Indian
Cottage House
 Also
known as BAT (British Australian Telegraph) House,
Lyons cottage is an early example of Darwin architecture.
Located on the Esplanade overlooking the harbour,
Lyons Cottage is the only remaining example of colonial
bungalow
style architecture to be found in Darwin. The building
is constructed of locally quarried porcelanite stone
and in its time, was the first stone residence constructed
in Darwin for thirty years. Featuring shuttered
windows
and high ceilings, the design of the cottage
echoes the distinctive architectural style of British
colonial dwellings in India, Malaysia and Singapore.
Lyons Cottage houses a collection of Larrakia and
European early history.
The building is a
bungalow style dwelling reflecting the style of
tropical British colonial
architecture elsewhere. Although there are louvres
and extensive verandah spaces, except in the dry
season the cottage is very hot and despite its location,
captures little of the sea breezes. Probably for
this reason, an overhead punkah fan was installed
at the back verandah area which, with its proximity
to the kitchen, was the natural site for the dining
room.
The floors were concreted
and potted palms placed throughout the house and
the furniture came from
Singapore. The toilet had a pan which was removed
from the outside through a hole in the wall and
the bathroom had a low, round dipper bath called
a Shanghai Jar. Arthur Black, a 1930s resident,
remembered the garden as: an avenue of Crotons in
half kerosene tins along the pathway between the
house and the servants' quarters … Quite striking.
There was a great
housing shortage in post-war Darwin and squatters
tenanted the cottage until 1948 when lawyer John
(Tiger) Lyons returned to Darwin and leased, then
purchased it in 1952.
The cottage was sold
in 1974 and the site earmarked for redevelopment,
but cyclone Tracy intervened. The cottage was restored
after extensive cyclone damage and used by community
groups and others, such as the National Trust and
Australia Day Council, until it became a part of
the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
for some years after 1984, and permanently in 1994.
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