Roseneath Cottage

Roseneath Cottage is a single-story brick building with matching twelve-panel windows on each side and a sandstone-paved verandah held up by decorative timber posts. It sits at 40-42 O'Connell Street near the Ross Street entrance of Our Lady of Mercy College, with views toward Parramatta Park.

It was built between 1835 and 1837 for Janet Templeton, a Scottish widow who became influential in Australia's wool trade. The building later passed through the hands of religious institutions that used it for schooling purposes.

The cottage served multiple religious schools throughout the 1800s, making it a focal point for education in the area. Its role in the community reflected how such buildings adapted to meet changing local needs.

The cottage is easily accessible from O'Connell Street and sits in a well-traveled area next to a school campus. You can view the building from the street and explore the surrounding Parramatta Park on foot.

During restoration in 2015, workers uncovered a hidden collection of objects beneath the attic floor, revealing clues about past inhabitants. These discoveries offer a rare window into the private lives of those who once lived there.