Deterioration of Vallance Cottage to be investigated

Vallance Cottage in Alexandra will be closed to the public for the foreseeable future while the Central Otago District Council investigates further deterioration of the historic building.

The Council’s property team had identified that the 128-year-old cottage’s mud bricks had been deteriorating over the past year, and steps had been taken to halt further damage to the fabric, such as the removal of the concrete footpaths that were trapping moisture in the walls.

However, in the past month, it had been noted that the mud bricks, particularly on the south wall, had deteriorated further, which had led to safety concerns and the decision to close the cottage.

A cordon will be put in place surrounding the cottage.

Vallance Cottage is a small 2 roomed mud brick cottage built by William Vallance in the late 1880's for his wife and eight children. Today it is listed as a heritage building with the Central Otago District Council and they are working on a Conservation Plan to restore the cottage and re-open it to the public to show what life was like in the early 1900's.