Original Cottage
Bestbrook Cottage was progressively built sometime between 1863 & 1882, probably as money allowed judging by the different types of timber framing used from room to room, while the Cookhouse was built after 1890. The two buildings were finally joined together in the 1950's via a covered passageway: insisted upon by the resident war-bride & dubbed the 'tunnel of love'
by neighbours.
Major restoration work was carried out between 1994 & 1999, after decades of neglect, to make it habitable again. All exterior cladding was replaced: weatherboards were milled to match the original & a new corrugated iron roof laid. The cottage was also re-piled, to correct a 100mm drop from one side to the other.
Floorplans drawn in 1976 : Ground floor
| Upper floor
The upper dormer window
required extensive work, having suffered considerable exposure to the elements, unlike the structure beneath the verandah which was still quite sound. The chimneys were in poor condition too - now stabilised & plastered, they are secure again.
Instead of cladding the interior sarkingInternal wooden planks nailed over timber framing, providing both structural bracing & a surface for wallpaper & roofing iron to be attached to with gib board, all the scrim was replaced then wallpapered. Being unable to find any commercial advice on this process much trialling was done first, knowledge which has since been used in the restoration of the historic Theatre Royal in Nelson.
