Thompson Priest, who operated the Mintaro Slate Quarry from the mid-1850s into the 1880s, purchased this land in Hill Street in 1855 for 30 pounds. He probably built his residence soon after.
The simple square building next door was used as the pay office for his quarry operations. Its simple slate chimney survives intact today. This building is very similar to the office building located at the quarry and was no doubt built at roughly the same time.
The building immediately to the west, which houses two B&B units, was erected in 1986 out of local slate as an ‘antique show room.’[1] This practice of building replicas of heritage buildings is now not supported by Heritage SA. The conservation of a number of the town’s original heritage buildings has included extensions, but this building is the only “stand alone” replica in Mintaro.
The front fence along Hill Street has cast iron rails and the gate posts are made of large slate slabs.
Directly behind the replica building are Edwin Priest’s former house and stables.[2] Damaged badly by fire in the 2000s they have been sensitively restored and now function as a dwelling and adjacent B&B accommodation.