Holly Lodge has high local significance as a house built c1896 for

Samuel and Sarah Cottingham, fruit growers, and is thought to be the

oldest surviving intact house in Mt. Evelyn.

Holly Lodge is a single storey timber house, set well back from the street and remaining on a large allotment. Within the garden surrounding the house are a number of large trees, including two lillypilly trees, a magnolia and a holly tree in the rear garden, a camphor laurel at the side and a palm in the front garden. The present owners believe the holly and magnolia to be more than 100 years old.

The house is rectangular in plan. An early kitchen was demolished some years ago. The roof consists of two intersecting gables. The roof form and low pitch suggests that it was entirely replaced at some stage since the 1920s (and possibly in the 1950s). Other alterations to the house include the addition of verandahs on all four sides, french doors replacing the double-hung sash windows and the removal of the chimneys. Amongst the surviving external features is the original front door, facing the rear garden (its position in relation to the current street address reflecting the subdivision of the surrounding properties).

Also on the property are a series of connected building used as a boarding cattery.

Physical Conditions: Excellent

Integrity: Evidence of stages