Cumbooquepa, South Brisbane

February 4, 2013, 1:00 pm

≪ Previous: Tighnabruaich, Indooroopilly

Each October over the past three years some of Brisbane's fascinating architecture has been opened to the public to view. Brisbane Open House has become so popular that the one-day format has been extended to a full weekend in October 2013. More than 33,000 visits were aggregated across 51 sites last year, so the expectation will be for even higher numbers this year. You can register to receive further information here.

One of the sponsors is the legal firm McCullough Robertson who funded the photographic competition for the event, and this is the photograph that won last year's first prize.

(http://brisbaneopenhouse.com.au; A Yip)

The image depicts Cumbooquepa, a fabulous house that dates from 1890 and is now part of the campus of Somerville House, the prominent girls' school. Congratulations to photographer Andy Yip.

This is the second Cumbooquepa to be built here. The first was erected not long after Thomas Blacket Stephens acquired the land in 1856. The establishment of the railway line to South Brisbane meant that the original house had to be demolished, and a new Cumbooquepa designed by GHM Addison was built nearby.

TB Stephens passed away in 1877 and his son William Stephens took over the family businesses. It was he who oversaw the construction of the second Cumbooquepa in 1890. In fact William was an extremely busy man at this time - he was mayor of South Brisbane, he had taken over the family businesses and accepted the responsibility of looking after his mother and siblings; he also got married in that year and saw to the construction of Waldheim, another family house at Annerley around this time.

Here are a couple of older photographs of Cumbooquepa - the top one is from around 1920 and the one below it is from around 1979.

(Photo: wikipedia)

(Photo: © 1979 National Trust of Queensland; R Stringer)

Evidently the interior of the building is quite detailed. Don't miss visiting it on the next Brisbane Open House.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Bellmount, Spring Hill

February 7, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Samuel Drew's house, Sandgate

≪ Previous: Cumbooquepa, South Brisbane

This little gem at Spring Hill is almost unnoticeable, squeezed as it is between some larger buildings and shaded by a couple of pretty trees. Once a residence, the signage at the front indicates that it is now inhabited by a business and also that it is for sale. There are some interior photographs at the real estate site here. The building is a heritage listed workers' cottage built in 1880 and known then as Bellmount.

(Photo: © 2013 the foto fanatic)

When I worked for an insurance company in my youth, there were people employed there as messengers. The messengers had numerous duties such as walking documents to various CBD offices, moving mail between the eight floors of clerical workers in the company's Brisbane office, filing documents into the archives area, and so forth. I mention this as a precursor to saying that this cottage was built for a Martin McLeod who was a bank messenger.

The residence originally had four rooms and is set on stumps at the front and ground level at the rear of the sloping allotment. There is an attic behind the dormer window visible from the street, and it is thought that the attic would have originally been used for storage - it would have been far too hot for a bedroom under an unlined iron roof. Here is a further photo from about thirty years ago.

(Photo: © 1982 National Trust of Queensland; R Sumner; F Bolt)

It is a delight to still be able to see such a venerable cottage still in remarkable condition.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Samuel Drew's house, Sandgate

February 11, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Brisbane Central State School, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Bellmount, Spring Hill

As the majority of Australia's residents live along the coastlines, it is no surprise to know that early white inhabitants of steamy Brisbane also sought out waterfront vantage points, either for recreation and leisure or in order to build cooler dwellings with ocean views.

Sandgate, north of Brisbane, was such an early discovery. From the 1850s there were moves to establish a port there, and the sub-division of land commenced shortly thereafter.

In the late 1880s an American carpenter and boat-builder named Samuel Drew and his family arrived in Sandgate and Drew found work at a joinery. From 1889 onwards, Samuel Drew built a large family house on Cabbage Tree Creek, and at the same time constructed a boatshed in order to build boats. The photograph below from around 1907 shows a view from the creek with the boatshed in the foreground and the residence behind it.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #157289)

This house was built in stages and being owner-built it has excellent structure, although the end result is that its style is somewhat unusual. The viewing tower atop the large central dormer stands out in more ways than one.

The followingimage is from around 1979 and provides a closer look at the intricate work on the balustrading and roof line. If you look closely, you will notice that the fretwork visible at the top of the tower in the earlier photo is missing here - that was the result of damage from a cyclone in 1952.

(Photo: © 1979 National Trust of Queensland; J Hogan; R Stringer)

Next we can see a colour photograph of the house, this from about 1983.

(Photo: Courtesy Brisbane City Council; BCC-SGT-36)

Samuel's descendents kept the house after his death, and his grandsons converted the residence into two flats in the late fifties in order to draw some income from the property. It was reconverted into a single house in 1966, and sold by the Drew family in 1967.

It is believed that the house is still a private residence, and here is a recent photograph.

(Photo: © Google.com)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Brisbane Central State School, Spring Hill

February 14, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Moody's Cottages, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Samuel Drew's house, Sandgate

It's hard to make sense of governments some times, at least by reading the news. One minute there are higher enrolments at inner-city schools because of the trend of folk living closer to the CBD and the next minute inner-city schools will be closed so that the land can be resold to drop some gold into the government's coffers.

Here is a photo of the exterior of the Brisbane Central State School - it was established in 1875. This is the St Paul's Terrace entrance, and below that is a picture of the heritage listed school buildings.

