We still don't know how old our house is but we did find this the other day: a convict brick. Actually there wasn't just one, it's just that this one was end on so we could see the mark. It's been protected from the weather and even inside a battened wall lining for nearly a hundred years so most of the wall is in very good condition.
It's not really surprising to find a convict brick as we definitely thought the house was pre-1850 at the latest. The interesting thing about this brick is that it isn't in the original part of the house, it is in the oldest surviving addition to the house which is the room that was until recently our bathroom. So the first addition to our house was put on when convict bricks were still being made. We're still trying to work out when convict bricks were made but we do know that the last convict arrived in Tasmania in 1853. The book about the area has a plan of our house that says that room was added in 1841 although we've never really believed the dates in that book.
This has again raised the question of when the house was built so we have decided to consult a professional to answer the question for us. There is currently access under the house and in various other parts of the house that wouldn't normally be accessible so there is no better time to do it. We will keep you posted with our discoveries.
No comments:
Post a Comment