Sandstone walls, iron roof and an open fire in every room in Berrima

In 1840, the village of Berrima in NSW had a courthouse and a jail, but they had to wait until 1879 for a police station for the attending police troopers and their sergeant to be constructed. Today, 5 Wilshire Street is a modern home inside historic sandstone walls under a corrugated iron roof.

It is located only a short walk from the historic village centre, with a primary school, cafes, bakery, antique shop, a general store, lolly shop, and restaurants. This beautiful historic home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a single car garage.

The interior of the home has been modernised, with three-metre-high ceilings and delightful period features, including picture rails, sash windows and original fireplaces. The home is comprised of two original sandstone buildings, now made one by a connecting breezeway.

The entrance to the home is via the lovely colonial verandah into a hallway which has a traditional format (of the times) with two bedrooms off the central hallway at the front of the home, and a third bedroom and the living room second in line off the main hallway. The hallway ends at the day room, a second living space and a multipurpose room, which leads to the kitchen and bathroom.

The formal lounge is a delightfully light room, with high ceilings, picture rails, timber flooring, sash windows facing north which allow winter warmth to stream in, and an absolutely stunning sandstone and timber fireplace that has been keeping the home cosy for over 150 years.

If chopping wood isn’t your idea of fun, the home also has central gas heating, although a fire in such a historic fireplace on a winter’s night will be fabulous while you explore the stories of Berrima’s history and bushrangers.

Further into the home, at the end of the hallway, which measures almost 9 metres long and 1.2 metres wide, the day room sits under a verandah extension and forms the perfect space for children to play or for a home office, depending on the owner’s needs. It is a multi-purpose space and a fine spot for a midday nap after lunch on a day bed, watching young children at play, or a library for books and toys.

Just off the day room is a modern bathroom with a shower and toilet, and a washer/dryer convenient to the bedrooms and the kitchen.

The character-filled kitchen has an original cast-iron oven range, an antique ‘Early Kooka’ gas stove and a white porcelain sink, and room for a dining table and a kitchen dresser, providing storage for kitchen and dining utensils.

High ceilings, deep windowsills and sash windows are repeated features that give the home so much charm.

Possibly the most fabulous room in the house is the refurbished but true-to-history bathroom, which has a full-length Victorian claw-footed bath, and corrugated iron features, making the room as delightful as the rest of the home. An open fire awaits lighting for one of the most indulgent bath experiences possible, and the shower has a large and luxurious rosette.

The toilet is behind the metal shower screen, and there is plenty of room for extra storage cabinets.

Di Jones Real Estate sales agent Michael Cawthorn said the home is a delightful piece of history and will make a lovely family home.

“The home has so much history and has been beautifully restored with all modern conveniences,” said Mr Cawthorn, “with the original 1870s sandstone and weatherboard materials and the period features giving the home a historic but cosy atmosphere.”

“It has a beautiful cottage garden, and an outdoor stone terrace at the back and a great lockup weatherboard garage. It even has the structure for the old outside toilet intact.”

You can view this beautiful historic home at 5 Wilshire Street in Berrima online. For further information or to book a private inspection, contact Di Jones Real Estate sales agent Michael Cawthorn on 0404 111 366.

Original Article published by Sharon Kelley on The RiotACT.