White House was built as a corner store and dwelling. From early streetscape sketches done in the 1850's by John W Hardwick, it is evident that both the main house and the warehouse were originally two storeys high. This is also shown in a photograph, taken by Spurling from the Village Green in about 1908 which shows that the warehouse is still a two-storey building although by this time the main house has been reduced to a single storey. The reason for this change is not known but there are a number of possible causes, a fire or instability of the structures being among them.
When Mrs Felicity Clemons moved to Launceston after her marriage in 1932 one of her favourite pastimes was exploring the countryside in her 20/60 Sunbeam. On one of her trips she noticed the buildings at the end of the Village Green and was immediately attracted to them. Years later in 1969 the property came up for sale and so she decided to inspect. She was surprised by the size of the house and buildings and decided against the idea, but by the evening she had changed her mind and instructed her husband, Dr Maxwell Clemons, to finalise the purchase.
Mrs Clemons' purpose in acquiring the property was to preserve it and it was only later that she decided to establish a museum and open it to the public. The task was a large one, for although the house was in sound condition the outbuildings had been neglected and were in a very dilapidated state.
When Mrs Clemons purchased the house the present large sitting room, originally the corner store, had been divided into two and no room or passage had been painted or papered for a very long time. An idea of the condition of the outbuildings can be seen from the photographs. When the site was cleared away the foundations of the baker's oven were revealed and this allowed the oven to be accurately restored.
Bake house equipment - table, yeast tub, dough trough, sieves - were found at another old bakery with a similar wood fired oven. The restoration of the bakery was completed in April, 1972. For the first 25 years of being open to the public the bakery had a static display of this equipment but today it is a working bakery and due to health regulations the early equipment, with the exception of the peels, is no longer used. However they can be seen in various locations on the site.
The stone stables and coach-house were in a state of disrepair, with the pitched roof having been removed and replaced with a flat roof. The roof was restored to its original shape and the floor of the loft replaced. It is clear that chaff for the horses kept in the stables below was stored in the loft as some still falls through the cracks to this day.
White House was opened to the public in January 1971 when the main house, coach house and stables had been restored. On the opening day, Mrs Clemons recalled, “we put out a sandwich board on the main road and waited for people to turn up”! There was certainly no fanfare of trumpets or blazing publicity. However in less than 9 weeks 1,700 visitors had turned up.
White House is still being operated by the Clemons family.
The Grounds
Behind the house is a pleasant courtyard with a view of Quamby Bluff from one corner. Outside the back door a Victorian cast iron fountain, sometimes frozen over in mid-winter and the original brick-lined well attract your immediate attention. To the left is the restored bakery with its large wood-fired oven. The bakery is run as a small business and freshly baked products are supplied to hotels and restaurants. Visitors can obtain light refreshments from the bakery and in summer the courtyard is an ideal place to sit and enjoy coffee and cake.
Opposite the house is the early stone-rubble coach-house and stables with some of the early cobble stones still in situ, and growing at one end a large Camelia Sasanqua, which flowers in the autumn. Inside there is still one of the horse stalls in place but today it houses the cycle collection, while in the loft is the CM Clemons toy collection.
The garage is a modern building, built in a style to complement the early 19th Century buildings. The garage houses the vehicle collection and the FA Clemons childhood memorabilia collection. Set in the ground in front of the garage are a pair of millstones, formerly used in the flour mill. Between the mill building and the house is a wide entrance covered by a high, pitched roof which offers shelter to some exhibits such as the baker's cart.