Brick Cottage, Gayndah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brick Cottage |
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Brick Cottage, 2001
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| Location | 8 Simon Street, Gayndah, North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1864 |
| Architectural style(s) | Georgian |
| Official name: Brick Cottage, Gayndah Museum | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 14 December 2001 |
| Reference no. | 602185 |
| Significant period | 1860s (fabric, historical) 1900 (fabric) |
| Significant components | residential accommodation - main house |
| Builders | Henry Fenwick |
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The Brick Cottage is a special old house in Gayndah, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1864 and is now a museum. You can find it at 8 Simon Street. This cottage is important because it's one of the oldest brick homes still standing in Gayndah. It's also known as the Gayndah Museum. This historic building was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 December 2001.
Contents
Discovering the History of Brick Cottage
This section explores the interesting past of the Brick Cottage. Learn about who built it and who lived there.
Early Days in Gayndah
Gayndah became a town in 1849. This was soon after people called squatters started settling on land in the Central Burnett area. A man named Maurice Charles O'Connell chose the spot for Gayndah. He also gave the town its name in 1849. The Post Office and Courthouse were officially recognized in 1850. But Gayndah wasn't officially a town until 1852.
Building the Brick Cottage
After a road to the Port of Maryborough was made around 1850, more settlers arrived. Over the next ten years, farming and livestock industries grew in Gayndah. The first land sales happened in 1854. Joseph Hadley bought the land where the Brick Cottage now stands. He paid £3 and 12 shillings for it in 1854.
In 1864, Alexander Walker bought the land from Mr. Hadley. He hired a local builder, Henry Fenwick, to build the brick cottage. It's believed Alexander Walker lived there for about six years. He was an early resident of Gayndah. He also ran the Gayndah Hotel and owned a property called Mt Cyrus.
The Barnard Family's Home
In 1870, William Barnard became the owner of the Brick Cottage. William was a local blacksmith. He and his wife, Elizabeth McDonald, lived in the cottage for a very long time. They stayed there until their daughter, Ellen, passed away in 1958. After that, the cottage had a few different owners. In 1969, the Gayndah Shire Council bought the cottage. They did this to save it from being torn down.
How the Cottage Changed Over Time
The land where the Brick Cottage sits used to be much bigger. It stretched from Capper Street to Burnett Terrace. There were other buildings on the land, including a blacksmith's shop. The cottage was built using bricks made right there in the area. These bricks were laid in a special pattern called "Flemish bond".
Originally, the cottage had three rooms and a fireplace in the middle. Around 1900, an open porch was added to the back. There was also a small room next to it that was used as a kitchen. The cottage has two front doors. This might mean it was built to be both a home and a shop. But there's no proof that anyone ever used it as a shop.
Changes Inside the Cottage
While the Barnard family lived there, the inside of the cottage didn't change much. But after they sold it in 1958, some things were altered. The back porch was closed in during the late 1950s. The original wooden floors were removed. This left the main bedroom with a rough concrete floor. The living area even had a dirt floor for a while. The decorations above the fireplace were also taken out. The wall between the two bedrooms was removed. This changed the cottage from three rooms to two.
Restoring the Cottage
Since the Gayndah Shire Council bought the cottage in 1969, a lot of repair work has been done. In 1988, the old shingle roof was replaced. A new corrugated iron hip roof was put on. Work was also done on the ceiling. It needed more repairs in 1994 because it was starting to sag. The dirt floor in the main room was replaced with concrete. The front doors were changed, and the inside walls were replastered. The fireplace decorations were also replaced. One is a copy of the original. The other came from a different old house called Ban Ban homestead.
Brick Cottage Today
Today, the Brick Cottage is a museum. The Gayndah Historical Society runs it. It used to be the only building on its land. Now, it's surrounded by other historic buildings from Gayndah. They form part of a historical village. The museum has many items from early life in and around Gayndah.
What the Brick Cottage Looks Like
The Brick Cottage is on the south side of Simon Street in Gayndah. It's a simple, single-story building. It's made of local bricks laid in a Flemish bond pattern. It has a corrugated iron roof. A wooden addition is attached to the back. It has a corrugated iron skillion roof.
Outside Features
The brick part of the house looks like Georgian architecture. It has a simple rectangular shape. The front has two large windows with six panes each. There are also two front doors facing Simon Street. A back door leads to the enclosed porch and lean-to on the west side. There are two windows on the south side and one on the north side. The roof edges are not lined, and the wooden supports have a curved shape.
Inside the Cottage
Inside, the main cottage has a new concrete floor. The walls are plastered, and the ceilings are lined with wooden boards. A strong brick wall divides the cottage into two parts. This wall has two fireplaces, one on each side. The northern part of the cottage used to be two rooms. You can still see where the dividing wall was.
At the back of the cottage, there's an enclosed porch and a separate lean-to. The enclosed porch has been made bigger and divided into two rooms. These rooms have weatherboard siding. Some parts are lined with fibro sheeting. The lean-to is made of wooden slats with a corrugated iron roof.
Why Brick Cottage is Heritage-Listed
The Brick Cottage was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 December 2001. This means it's a very important historical place.
Showing Queensland's History
The Brick Cottage was built in Gayndah in 1864. It's special to the people of Gayndah. It's the only home left from when the town was first settled. The cottage helps us understand how some of Queensland's older towns grew.
A Rare Example
This cottage was built very early in the town's history. It's a great example of a home for workers from the mid-1800s. It's also rare because it was built using handmade bricks from the local area. This type of brick is not used much anymore.
Showing Key Features of Historic Places
The cottage shows the main features of a certain type of historic place. It's a good example of a mid-19th century worker's home. It also shows the rare use of locally made bricks.
