WATTLE & DAUB COTTAGE
12 SILKSTONE ROAD, and SOUTH GIPPSLAND HIGHWAY, KORUMBURRA, SOUTH GIPPSLAND SHIRE
Coal Creek Heritage Park
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Wattle and Daub cottage, originally constructed in c.1842, and later moved to Coal Creek Community Park & Museum.
Why is it significant?
The Wattle and Daub cottage is of local historic, architectural and technicial significance to South Gippsland Shire.
Historically, it is believed to be the oldest building in South Gippsland Shire and one of a relatively small number of pre-1850 buildings in Victoria. Although no longer on its original site, the building is of considerable importance in demonstrating the very first phase of European occupation of Gippsland at the time prior to the opening up of the region for land selection. (AHC criteria A.4, B.2, C.2)
Architecturally and technically, it is unique in the Shire and a rare example in a Statewide context of an early vernacular building utilising local materials in its construction. However, the significance of the building has been compromised by its removal to this new site, and the apparent incorporation of non-original and inappropriate new materials into the structure. (AHC criteriaD.2 and F.1)
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WATTLE & DAUB COTTAGE - Physical Description 1
The Wattle and Daub cottage at Coal Creek Heritage Village, originally built c.1842 at Tarwin Meadows and reconstructed at its present site in the 1970s, is a small two roomed hip roof structure with an earth floor, a timber shingled roof framed with bush poles carried on split hardwood plates supported by large timber poles at regular centres.
The infill panels between the poles are of "wattle and daub", in this case apparently consisting of titree wattles rendered over with a cement based "daub" which is also carried over the vertical poles.
The bush pole roof construction of rafters with collar ties appears to be original for the reason that it carries an early shingle roof under the later shingles of the 1970s and has no eaves, but detailed analysis is required to establish this. The wall plate is of split hardwood and also appears to be original. However, the construction below this level gives the impression of dating from the 1970s.
In the larger room is a large open cooking fireplace with a concave brick hearth with the sides and back of large sandstone blocks that are regular in form and pick faced with the suggestion of margins on some. These appear to have been recycled from some much later building and do not originate from the region, which has no sandstone quarries. As far as is known, no building using imported sandstone existed in the original region of the cottage, or the region as a whole for that matter. The bricks in the hearth would also be of later origin. There is a large swinging kettle frame mounted on the post adjacent the fireplace.
The fireplace is outside the wall line and is surmounted by a substantial tapered chimney of uncertain construction material. It is also stuccoed. This chimney has two horizontal mouldings, the lower being the proportions of the final cap. This suggests that the chimney has been extended in height at some stage The dividing wall between the rooms is of similar construction to the external walls has an opening at one side and panels left un-finished to demonstrate the woven nature of the wattles between the posts. The wattle panels are at the centre line of the posts and have horizontal weft sticks woven over and under the vertical warps. It is unclear how they are fixed to the posts. The ti-tree visible is obviously of recent origin, suggesting that the balance may be the same. Whether the posts were originally stuccoed is open to question. There is a door opening to each room and the windows are large multi-pane fixed sashes of recent origin, although the sills are very weathered.
Slightly up the hill from the cottage is a "dairy" of similar construction and built form with a rear skillion and concrete floor. This appears to be entirely of 1970s origin. Damage to the stucco over one of the posts reveals that it is held in place with bird wire. The roof is entirely new and has overhanging eaves.
(Note: This description is of a preliminary nature only. A full analysis of this building would be worthwhile after assembling any early documentary evidence and photographs, records kept by Coal Creek and anecdotal evidence from those who worked on the relocation. Consequently, the integrity of this building is hard to establish without records of its appearance before it was relocated. Physical evidence of the existing building suggests that much of the original fabric has been lost and that significant changes have been made either before or after the relocation, apart from the radical change of context.)Heritage Study and Grading
South Gippsland - South Gippsland Heritage Study
Author: David Helms with Trevor Westmore
Year: 2004
Grading: Local
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