Eltham Cemetery - Artistic Recollections Booklet

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Another of the most historically significant
buildings in the Eltham area is the Shillinglaw
Cottage. It is depicted within this panel on a
terracotta background containing a chequered
pattern that echoes the pattern of the bricks.
Built by George Stebbing, Shillinglaw Cottage is
one of his lasting legacies — however there is
confusion as to when it was built and for whom.
According to Alan Marshall in Pioneers and
Painters, Stebbing built the cottage in Main Road
for himself in about 1859. Other sources suggest
he built it for Thomas Cochrane in 1879 and
later it became Phillip Shillinglaw’s abode.
The cottage is made from hand-made bricks
in Flemish bond pattern and has lost none of
its charm, both inside and out. In the 1960’s,
it was marked for demolition to make way for
the new council buildings, but almost overnight
a group was formed to save the cottage. One
of the fundraising efforts was the publication
of a cookery book Flavour of Eltham which
was reprinted 4 times and greatly helped the
fundraising cause. Brick by brick the cottage
was dismantled and rebuilt in its original form
where it stands today. Shillinglaw Cottage
embodies the spirit of Eltham; built by pioneers,
saved by locals, has seen many uses and is now
a thriving café.
The native plant combined with Shillinglaw
Cottage is the Brachyscome multifida. Common
names include cut leaf daisy, rocky daisy.The other
plant framing the top of the panel is represented
by scanned fronds of the peppercorn trees that
stand beside the cottage today.While these trees
are not indigenous to the area, they too are of
historic significance.
CottageAND CUT LEAF
DAISY
PHOTOGRAPH
Eltham, Shillinglaw Cottage, 1963
State LibraryVictoria
Photographer John T Collins
INFORMATION
Marshall,Alan.
Pioneers and Painters: One hundred
years of Eltham and its Shire (1971)
Shillinglaw Farm Eltham
accessed at