ADAM LINDSAY GORDON & THE CRAFT COTTAGE
Centenary celebrations for Adam Lindsay Gordon, Ballarat, 1933. The photograph records the occasion and identifies several attendees, including F. J. Martell (4th from left), who played a key role in the preservation of the cottage.
Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870)
The Craft Cottage occupies a building historically associated with the poet Adam Lindsay Gordon, one of Australia’s most distinctive nineteenth-century writers.
Born in 1833 in the Azores and educated in England, Gordon arrived in Australia in 1854. He became known for his ballads of horses, hardship and the Australian landscape, as well as his involvement in steeplechase racing.
Gordon and Ballarat
Gordon’s connection to Ballarat arose through racing in the 1860s. He was active in the Ballarat Turf Club and spent time at Craig's Royal Hotel, where race entries were commonly lodged. During this period, he also served as a senior sergeant in the Ballarat troop of light horse.
Personal tragedy and ongoing financial pressures marked these years, and Gordon and his family left Ballarat in 1868. He died in Melbourne in 1870. His poetry later gained lasting recognition and remains part of Australia’s literary heritage.
For a comprehensive account of Gordon’s life and literary legacy, visit the website of the Adam Lindsay Gordon Commemorative Committee.
The Cottage in the Botanical Gardens
In 1933, during the centenary of Gordon’s birth, efforts were made to preserve a cottage believed at the time to be associated with him. The building was relocated from Bath Street to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and officially opened in 1934.
Subsequent research by the City of Ballarat has clarified that Gordon did not reside in this cottage. The building is now understood as a commemorative structure, reflecting the community’s desire in the 1930s to honour his legacy.
Today, the cottage serves as a living space for contemporary craft — continuing a tradition of cultural contribution in a different but equally meaningful form.
Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870)
Australian poet and horseman.
Bust of Adam Lindsay Gordon
Located beside the Craft Cottage, Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
The Craft Cottage
Relocated to the Gardens in 1934.
Interpretive plinth
Installed by the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.