At first glance this house clad in fibrolite and with aluminium windows looks to have been constructed in the 1970s/80s. However, on closer inspection, the shape of the roof and polished timber flooring hint at a much earlier construction date.
The current home was likely constructed by a Mr Pugh sometime between 1876 and 1879. In September 1876, Mr Pugh was successful in obtaining a 21-year lease of Town Sections 215 and 216 for £2 per annum; both sections were owned by the Education Board. As part of the lease conditions, Mr Pugh was to build a house on the sections within three years - it is likely that the current cottage was constructed sometime within this three-year period. A swamp also existed at the bottom of the sections, and Mr Pugh was also going to reclaim this.
In 1879, the lease was transferred to a Mr Downe.
A structure of similar shape and size is indicated in this (almost exact) location on Skinner's 1880 map of New Plymouth - this is likely the current dwelling. The current building also appears to be present in a circa 1896 photograph (linked).
This home is also not square with its boundary - a common feature of early homes, although in isolation not determinate of a buildings age.
Related item:
Town Sections 215 & 216, Taranaki Land Deed Index I13 page 254. (Archives New Zealand)
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