Andrew Morton's Residence, 1/21A- 5/21A Bulteel Street, Part Town Section 782 (circa 1860s-70s)

This cottage is estimated to have been constructed sometime in the 1860s or 1870s; probably for Andrew Morton. Andrew Morton appears to have owned Town Section 782 from the late 1860s, likely purchasing the section from a Mr Bishop - although the ownership records for the section are somewhat unclear. The cottage appears to have remained in Andrew Morton's ownership until his death in 1909, when it was transferred to the ownership of other family members.

The New Plymouth Town Board rating book for 1875-76 notes the rateable value of Town Section 782 as £20. It seems the present cottage was constructed by this date, as Morton is liable to pay a fire rate - only charged to properties on which buildings are constructed. The cottage clearly marked on Skinner's 1880 map of New Plymouth. 

An advertisement placed by Morton in 1877 advertises a "two-roomed" cottage for let in Bulteel Street - it is unclear if this is referring to the present building. 

Morton is known to have owned another cottage on Young Street that he rented out from the 1870s-90s. 

It currently forms part of a larger group of flats and is attached to a 1970s/80s addition. 

Related items:

Town Section 782, Taranaki Land Deed Index I3 page 366. (Archives New Zealand)

Taranaki (Lot 2) DP7635 Sheet 1 (1954), ICS Pre 300,000 Cadastral Plan Index (Imaged by LINZ)