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Printable house story
Every House Has a Story.
5 Bay St, Birchgrove NSW 2041, Australia
5 Bay St, Birchgrove NSW 2041, Australia
Housetory helps communities preserve the memories, history and stories connected to homes and places.
Year built1888
Timeline entries1
Memories6
Photos15
First built around 1888, with evidence suggesting construction may have begun as early as 1884. The house appears in the 1888 Sands Directory beside a vacant block. Although altered several times over the years, it has retained the character and scale of a small workers’ cottage. During the 2024 restoration, extensive damage was uncovered in the rear frame, requiring major repair work. This damage appears to have been caused by a past fire in that section …
Scan the QR code on the final page to view the full house story, extra photographs, memories and updates on Housetory.
The story of this house
First built around 1888, with evidence suggesting construction may have begun as early as 1884. The house appears in the 1888 Sands Directory beside a vacant block.
Although altered several times over the years, it has retained the character and scale of a small workers’ cottage. During the 2024 restoration, extensive damage was uncovered in the rear frame, requiring major repair work. This damage appears to have been caused by a past fire in that section of the house.
The restoration also included replacement of badly deteriorated external weatherboard cladding and white-ant affected flooring.
Description & Observations
2025. The rear of the house was refurbished and a new kitchen, bathroom and dining area installed in the space. Damaged materials were replaced and the cottage now lovingly restored. There was ironwork on the front verandah but unfortunately this appears missing. Perhaps the next phase will be to locate the same or similar to reinstate?
Timeline snapshot
- 1888House constructed
Memory glimpse
A memory from rob
testing
Timeline highlights
A compact summary of key moments. Scan the QR code to read the full timeline online.
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1888House constructed
5 Bay St ( as it is known now) was likely constructed as it is shown on a map of the Sydney Water plan for Balmain in…
Memories, sources & further reading
Short memory teasers for the leaflet. The full memories remain on the live Housetory page.
Scan the QR code to see more photos, timeline entries, memories and updates on Housetory.
https://housetory.com.au/index.php/explore/houses/5-bay-st-birchgrove-nsw-2041-australia