Canterbury Quilts - some history about us........
Canterbury Quilts commenced in 2007 as a Long Arm Quilting Service out of our home. Always with the intention of branching out into commercial premises, it took a couple of years before the right property came along, and then another year before the official opening of the retail premises at 18 Sailors Gully Road, in Eaglehawk, a unique township in Central Victoria, renowned for its history as having played an integral part in the establishment of the goldfields in the 1800’s. A town that is close to my heart, having grown up and lived here all of my life, I couldn’t have envisioned building my business anywhere else.
1870 This photo of 18 Sailors Gully Road Eaglehawk is believed to have been taken sometime around 1870 or 1880.
It's probably fair to assume one of the two gentlemen in aprons is Mr Baldock the Boot Maker. You'll also notice the left side residence is yet to be built.
We haven't been able to discover exactly when the business started. When the inside of the building was cleared in 2009, we found receipts and newspaper pages dating back to the 1850's.
1900 The next photo is believed to have been taken a bit closer to 1900.
The residence on the left side has been built, but the middle-rear section (behind the shopfront) hasn't yet been constructed.
The sign has been repainted with the more "modern" 3D lettering.
2007 Moving the clock forward to 2007, the place had changed hands a couple of times and fell into great disrepair by the time we bought it.
The flooring had sunk a fair bit, and the council had built the footpath up about 150mm. With water continually running inside the front door, the end result both inside and out was a mess that couldn't be salvaged.
After months of negotiation and delays with the local council and heritage advisory services, we were granted a permit to fully reconstruct the building.
2009 We completed the reconstruction during August 2009. The old building was measured and noted, our aim was not to reconstruct a duplicate, but to maintain a similar shape and bulk as the original building.
Various fire and safety regulations ended up making things a little bit different, we also added the verandahs as our touch of history (and because the building faces due west!).
All things considered, we hoped the new design paid proper respect to the original building and can stand proudly in Eaglehawk for another 150 years.
2021 Since opening the shop in 2009 the ensuing 12 years has seen many fabrics cut, many friendships formed and even more great memories made and cherished. The time was right for me to shift direction, with my family deciding that it was time I became a ‘nan’ the decision was simple, close the shop and shift focus away from 24/7 commitment to retail. So at the end of August 2021 and with a heavy heart, the doors closed for the last time on the bricks and mortar side of the business and the property put on the market for the next chapter in the history of 18 Sailors Gully Road.
“It’s not an ending. It’s just the point in the story where I turn the page.”
2022 Canterbury Quilts has always had a highly respected online shopping presence and remains a leader in the online retail sector for high quality fabrics catering to the quilting enthusiasts. So with a new web site I am now positioned to continue providing great online retail offerings, enjoying the flexibility of sharing my time between ‘nan’ duties, whilst continuing to provide a Long Arm Quilting Service (again back at home out of my lounge room) and ensuring all online orders are filled promptly and dispatched off to you for your convenience.
I miss the shop but I now have much more time to spend with my grandchildren and I feel so very lucky to have the opportunity to have the best of all the options – I get to play with the kids, play with the quilting machine and play with all the beautiful fabric – what more could you wish for……?