Watts' Cottage
'Ilfracombe', an early settlers' wattle and daub cottage ( built 1869-70 ), adjacent to the Museum and overlooking the Pioneer Memorial Garden, is open to visitors and provides a glimpse of late 19th century living.
John Watts migrated from Devonshire in England and settled in Sorrento in 1860. He married Jenny Skelton, daughter of Edward & Harriet Skelton, in 1865. They had nine children between 1865 and 1885, seven of them whilst at Ilfracombe.
The cottage is a fine example of homes built by the first settlers in the area, using local materials. The walls were of wattle and daub construction and the roof was shingles cut at Arthurs Seat. The original cottage consisted of two rooms as now, but with an earth floor.
The cottage was originally located on an acre of land fronting Holyrood Street, Sorrento. It was here that the Watts operated a small farm growing flowers, vegetables and fruit and keeping bees, cows, pigs and horses.
With the support of the State Government, the Shire of Flinders and Sorrento Rotary Club the cottage was dismantled and re-erected on its present site adjacent to the museum as a Bicentennial Project. On March 29, 1988, the cottage was handed over to the Shire by Sorrento Rotary |
Photo: Watts cottage," Ilfracombe"
Photo: The interior
Photo: visiting school students in the cottage |
