20 Alexander Street

Bothwell TAS 7030

John White was born in Somersetshire, England in 1810 but, at the age of 16 years, he was transported to Van Diemen's Land for stealing stockings. He served his time on a property not far from the fledgling village of Bothwell and, at the age of 27, secured the land on which these buildings now stand (now split into 2 titles).
Initially, he built a 2-bedroom cottage with shopfront which is reputedly the oldest timber shop in Tasmania and still has the original timber shop shelving. By 1850 White was prospering, and built a more substantial brick shop on the corner of Alexander Street and Market Place. This included a small residence at the rear and upstairs which was further extended in 1860 to what is now the 4-bedroom house at Whites Corner.
Whites store itself became a small village; with the two shops and attached residences, a Bakery with 2 huge brick bakers' ovens, the Granary, a Wool Store, Butchers room, Skin shed, Stables, Cart shed, Dairy, Piggery and a Well. All of these buildings are still standing. John White died at Bothwell in 1904 and the White family continued for several generations running a general store from the property - it eventually closed in the 1980s.