The original Gatekeepers Cottage had been relocated to 1414 Gregory St Wendouree around 1930. It was recently been purchased by the Ballarat City Council and after an extensive process which included a Heritage Impact Statement prepared in April 2017, the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens have now achieved its return to the Botanical Gardens where it will be utilised as an educational facility for visiting children.
It is believed the building was originally located at the North Gates on St Aidans’s Drive. An early photograph of the cottage taken in 1873 verifies this location on its descriptive caption. For various reasons including flood potential, distance from other buildings and infrastructure and the absence of fencing this site is no longer deemed suitable for re-location. Wetlands and typical vegetative growth found in Wetland areas are profiled in this location now, precluding a move back to its probable original site.
A new site to the north of the former Adam Lindsay Gordon Cottage has been selected on suitable flat ground adjacent to existing children’s play equipment. It is to the east of the Council Nursery buildings.
The cottage has been transported in total with the dismantled chimneys to be re-reconstructed on the new site. No mature trees or plantings are required to be removed at the Botanical Gardens relocation site.
The move as can be seen via the Win News report has been facilitated successfully and Andrew Fedorowicz of Balance Architecture has been appointed by the Ballarat City Council to oversee and manage the reconstruction of this historic building.
Its a great example of where the real and genuine history of a precinct can be rescued, appreciated and reconstructed for a meaningful purpose today. Andrew is most pleased to be involved and looks forward to its full relocation, reconstruction and completion where it will serve future generations of young children in understanding our rich heritage of the past.
Balance Architecture recognises the importance of the preservation of Historical Architecture. We specialise in the renovation and restoration of Heritage Buildings.
