Category: Cottage News
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The Ansonia Kitchen Clock
THE ANSONIA KITCHEN CLOCK. In pride of place on the kitchen mantelpiece is the Ansonia kitchen clock, now happily marking each hour and half hour with the appropriate number of gongs. The clock dates from the early twentieth century and was made by the Ansonia Clock Co., New York. This clock is the “Kirkwood’ model…
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Bill’s Horse Trough.
The Annis and George Bills horse trough at the Blacksmith’s Cottage is a survivor of a series of troughs donated by the estate of Annis and George Bills. When he died in 1927, George Bills left his estate of 80,000 pounds to ‘construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they……..are desirable for the…
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Gliders at the Cottage
The Australian Gliding Museum at the Bacchus Marsh airfield is one of the area’s little-known treasures. As part of the National Trust Heritage Month, 16th April-29th May, the Museum is mounting a display of model gliders and the history of gliding in Australia in the buildings and grounds of the historic Cottage and Forge. Come…
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Harvest Festival in the Cottage 2016
PUMPKINS, POMEGRANATES AND PENSTEMONS Harvest Festival time at the cottage was a time of produce, people and flowers. Veggie patches and gardens yielded a splash of colour to the 1850s cottage. Pumpkins bedecked the hay bales in the yard and tomatoes and pomegranates spoke of autumn and winter dishes to come. Double Delight roses and…
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Christmas at Home in the Cottage.
Christmas Day has come and gone. It was just a couple of weeks when we enjoyed our special open day featuring an Aussie Christmas at Home. Christmas at the Cottage is always a special time with the rooms decorated in the old-fashioned way, using the materials to hand. Our visitors often commented upon how beautiful…
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The Cup That Cheers
Robur, Bushell’s, TyneeTips, are all names that evoke an era when tea was made with leaves and not bags. Making the tea was quite a ritual, and for special occasions (if there were visitors!) the best china was put out. We were lucky enough to receive a donation recently of two English china tea settings:…
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Treasures of the Collection.
Visitors to the Blacksmith’s Cottage on Sunday 16th August enjoyed a display of some of the treasures held at the cottage. On display was an unusual embroidered velvet mantelpiece drape, a dress suit once owned and worn by the late Mr Cornelius Alkemade, a Marshman radio, designed and manufactured in Bacchus Marsh, a high chair…
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WW1 Supper Cloth portion.
This WW1 hand-embroidered portion of a linen supper cloth is an interesting donation from the Van Alkemade family that is being researched at present by members of the Blacksmith and Forge Group of Volunteers.
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Our August 2014 Men’s Work Display
What a treat for those who attended our open day on 17 August 2014. We had Stan mending shoes, Bill explaining whittling (shaving bits of wood into beautiful objects), and Lockie, the Clydesdale. We had great attendance throughout the day; many children with parents and grandparents walking back into the “good old days” watching with…
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Re-location of the Gaol Cell
Blacksmith’s Cottage Re-location of the Gaol Cell June 2014 Tony Cawood and Russ Hendry acted as “dogmen” as the cell was lifted onto the prepared site. Tony used a bit more muscle than Russ ……hence the cry “COMPO I’ve done me back!!!” Actually we believe the crane did all the heavy work and Russ and…