Arnprior is a heritage-listed homestead and farm at Mayfield Road, Larbert, in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia.

Stewart Ryrie had served as a deputy assistant commissary general in the British Army during the Peninsular War in 1808–1815, stationed in Spain and Portugal.

[1] On arrival to Sydney in October 1825, Ryrie took up an appointment as the deputy assistant commissary general, based at the Commissariat Stores at Circular Quay.

[1] On 22 September 1826, William and James Ryrie wrote to the Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay, stating their intention to "reside on the Land to be granted to us" as they were unable to find suitable work in Sydney.

Ryrie's grant encompassed 2560 acres and was a roughly rectangular parcel of land located to the north of the Shoalhaven River and to the north-east of the Village of Larbert.

Physical inspection of the house suggests that it began modestly (comprising four rooms) and was added to over the nineteenth century to accommodate the extended Ryrie family.

[4][1] Another resident at Arnprior in the 1830s was the Greek-born shepherd Ghikas Boulgaris (aka Jigger Bulgary) who was married to Mary Lyons at the property in 1836.

[1] In 1837, William Ryrie advised the Governor of New South Wales on the best routes and staging posts for a postal service between Melbourne and Sydney.

Hobart newspaper The Courier reported that the "government township of Larbert was ... under water, presenting the appearance of another Gundagai" and that Arnprior was also "surrounded by the flood, but as it stands on higher ground than the opposite side, it escaped destruction".

[10][1] The house at Arnprior "extended hospitality to the travellers on the track from Goulburn and Bungonia" through to Braidwood, who arrived late at night or were held up by floods at the adjacent ford over the Shoalhaven.

Here there is a considerable quantity of land enclosed, but the property is not highly esteemed; gold has been found upon it, however; and we sincerely hope that it will ultimately be of great value to its possessors.

In the south-west portion of the original Arnprior grant lies a road easement leading to Lake Bathurst through Mayfield.

[14][1] By the late nineteenth century, the extended Ryrie family had moved away from Arnprior, to the Monaro district and to Port Philip (Melbourne).

Near to this intersection is the former township of Larbert, and within the Arnprior boundary are the stone foundations of a former church, small cemetery and several mature pine trees.

[1] The homestead of Arnprior is set on a plateau overlooking expansive plains and grazing country to the east and toward the Shoalhaven River, the land gently sloping up to the rear.

A cellar is located under the southern 1840s addition to the homestead, and has granite walls, dirt floor and the remains of a lathe and plaster ceiling.

A second hayshed is located on the eastern side of Mayfield Road and has a similar bush pole and corrugated iron construction.

[1] A small cemetery is located on the rise behind the former church, which includes marble and sandstone headstones for members of the Roberts, Bassingthwaighte and Stephens's families who died at the end of the 19th and first decades of the 20th centuries.

Immediately behind the homestead complex is a series of cleared paddocks, which rise to form a small ridge with natural bush land setting.

This is evidenced through the known (church and cemetery) and potential archaeological evidence of the early township of Larbert located within the property of Arnprior.

[1] Arnprior is of Local significance for its association with the Ryrie family, who were prominent land owners and settlers in southern NSW.

As one of the earliest Ryrie-owned properties it provides evidence of the changing fortunes of the Ryrie family and the growth of their prominence in southern NSW.

[1] Arnprior is of State significance for its ability to demonstrate the operation of early colonial pastoral properties with assigned convict labour and use of local Aboriginal labour, as demonstrated through the mix of homestead, early sheds and potential archaeological evidence of convict housing associated with the property.

The grouping of the homestead on the rise amongst a setting of large mature conifers, with cleared paddocks around Gilberts Creek and the ruin of the shearing shed, evoke the earliest days of settlement within southern NSW, particularly when viewed from Mayfield Road.

Their first major landholding in Australia was at Arnprior, and tells of the changing fortunes and rising prominence of the Ryrie family in comparison to their later properties.

Arnprior still retains evidence associated with the early Ryrie occupation of the property including the main homestead with its carved thistle motif over the front door.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

[1] The grouping of the main homestead on the rise with the cleared paddocks around Gilberts Creek, the large plantings of conifers around the house and the ruin of the shearing shed to the north present a pleasing Australian rural landscape, particularly when viewed from Mayfield Road.

The original form of the house within the cleared home paddocks is able to evoke the earliest days of settlement within the region of southern NSW with the views from Mayfield Road remaining much as they would have appeared to early travellers in the district.

Layers of fabric associated with these changes are likely to remain and add to our knowledge of the various stages of development at the property and early nineteenth century building techniques.