Caroline Chisholm Cottage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caroline Chisholm Cottage |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Location | 3 Mill Street, East Maitland, City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1831–1835 |
| Official name: Caroline Chisholm Cottage; Maitland hospital; East Maitland Immigrants' Home; Maitland Benevolent Asylum; Caroline Chisholm Barracks (fmr.) | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 2 April 1999 |
| Reference no. | 500 |
| Type | Cottage |
| Category | Residential buildings (private) |
| Builders | John Smith |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Caroline Chisholm Cottage is a special old house in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It's known for its history and for being connected to a very important woman named Caroline Chisholm. This cottage was built a long time ago, between 1831 and 1835. It has been used for many things over the years, including a home for people new to Australia and even the area's first hospital! Today, it's protected as a heritage site because of its unique past. It is also known by other names like Smith's Row, the Maitland Benevolent Asylum, the East Maitland Immigrants' Home, and the Caroline Chisholm Barracks.
Contents
A Look Back: The Cottage's Story
How East Maitland Began
In 1828, a planner named George Bayal White designed the town of East Maitland. His idea was for the town to be a central place. It would offer services like markets and legal help for the growing number of people in the area.
Building the Cottages
The cottage we know today was built by John Smith. He constructed it between 1831 and 1835. It was part of a group of five small houses, called a terrace. These houses were rented out to working-class people.
Caroline Chisholm's Important Work
In March 1842, Caroline Chisholm rented the first two cottages. These two cottages are the only ones left from the original terrace. Caroline used them as the East Maitland Immigrant's Home. It was a place where immigrants who had traveled to the Hunter region could stay. Many of these people were looking for work and needed a safe place to live.
Caroline Chisholm was born in England in 1808. She grew up learning about helping others. When she married Captain Archibald Chisholm at age 22, she made sure she could continue her charity work. The Chisholms arrived in Australia in 1838. Caroline then spent her time helping immigrants, people without jobs, and those who were homeless.
From Home to Hospital
In November 1842, the building changed again. It became the first hospital in the area, known as the Maitland Benevolent Asylum. However, the hospital quickly became too busy. By October of the next year, it moved to a new, larger location. The Immigrants' Home continued to operate at the cottage for at least ten more years.
Protecting the Cottage's History
In 1985, the owner of the cottage planned to move it. They wanted to place it in a historic park outside East Maitland. But the local community wanted to keep it where it was. They talked to the Heritage Council, a group that protects important places.
After discussions, the Heritage Council decided the building should be protected. A special order was made on March 27, 1987, to keep it safe. Then, on April 2, 1999, the cottage was officially added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it's recognized as a very important historical site.
The cottage was in poor condition in 1985. But a new owner bought it in the mid-1990s and carefully restored it.
What the Cottage Looks Like
.jpg)
The Caroline Chisholm Cottage is a single-story house. It has walls made of sandstone, which is a type of rock. The floors and roof frames are made of timber. The original roof was made of timber shingles, but it has since been covered with corrugated iron.
The cottage has four rooms at the front, facing Mill Street. There's also a room that used to be a kitchen in the back corner. A newer kitchen is located next to the old one, and there's a bathroom in the other back corner.
The rooms are connected directly to each other by simple doorways. There are no long hallways. You can enter the building through two doors on the west side. These doors open onto a timber and corrugated iron verandah. There's also a large double door on the east side that opens to the garden.
It's a very simple and humble cottage. It doesn't have much fancy decoration. Only the details around two of the three fireplaces and some door frames show any real style. The windows are a very basic colonial style. The simple design shows that the building was built cheaply for people who didn't earn much money.
Changes Over Time
- 1831–1835: The terrace of five cottages was built. They were rented to working-class people.
- March 1842: Caroline Chisholm rented the first two cottages. She turned them into the East Maitland Immigrant's Home. This likely involved some changes to the building.
- April 15, 1854: John Smith divided the land and sold the property. This property included the cottages that became known as the Barracks.
Why the Cottage is Important
.jpg)
The Caroline Chisholm Cottage is very important because of its strong connection to Caroline Chisholm. She was one of Australia's most important pioneering women. She rented these cottages and made them into a single home to help immigrants who had nowhere to go. This cottage is currently the only known building still standing that was directly linked to Caroline Chisholm.
It is also one of the oldest buildings in the area. It shows us what life was like for working-class people in Maitland a long time ago. The cottage was also the site of Maitland's first hospital, the Maitland Benevolent Asylum, from 1842 to 1843.
The way the cottage was built is also interesting to experts. It's a good example of how cheap houses were built during the early days of a rural town in New South Wales in the 1830s. It was likely built for workers at the nearby Smith's Flour Mill.
The Caroline Chisholm Cottage was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This means it meets certain important standards:
- It shows how history unfolded in New South Wales: The cottage is important because of its link to Caroline Chisholm and her work helping immigrants. It also shows how working-class people lived in Maitland. Plus, it was the first hospital in the area.
- It can teach us about history: The way the cottage was built is a good example of early, low-cost housing in rural New South Wales. Studying it can help us understand more about that time.
- It is rare or unique: This cottage is the only known building still existing that was connected to Caroline Chisholm. This makes it very special.
