Lincoln. He first came to Salisbury in 1849 and bought farming land in the district. Shortly after he moved to the Little Para River and he is credited with being the first to grow citrus fruits commercially.
He started by planting 15 acres of grapes and made wine. He built his own distillery which stood on the river flats below his house at ‘Fenden grove’. This was built as tall as a three storeyed structure in to the side of the river bank. As it was larger than most other houses in Salisbury at the time, it was known as the “flash house”. In the 1860’s he also built a store alongside the railway to store his fruit produce before sending it to the markets. This building has been incorporated into the Salisbury Flour Mill and the outline of the store can be seen if one stands in Gawler Street and looks at the side of the mill building.
Fenden also built a drying shed on his property with heating pipes under the floor. This building was constructed of bricks and the floor follows the slope of the hillside. It was a clever structure in its day and it was used to dry the many different varieties of fruit which he grew such as grapes, figs, apricots and other stone fruits.
He became a very successful citrus and fruit grower and was generally known in Salisbury as “Gaffer Fenden”. He had no children of his own and when he died his nine step-grandsons, the sons of William Jenkins, inherited his property in equal Shares. Several of them purchased land along the river and became citrus growers themselves, so the name Jenkins then became associated with Salisbury’s citrus industry.
back row: Ken Harvey, Basil Jenkins, Irvine Jenkins, Esrik Jenkins, Gordon Stanley Jenkins, Cecil Jenkins
front row: Verna Jenkins, Leslie Jenkins, Archibald Jenkins
The three Jenkins brothers who were in Carisbrooke were Verna, Archibald and Leslie. Leslie had an English wife Nell who named Carisbrooke after Carisbrooke in the Isle of Wright. Les and Nell also had a shop in Salisbury. Les went to the riverland when he left Carisbrooke and Nell with her maiden sister Miss Durnell who later returned to England, lived in a house on Commercial Road for a few years so that the two sons could go to St Peters College everyday.
Lance the elder finished school in the 1920’s and went farming elsewhere. Clee the younger used to stay with the Gordon Jenkins until 1926 when he went with his parents Les and Nell to Western Australia.
Verna stayed on and lived at Carisbrooke, married and raised his family
back row: Leslie William Francis Jenkins, Gordon Stanley Jenkins, Verna Alfred Leopold Jenkins, Arnold godfrey Jenkins, Archibold Walter Jenkins, Cecil James Augustus Jenkins.
Centre standing: Irvine Frederic Jenkins
Front Row: Gwenola Doreen Howard Jenkins, Esrick Eldred Bertram Jenkins
This area is a haven for your geopups, there is a walking bridge across the river gives access from both sides of the reserve while a quick trip down the Little Para Walking Trail will lead to the Harry Bowey reserve. Here you will find playgrounds, sporting activities and barbeque needs.
Those using wheelchairs have some unassisted access but it can be very awkward in parts. The gates to the car park are closed at sunset.
(Information for this cache was sourced from the Local History section of the Salisbury Library)