Allen's Cottage (circa 1860-63)

This renovated board and batten cottage was constructed by William Allen sometime between 1861 and 1863. The house was originally located in the centre of New Plymouth, probably at the western end of Gill Street, and was shifted to its present location following the end of the major conflict of the Taranaki Wars. During renovations, a fragment of The Illustrated London News, dated January 22 1859, was found within the walls. The building is also clearly present on Skinner's 1880 map of New Plymouth.

The home was extensively renovated in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with an extra bedroom and ensuite developed in a first-floor addition. The wooden double-hung sash windows present in the 1995 photograph (unlikely to be original), have been replaced with aluminium joinery in a similar style. The construction of a garage in a style sympathetic to the original cottage has somewhat obscured the western end of the cottage from the street. The cottage is constructed in a similar style to other mid-nineteenth century New Plymouth cottages clad in vertical board and batten.  

The original recipient of the Crown Grant for section 1624 appears to have been Lady E. Bulteel in 1858. The first transactions in the land deed register for the section (both recorded in 1872), are a conveyance from C. Walker (probably Charles Walker) to Lowndes (probably Joseph Lowndes) in June 1862, and a conveyance from Lowndes to William Allen in April 1863. Allen appears to have owned the section until 1890, when ownership passed to Oliver Marshall via Deed of Gift. Oliver sold the property to Grayson in July 1893, with Grayson retaining ownership until 1920, when the property was subdivided, and the section with the cottage sold to 'Cook'. Cook retained ownership until at least 1929, when the property title was issued under The Land Transfer Act.

William Allen was a farmer at lower Mangorei on the old Hospital Road, who moved into town following the outbreak of war in 1860. After moving to town, William and his family first lived in Moon's house on Brougham Street, and then in Cunningham's House. A short time later Allen constructed a house on a section in Gill Street. 

In 1863, Allen purchased Town Section 1624 on Pendarves Street, and soon after had the Gill Street house moved to the property by bullocks - this forms the original portion of the present house at 89 Pendarves Street. Prudence died at the home in 1889 and in 1890, soon after his wife's death, he sold the property. William died in 1893, and both William and Prudence are buried in Te Hēnui  Cemetery.

See Taranaki Land Deeds Index I5, page 72.