Beale Cottage

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Beale Cottage is one of Hamilton’s oldest surviving homes. It sits on the corner of Beale and Grey streets in Hamilton, New Zealand. Built in 1872 and designed by Dr. Bernard Charles Beale, it was his family home, his medical surgery, and the registry office. The cottage shows early colonial life and the beginnings of modern medical practice in Hamilton.

Bernard Beale was born in London in 1830 and studied at London Hospital. He moved to New Zealand in 1861, settled in Hamilton in 1865 as part of the Waikato militia, and bought the land for the cottage on 3 July 1872. He served on Hamilton Borough Council in 1878 and became mayor, but his term was short due to a temperamental nature. He was declared bankrupt in 1879. In 1881 the cottage was sold to Edward Aeneus Harker. Beale left Hamilton in 1886 for Auckland and died there in 1910.

The house is a larger-than-average colonial four-room cottage with a central hallway. The front rooms were a bedroom and lounge, while the back rooms housed the surgery and kitchen. Many original fittings remain, and the cottage has endured environmental conditions well.

In 1987 the building was designated a Category I historic place, and in 1994 the site was declared an Historic Reserve by the Hamilton City Council to preserve it. The cottage is open to visitors by appointment and is used for history education and small events.