Waterman’s cottage

12 Darling Street, 1841

Built by Cornish stonemason John Cavill, this cottage was home to McKenzie the waterman, who provided a ferry service. Like its neighbour the Shipwright’s Arms, the cottage has a primitive quality.

Built directly onto the street, the cottage makes the most of its corner position by the placing of its entrance and the French window above. The stones jutting from the uphill corner show that it was the beginning of a terrace that was never completed. Of special interest is the wooden shingle roof; though common in the 1840s, most were later replaced with corrugated iron or other more modern substitutes.

The cantilevered balcony with its simple wooden balustrade, and the louvred French windows are typical of the period. It seems likely that the balcony has been rebuilt using an old drawing as a guide: a photo of the building in the 1970’s shows a French window above the front door opening onto a much smaller balcony facing the street corner.