The Shillinglaw farm comprised lot 90 of Holloway’s 1851 Little Eltham subdivision. It was originally 30 acres in area and situated east of the Diamond Creek and north of Henry Street. Before Phillip Shillinglaw purchased the property in the 1870s the eastern part had been acquired by the Colonial Government to establish the main road to Kangaroo Ground. In subsequent years the size of land was reduced in stages, mostly by Government or Council acquisition. These included purchase of land for the railway including Eltham station in the early 1900s and the acquisitions for Council parkland between the railway and the creek. The final part of the land came into Council ownership in 1964 when the site of Shillinglaw Cottage was purchased for its new shire offices. The cottage was saved by community action and moved to its present site just outside the original farm boundary. Part of the Eltham Town Centre is included within the original boundaries of lot 90.
Source: Eltham District Historical Society Newsletter no 192 May 2010 [p. 2]
Shillinglaw Cottage embodies the spirit of Eltham; built by pioneers, saved by locals, has seen many uses, and is now a thriving café and produce store.
Built by George Stebbings, Shillinglaw Cottage is one of his lasting legacies -however there is confusion as to when it was built and who for. According to Alan Marshall in Pioneers and Painters: one hundred years of the Shire of Eltham (1971), Stebbings built the Cottage in Main Rd for himself in about 1859. Other sources suggest he built it for Thomas Cochrane in 1879 and later it became Phillip Shillinglaw’s abode. The cottage is made from hand made bricks in Flemish bond pattern and has lost none of its charm, both inside and out. In the 1960’s, it was marked for demolition to make way for the new council buildings, but almost overnight a group was formed to save the cottage. One of the money raising efforts was the publication of a cookery book Flavour of Eltham which was reprinted 4 times and greatly helped the fundraising cause. Brick by brick the cottage was dismantled and rebuilt in its original form where it stands today. Ironically, the building it was to be demolished for has come and gone and all that remains on the old site are the poplar trees.
This article is part of a series for the Nillumbik Cultural Bus Tour program at Eltham Library November 2013
Photo: Shillinglaw Cottage, 1963 Yarra Plenty Regional Library in partnership with Eltham District Historical Society
