Timber Cottage

History:

By 1866 Thomas Wilson, a builder, had purchased land on the north side of Abbotsford Street, midway between Hunter and Paterson Streets. In 1867 he built two weatherboard houses in Abbotsford Street, including this two-roomed house at No. 42, which he occupied. The house was extended to four rooms two years later. In 1884-85 Henry Tolhurst, a surveyor, rented the house, however by 1888, Wilson once again used the property as his own residence, and continued to do so until 1901. The house remained in ownership of the Wilson family until World War One.

In 1873, Wilson erected a brick house at what is now 42 Abbotsford Street (see separate datasheet), and he lived there from 1879 until 1888.

Description:

The house at 40 Abbotsford Street, Abbotsford, is an unusual timber cottage with Gothick influences. It has an irregular composition, consisting of a main double-storey section, with a single-storey wing to the side. The double-storey section has a gabled slate roof with plain timber bargeboards. A bay window with double-hung sashes faces the street at ground floor level, and has an unusual slated hood with a timber scalloped frieze. There is a pointed arch window on the side (east) elevation at first floor level. The smaller single-storey section also has a gabled roof, but with the gable end facing the street. The house retains a large garden.

Significance: