Cantwell Store

CANTWELL STORE
Architect: John Ryder and John Riching Adams

Cantwell Store is a stone cottage built in 1840, along with a cluster of outhouse buildings by John Ryder. In 1857, the timber shopfront was added by John Riching Adams and his wife, Elizabeth Adams (great granddaughter of Lieutenant Governor David Collins), and today, largely remains in its original form.

The shop fittings were crafted from pine and cedar, and the original hooks – used to display rural farming goods for sale to the community – are still in place today in their original condition. The carpentry on the façade of the store and the awning shows the fine craftsmanship of this time, and pre-empt the retail experience that awaited inside.

Daryl Cantwell was the owner of the building from 1922, and it continued to operate as a general store until April 1971. Since then, Joan Cantwell has continued custodianship efforts to preserve the original carpentry in the shopfront and interior of the store.

Come inside this intact interior and get a feel for being a shopper in the early 1900s!