This house was built in 1843 to house the medical officers responsible for the outlying probation stations. Later, the officer in charge of the commissariat stores, otherwise known as the accountant lived in the cottage.
At the time that the cottage was offered for sale in 1889, the cottage was being used as a school. It was purchased by Mr A Blackwood who just managed to save the house in the 1895 bushfires. However, great damage was done to the cottage and much of the interior had to be painstakingly rebuilt.
It seems that the lawns around the cottage have always been a special feature of the garden of the property. This is in contrast to the flower beds and cottage gardens of many of the nearby houses.
As with all the houses on what is referred to as Civil Officers Row, the Accountants House has been restored and appears to be open to the public at various times during the year. A beautiful little house.
Main Text & Information Sources –
Interpretive Signs at the site
“Port Arthur – Convicts & Commandants” – Walter B Pridmore
