Little Milton, Wollongong facts for kids

Little Milton is an old house in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is located at 31-33 Smith Street. This special house was built between 1830 and 1850. It is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, which means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected. It was added to this list on April 2, 1999.

What is the History of Little Milton?

The land where Little Milton stands might have been used as early as the 1830s. People believe Little Milton is one of the oldest houses still standing in Wollongong city. The first part of the house that still exists today was built around 1855.

Who Lived in Little Milton?

The first owner of the original building was Reverend George Charter. He was the first minister of the Congregationalist church in Wollongong. The house was built in a simple bungalow style.

The Charter family had big gardens with a coach house, stables, and even areas for sports like croquet and tennis. They also grew vegetables and flowers. They were very involved in their church and charity work. Besides sports, they enjoyed dancing, music, singing, games, and crafts like spinning and knitting.

In the 1880s, an English doctor named Timothy Wood Lee bought the house. He added a new section to the house to use as his doctor's office and home. He worked there for over 30 years. After he passed away, his daughters continued to live in the house until they died.

How Was Little Milton Saved?

In 1970, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour bought the property. In 1971, the house was left to three charities: Greenacres, the Crippled Children's Society (CCS), and the Anglican Church Mission.

The charities decided to sell the house in 1973. The Wollongong City Council and the Illawarra Historical Society asked for the sale to be delayed. They wanted the National Trust of Australia to check if the house was worth saving. The Trust and the Historical Society disagreed on how much of the house should be restored.

The house finally went to auction in April 1974, but it did not sell. The Council then thought about asking the public for money to restore it, but this plan did not happen.

From 1974 to 1977, the charities tried to sell Little Milton in two separate parts. The house and its surrounding land were one part, and a separate block of land was the other. The charities were spending about $5,000 a year to maintain the property.

In March 1977, the charities offered to sell Little Milton to the Wollongong City Council for $135,000, but the Council said no.

Protecting Little Milton

In 1979, Mr. and Mrs. G. & C. V. A. Seymour asked for the property to be protected under the Heritage Act of 1977. They then worked to restore the building. They fixed the verandah, dealt with dampness, updated the electricity, plastered, painted, and repaired the plumbing and roofs. The house had been damaged by termites and borers.

In 1980, they received a grant of $3,000 to help plan the restoration.

To make sure the building was protected from new developments or road changes, a special order called a Permanent Conservation Order was placed on the property on September 9, 1983.

In 1992, the owners were allowed to replace the roof, add a new attic room, and do general maintenance.

Little Milton was officially moved to the State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999.

The house was sold again in 2008 for a price between $900,000 and $1 million. As of 2018, the building is used for medical offices.

What Does Little Milton Look Like?

Little Milton is an old bungalow-style house with sloped roofs. It stands about 12 meters back from the footpath on a piece of land about 0.3 hectares in size. The original part of the house dates back to the 1830s, with additions made around 1855 and a new section added in 1886.

The Gardens of Little Milton

The front garden has two large camphor laurel trees and a tall Cabbage tree palm. There is also a Canary Island date palm that has a fig tree growing around its trunk. A low wooden picket fence and gates face Smith Street. Gravel paths and low box hedges create a circular area between the old bungalow and the newer northern wing.

The back garden was created after the property was divided in the 1970s. It has four Hill's fig trees for privacy and four Leyland Green cypress trees. There is also a raised terrace and one large, but unfortunately dead, bangalow palm.

The House Structure

The part of Little Milton built in the 1850s was a single-story house. It was made of sandstone and brick, with a shingle roof that was later changed. Next to it was a two-story building for servants and services. Both buildings have whitewashed walls and corrugated iron roofs. The main house has a sloped roof with two chimneys and French doors that open onto a verandah.

Around 1886, a new single-story section was added to the west side of the house. This part has exposed brickwork and a sloped iron roof with decorative details. A lean-to verandah with special posts was built to connect the old and new parts. At this time, a glass conservatory was likely added behind the main house, covering an old well. Two doors in the new western section open directly onto the footpath, providing access to the doctor's office. A path next to this section allowed patients to reach the waiting room, which was in the back of the 1850s bungalow.

Inside, there is beautiful cedar woodwork, including a fireplace in the room to the right of the front door and cabinets in the same room.

In the southwest corner, there is a two-story building for servants and services. It has a large kitchen or laundry area with a small cellar below and a large attic above, which was turned into two bedrooms. This part of the building was probably built around the same time as the bungalow section, possibly around 1907.

An addition at the back (east) of the bungalow was once used as a billiard room. This part has since been removed, but the brick-lined well underneath still remains.

Another small wing was added to the northeast at the back of the bungalow, possibly in the 1940s.

There used to be a small timber-framed area within the western wing, but this has been removed and is now an open courtyard.

Why is Little Milton a Heritage Site?

Little Milton is considered one of the oldest surviving cottages in the main part of Wollongong. The first section of this house was built in the 1850s.

Because of its historical importance, Little Milton was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999.