Meet Gladys, one of Berry’s oldest residential buildings.
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She has had a facelift in recent years but her original features and beauty from the 1880s have been preserved.
Gladys, more formally known as 59 Queen Street, is a weatherboard cottage with a 2.3-metre wrap-around timber verandah.
She has been at the heart of Berry’s history throughout the years, holding the honour of being the site of the town’s first community birthing centre and she was the first house in the town to be connected to the electricity grid.
The property, set on a 1068-square-metre block, is now up for sale with a $790,000 price tag. Listed with Christine Hunt, of Christine Hunt Berry Real Estate, the property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas and three internal open fireplaces.
Ms Hunt said the current owner, Nerida Oberg, had maintained the home’s integrity and heritage by retaining many of the original features.
These included high timber ceilings and linings, 15-centimetre-wide floorboards, two glass light shades from the 1880s, timber fretwork in the hall, a wood stove in working order and a decorative plaster ceiling.
‘‘Nerida really rescued this property,’’ Ms Hunt said. ‘‘She had the mindset that the house was an important part of Berry’s history which couldn’t be lost.
‘‘She has put so much work into the restoration. The timber flooring was almost on the ground when she bought the house, that has all been repaired and restored. All the electrical wiring has been redone.’’
The original horse stables in the backyard have been converted into a self-contained studio.
‘‘When Nerida bought the house you could not walk through the backyard,’’ Ms Hunt said.
‘‘The vendor cut a track and the greenery was up to my thighs and I’m not a short person. That’s how we showed it.
‘‘So Nerida got in with a machete and cut back all the bushes and the shrubbery. She has transformed the property into a really peaceful, tranquil setting.’’
The property’s other features include a new electric oven, gas cook top, leadlight windows, ornate pressed tin walls, clawfoot bath and a deep butler’s kitchen sink.
