Weidmann Cottage
Weidmann Cottage is a heritage-listed former retail building, residence and town house and now unused building located at 132 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook in the Muswellbrook Shire local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1840 to 1845. The property is owned by Muswellbrook Shire Council and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. History Weidman Cottage lies on a Crown grant given to David Brown on 27 November 1838. He sold the property to Henry Richard Clovell McAlpin, a store and innkeeper. The year of this transaction is not known. Stafford sold the property to Albert Weidman, whom the cottage is named after, in 1891. The property remained in Weidman family hands until 1977 when it was purchased by Muswellbrook Council. However, in 1935 the property was transferred into the name of A.Weidman & Company Ltd, passing out of individual private ownership. The cottage was constructed sometime between 1840 and 1850, and quite probably before 1845, by the original owner David Brown. The building was erected as one of a pair of semi-detached town cottages. The other cottage has since been demolished to make way for the council public library. Brown appears to have erected the buildings as a speculative venture or as a town residence. An inspection of the building suggested that part of the ground floor served as a shop. It is also possible that Brown was the designer, there being no record of an architect having been employed. The property was purchased by another storekeeper, William Corby Thompson in 1867 who sold it to David Stafford in 1882. An adjoining building sharing a common south wall with Weidmann Cottage was later built as a semi detached two storey dwelling similar in all respects to the cottage. Photographs support the possibility that this building was an exact copy of Weidmann Cottage. Albert Weidmann, who purchased both properties in 1891 used the adjoining residence as his butcher shop. Prior to being demolished in 1977, the second cottage was used as a cakeshop. Albert Weidmann was born in Muswellbrook and contributed significantly to the local community over a 50-year period in commercial, pastoral and sporting interests. In addition to his contribution to the Upper Hunter community, his brother Alexander was one of the founders of the Muswellbrook Colliery and his eldest son, Leslie Albert Weidmann left sufficient funds on his death to facilitate construction of the Weidmann Memorial Wing at Muswellbrook District Hospital. Description Weidman Cottage is located on gently rising ground on the western side of Bridge Street, the town's main thoroughfare and has been incorporated within the precinct of the public library, which is at its rear. The two-storey stone section of the building and its projecting top verandah contribute greatly to the streetscape of Bridge Street and in particular, their relationship to nearby Loxton House. The building consists of a predominately symmetrically designed monolithic structure constructed of sandstone, probably quarried from "Ravensworth". The building comprises a