Situated in the Stroud Historical Conservation Area with pending NSW State Heritage Listing, ‘Storekeepers Cottage’ Guesthouse was built with convict labour for AA Co. workers in circa 1830. The cottage is set on half an acre and is a place of historical and cultural significance.
Where possible Storekeepers Cottage was renovated referencing the principles of the Burra Charter. The Burra Charter is a document published by the Australian ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) which defines the basic principles and procedures to be followed in the conservation of Australian heritage places.
Means all the processes of looking after a place to retain its cultural significance. The aim of conservation is to retain the cultural significance of a place.
Is fundamental to conservation. Maintenance should be undertaken where fabric is of cultural significance and its maintenance is necessary to retain that cultural significance.
Is appropriate where the existing fabric or its condition constitutes evidence of cultural significance, or where insufficient evidence is available to allow other conservation processes to be carried out.
Is appropriate only if there is sufficient evidence of an earlier state of the fabric.
Is appropriate only where a place is incomplete through damage or alteration, and only where there is sufficient evidence to reproduce an earlier state of the fabric. In some cases, reconstruction.
Is acceptable only where the adaptation has minimal impact on the cultural significance of the place. Adaptation should involve minimal change to significant fabric, achieved only after considering alternatives.
With Council Development Application approval, Storekeepers Cottage was restored and renovated over a 5-year period with significant attention to detail. The cottage is wonderfully old and preserved with lots of history and original features. The restoration created some unique challenges and after an onerous process, final Council Occupation Certificate approval to trade as a Guesthouse was issued in October 2024.
To achieve the perfect blend of history and modern amenities and comforts, no expense was spared. It took many miles and many years to purchase and curate the furniture, appliances, antiques, period objects, ornaments and art.
The Cottage provides several coffee table photo books detailing the restoration and renovation process. Pictures tell a thousand words. Some notable highlights include, exposure of original convict made hand pressed sandstone bricks, recycling of original 200-year-old timber floors, original timber ceilings, original windows & doors and exposing of cast iron stabilising rods which stopped the walls falling.
Wendy & Eamonn would like to thank everyone who helped them achieve their vision and complete this project.
Our Cottage was convict-built for AA Co. workers and is a perfect example of colonial settler’s architecture using handmade sandstock bricks.
Prior to Thomas Laman moving into this Cottage, the cottage was known as the Storekeeper’s Cottage and the Road Supervisor’s Residence.
Note: The owners are trying to attain more accuracy to the above timeline and other website historic content. If you can assist, please email mail@storekeeperscottage.com.au
We are unsure when Thomas began residing in this cottage; however, we are confident he lived here from at least 1858 until his death in 1887.
For much of its history, our cottage was known as Laman Cottage due to all of Thomas’s achievements throughout this region. The street adjacent to this cottage is Laman Street. There is also a Laman Street in the heart of Newcastle, housing the War Memorial Cultural Centre and City Library.
Note: We believe Thomas may have purchased our cottage in 1857. We reverted to the initial name of the Storekeeper’s Cottage as this is the most historic. In the early 1850s, the storekeeper residing here was Mr. Philip Snape. The original AA Co. Store was on the site next door to this Cottage; however, it was burned down in the late 1800s, enabling the construction of Thornleigh.
