Crafted from local timber
Embodying the enduring spirit and history of its early settlers.
Iconic heritage cottage
This cottage, crafted from timber sourced and pit-sawn in the nearby Riccarton Bush, represents the second dwelling the Deans brothers established as they pursued their agricultural dreams on the Canterbury Plains.
The initial cottage, also built by Manson earlier in the same year, was demolished in 1890.The Deans brothers resided in this cottage during their formative and ultimately brief lives.
A story encapsulating Canterbury
William met a tragic end in 1851, drowning when the barque "Maria" wrecked near Cape Terawhiti off the Wellington Heads. John, after marrying Jane McIlraith in Scotland in 1852, returned to Riccarton in February 1853, only to succumb to tuberculosis in the cottage in June 1854.
Following John's death, Jane Deans and their son John remained in the cottage until the completion of Riccarton House's first stage allowed them to relocate in March 1856.
