A cottage steeped in rich Adelaide history has hit the market, as a property that Colonel William Light once owned is up for auction.
The 2-bedroom cottage is in the city and can be found at 16 Wakeham Street perfectly positioned just off Halifax Street. The house spans two titles and approximately 566 sqm of land. The property comprises a 250 sqm cottage allotment alongside a rare vacant parcel.
The land was originally purchased by Colonel William Light in 1837, but was sold shortly after, shared selling agent, Linda Clemente of Ray White Norwood.
“The land where the cottage is was originally sold to William Light in December 1837, and I believe in 1839 the land was purchased by Joseph Gilbert. The current property was built in the 1870s and has been owned by the same family ever since,” Linda said.
Colonel William Light was the first Surveyor-General of South Australia and is known for choosing the site of the capital, Adelaide. He worked to design the layout of the streets, the six city squares, the gardens and the Adelaide Park Lands.
“It’s an original unique row cottage, with a vacant allotment next door, which is very rare to come by in the city. The cottage is original and has been passed down through four generations. It is heritage-listed so the new owner will have to restore the home, but it’s a great project to let your imagination run wild, there could be endless ways to restore it.”
With two bedrooms, a front lounge, kitchen, bathroom and laundry, there are 3 original fireplaces and fantastic high ceilings.
“The original part of the home has one bedroom and fireplaces in every room, the facade is original as well. Over the years there has been an additional kitchen and bedroom added on. There are beautiful high ceilings which are unusual for this type of property. Row cottages normally have quite low ceilings, so these are great to have in the home.”
16 Wakeham Street went up for auction last weekend on December 7th, and despite keen interest did not sell.
“At last week’s auction, we predominantly saw people that wanted to restore the cottage, maybe make it a bed and breakfast. There are great opportunities to build a home on the vacant lot next door or restore and sell it off.
“We saw 7 registered bidders on the day and we reached $2.15 million, but the current owners are seeking a bit more.”
16 Wakeham Street will once again be open this Saturday, December 14th for interested buyers to check out. For more information contact Linda Clemente at 0409 099 046 or [email protected].
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