A 168-year-old Hamilton house once occupied by the mine manager of the Australian Agricultural Company is to be sold by Newcastle City Council by expressions of interest (EOI).
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The AA Company house, hidden away on a battleaxe block in Denison Street, was built for the mine manager of the Australian Agricultural Company's D Pit at Hamilton in 1848. It is one of the earliest surviving colliery structures in Australia and one of Newcastle’s oldest buildings.
The council resolved to sell the home through a public EIO process with criteria designed to “identify a suitable proponent with an intention to use, restore and stabilise the property” in accordance with its conservation management plan.
History enthusiast Ruth Cotton, who has written on the AA House in her Hidden Hamilton blog and books, has been a strong advocate for saving the house, which is in poor repair.
She said the derelict house was discovered by a postgraduate history student who cycled past in 1994, and brought to the attention of council. Council acquired it the following year from a descendant of the Little family, which had owned it since 1914, and secured funding to fix the roof and guttering to stem further deterioration.
However, no restoration was done and the house was still in derelict condition inside when Ms Cotton inspected it in 2013.
She said it was an important remnant of local history that should be preserved.
“This house has been vacant since 1963, tucked away in Hamilton, a silent reminder of Hamilton’s mining past,” Ms Cotton said.
“It has been hidden from the public's view and consciousness because of its fragile state.
“If the right private owner can be found, its heritage can be acknowledged once again, after all these years in limbo.”
The house is considered a rare example of a Georgian period house constructed to support the operations of a colliery. The state heritage register says it “has a unique ability to demonstrate aspects of the cultural and family life of the [AA] company's senior staff” and is “powerfully evocative of the more 'human' side of the company”.
A council spokesperson said the house was being sold because it was not delivering a service to the community and the council did not have the resources to maintain it.
“We would like to sell to it to someone who has the resources to preserve it for future generations,” the spokesperson said.
Proceeds from the sale will be directed to the Cathedral Park heritage precinct improvements, with $20,000 to be allocated to an interpretation and building plaque program for Hamilton highlighting the history of the AA Company.
