Hoddywell Cottage was hand built by the Chrimes family in the early 1900s. Mr Chrimes and his five sons lived in a shed whilst making mud bricks from the creek to build their house. The Chrimes raised their family there for many years, never having electricity, plumbing or running water. They used the creek for water and the toilet was a thunderbox – which is still there today.
Hoddy’s Well is also situated on the property. Mr Hoddy built the well in 1880 and it is now heritage listed. The well is about 15 feet in diameter and at least 30 feet deep – all stone-lined, and hand made.
From the mid 1900s, the house was vacant for 30 years ending up derelict, until 1997 when the Laidlaw's purchased the property and started restoring the cottage, trying to keep as much originality as possible. The cottage has now received a Heritage Certificate, maintaining its beautiful history whilst also including contemporary amenities for guests to use in our modern world.
The renovations were completed in 1998 and on the open day, Mr Chrime’s four sons who originally built the house came back to have a look. They were all overjoyed with the finished job.
Suzzanne and David Laidlaw transformed this abandoned site into a contemporary cottage for people to enjoy.
Before & After, 1997 vs 1998
