Rankin Cottage
117 – 121 Rankin
Street, Bathurst
Somehow this old cottage gives you a special feeling of
welcome when you enter the door as if it knows you. It stands majestic in spite
of its old age.
The history of the cottage can be traced back as far as 1842
when it was owned by one Alexander John Bede McGuigan and his wife Sarah Ann.
It appears in 1856 it passed to John Grant and Patrick Booth
and to Bridget Hall.
Then in 1872 Bridget Hall bequeathed the cottages to the
then Right Reverend Matthew Quinn, the first Catholic Bishop of Bathurst, for
use by the Roman Catholic Church.
On his death in 1885 it passed to the Right Reverend JosephPatrick Byrne who died in 1901 when it passed to the Right Reverend John Dunn
until 1915.
William Boyd became the owner in 1915. On his death in 1943
his daughter Amy Louisa Harris and Enid Sheaves took over ownership until 1952
when the property was purchased by one Walter Herbert Shepherd.
Many families have lived in these cottages over the years
and I am sure the cottages would have had the same feeling of warm welcome to
them.
In 1987 the owner, Mrs Betty Ives, was presented with a
Heritage Award by Bathurst City Council and the building, which comprises three
cottages, has been recommended for listing by the National Trust.
The section of the cottage from 117-119 is now home to Rankin Cottage Crafts Inc.
