Addington House, Heritage farmhouse in Ryde, Australia.
Addington House is a single-story sandstone building with a symmetrical facade in Ryde, with rooms displaying regional historical objects from different periods. The rooms are furnished with historical collections that give insight into how earlier residents lived and what mattered to them.
The building started as a three-room cottage built by James Stewart, an emancipated convict, in 1794 and stands among Australia's oldest settler homes. Its construction history shows how such dwellings were built and modified over the decades during the colony's early years.
The house holds collections about Boy Scout and Girl Guide activities from the Ryde area, showing how youth organizations shaped community life. These displays reflect the leisure activities and traditions that mattered to local families in the 20th century.
The house is located on Victoria Road in Ryde and can only be viewed by advance appointment, so visitors need to arrange a visit ahead of time. Tours provide better access to the rooms and collections than dropping by without planning.
Archaeological work in 1975 revealed detailed information about the different building phases and changes made to this early colonial home. This investigation helped reconstruct exactly how the structure evolved over more than a century.
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