Harlin's Cottage (circa 1859-60)

63 Lemon Street is the sole survivor of a small group of nineteenth century cottages once clustered along a stream/gully (now largely filled in) between Lemon Street and Leach Street. The cottage is likely to have been constructed sometime between the mid-1850s and the early-1870s. The cottage is clearly indicated on Thomas Kingwell Skinner's 1880 map of New Plymouth, and the National Library holds a photograph of New Plymouth taken from Fort Niger between late-1880 and late-1883, where 63 Lemon Street can be seen at the left-hand side of the image (one of only three buildings from the photo still standing).

It seems likely that the cottage was constructed by/for William Harlin, who owned Town Section 1570 from November 1859. William was a drunk who was often in trouble with the law, and it seems his wife, Ann Harlin (nee Hicton), may have entered into possession of the property at some stage - although it is unclear when this occurred as the property records are incomplete. The New Plymouth Town Board Rating Book for 1875-76 lists Ann as the owner, and the presence of a fire rate indicates that a building was present on the section at this time.

The original cottage sits on riverstone piles, and is constructed of plain, rough sawn kauri weatherboard, with two twelve-light double-hung sash windows at the front. The use of plain horizontal weatherboard is interesting given the predominant use of vertical board and batten cladding in early New Plymouth cottages. 

The present owners have owned the cottage for several decades - removing a chimney from the front section and replacing it with a window and building a third section at the rear of the cottage. The frontage remains largely original, although the front door has been replaced, and one half of the left-hand window has been replaced.

Town Section 1570 was owned by Robert Singlehirst in 1855 and 1856 - rates in arrears (Taranaki Herald, 28 November 1855. and Taranaki Herald 18 October 1856)

Section 1570 was to be sold at auction by Newton King Ltd to "close an estate" in September 1915. In 1924 the section was subdivided, and this part is identified as the western part of Town Section 1570.

Town Section 1570, Taranaki Land Deed Index I3 page 470.