Listed Building record MDR10705 - Thatched Cottages, Castle Square, Melbourne

This timber framed house has brick infill, possibly original, ; the roofs are thatched. The oldest part of the building is the central part of the east-west wing, probably built in the late 17th century as a three room house with a hearth-passage entry and kingpost roof. The eastern end was added in the early 18th century, with the block running north apparently a late 18th century industrial building. A map of 1790 records that the building was then occupied as three tenements, with a stall and small barn as possibly the separate westernmost building. A map of 1840 shows the building then divided into four cottages, and in the 20th century it was turned back into one dwelling. (1) Nos 47,49 and 51 Potter Street was originally built as three cottages, now converted into one. It was built in the late 16th century with numerous later alterations. It is built from square panel timber framing on a stone plinth with painted brick nogging and corner braces to the upper panels, partly rebuilt in red brick. The roof is thatched with a gable brick stack to the east and one brick ridge stack. The building is single storey, plus attics, with six bays. The three eastern bays have a considerable amount of timber framing surving but the western bays have been rebuilt. The easternmost bay has a segment headed doorcase with a plank door to the west and a 2-light horizontal sliding glazing bar sash to the east. There are two similar 3-light windows beyond the door to the west and beyond again there is a segment headed plank door, a 3-light casement window below a similar head and 20th century garage doors. These latter openings have a dentilled eaves band above them. The westernmost bay has a raised brick ground floor with a central segment headed 2-light horizontal sliding glazing bar sash window. Above there is an elongated eyebrow dormer with two 2-light windows below, that to the west is a sliding sash window and that to east is a casement window. Beyond to the east there are four more eyebrow dormers, each with a small paned 2-light casement. (2)