Captain Kelly’s Cottage is a painstakingly considered restoration of an original weatherboard cottage on remote Bruny Island, Tasmania. Deterioration, age and environment as well as several unsympathetic alterations to the cottage necessitated an update. Our work returns the primary areas of the cottage to the original form and interprets the narrative for new living spaces.

Extensive research was carried out into the history of the cottage which was built by Captain Kelly in the early 1840’s. The original cottage consisted of two structures: bedrooms and kitchen, surrounded by a wide verandah.

Revealed in the dismantling of the cottage were unique construction techniques, some of which remain exposed. Further interventions elevate living standards. Meticulous removal of paint layers uncovered original paint colours, some have remained visible in parts and offered inspiration in other areas.

The original verandah has been a major point of inspiration for the new intervention. The layered soffit and exposed ceiling rafters have been continued in the new entry and living spaces to connect new with old through a language of ceiling layers. In effect, the verandah extends and encapsulates the new works, tying histories together. This is reflected both in plan and section.