(Photo: DERM)

The school was designed by well-known Brisbane architect RG Suter and was originally known as the Leichhardt Street State School. It consisted of three separate schools, Boys', Girls' and Infants'.

The Brisbane Normal Schoolin Edward St closed in 1927 and the former role of that school in training teachers was taken over by the Leichhardt St School. It then became known as the Leichhardt St Practising School. It officially became known as Brisbane Central State School in 1954.

As Spring Hill developed more as a commercial rather than residential area, enrolment at the school fluctuated. The number of pupils has dropped to a couple of hundred from a peak of over one thousand in the 1930s. Hence the talk about selling the site, I suppose.

Let's hope that the heritage listing of the buildings and the well-being of the students is sufficient to prevent this from happening.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Moody's Cottages, Spring Hill

February 18, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Windermere, Ascot

≪ Previous: Brisbane Central State School, Spring Hill

There is no doubt that standards of living in Brisbane have increased since these cottages were built for William Moody around the year 1870. Yet Mr Moody, who was employed as a "letter carrier" or postman at the GPO was able to purchase the land at Spring Hill and erect three cottages that were probably designed by Richard Gailey upon it. The cottages are constructed of brick rather than the more common timber, and consist of a terraced pair (below, top) and a detached residence (below, bottom).

William Moody was promoted to the position of mail sorter in the 1880s and his properties were retained by his three children through to 1950. Here are earlier photographs of the cottages. The top picture shows the cottage named Cooee on the right - the other attached residence is not named. The bottom photo is of Allandoon, the detached house.

(Photos: © DERM 2008)

In 1988 the house Cooee and its attached neighbour were converted into a residence and studio by the artist Rick Everingham. It is believed that all three buildings are currently private residences.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Windermere, Ascot

February 21, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Terraces, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Moody's Cottages, Spring Hill

In terms of Brisbane's stately homes, they don't come much more stately than this one. Built around the mid-1880s, the residents of the house over the ensuing decades would read like a Who's Who of Brisbane's well-to-do. Situated in the prestigious suburb of Ascot, the imposing residence is now largely hidden from the view of passers-by, thanks to the magnificent garden and mature trees surrounding the property. I couldn't really find a way to photograph it as it stands today, so this clip from Google Maps will have to do.

(Photo: google.com)

If you look closely above the ornate gate-posts you can just make out a corner pavilion that stands at the southern end of the residence. The next photo is from around 1979 and it provides a much better view of the layout of the house - the pavilion is offset by the bay at the opposite end of the structure.

(Photo: © 1979 National Trust of Queensland; J Hogan & R Stringer)

The house was originally built for Ruth Appel, the wife of JG Appel (lawyer, pastoralist, politician) and daughter of pastoralist James Sutherland who owned the land. It is believed that Richard Gailey was the architect. John George Appel was a descendent of a Huguenot family that came to Australia and was the Home Secretary from 1909 to 1915. The photograph of Windermere below comes from the Appel family archives and shows a woman holding a small child on the left and the front of a motor car can be seen at the right. Upon his death, Appel was remembered as a big-hearted, simple gentleman who was honourable, generous and kindly to a fault.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #27279-0001-0001)

Other Queensland notables who have lived in this house include Dr Ellis Murphy who was Professor of Medicine at University of Queensland and knighted in 1962. His wife was the daughter of prominent businessman and Papal Knight TC Beirne. Subsequently the TJ Cottee family (beef cattle); Robert Bentley (accountant and long-term chairman of Racing Queensland) and the late Peter Maloney (Ariadne Corp) have resided here at various times.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Terraces, Spring Hill

February 25, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Inglenook, New Farm

≪ Previous: Windermere, Ascot

The work ethic and ambition of our early pioneers is a continuing source of inspiration to me. In 1855 the ship William Miles brought William Grigor and Mary Fenwick to Brisbane from their native Scotland. William went to work in the timber industry at Mooloolah and Mary as a governess for the Wickham family at Newstead House. William and Mary met on the ship - I don't know whether there had been a romance at sea, but the couple married in 1863.

During the next decade the Grigors must have been mighty busy. As well as his logging business, William set up a store near the mouth of the Mooloolah River in partnership with another Scot named James Low. Between 1864 and 1869, William and Mary Grigor had four children, all born at Mooloolah. William Grigor and James Low also bought land at Spring Hill in Brisbane and had a pair of semi-detached dwellings erected there around 1867. If the Grigors lived there at all, it would have been only for a short time - mostly the property was rented out. The photo below shows these buildings - the one on the left with the white verandah was Grigors' and it is listed on the Queensland Heritage register - this is their photograph from 2008.

(Photo: DERM)

In 1868 William Grigor decided that he would take advantage of the new Cobb & Co stagecoach route between Brisbane and Gympie by building a facility where the horses, drivers and passengers could rest on that long journey. He selected land at Glass House Mountains and built Bankfoot House there. He and Mary resided there, and their family grew - they had nine children in all although three died at young ages. The original building was replaced some ten years later as business improved. The newer Bankfoot House is still standing at Glass House. It is thought to be the oldest house still standing in the area and here is a photograph of it. It is also on the heritage register and currently is owned by the Sunshine Coast Council which operates it as a museum. Here is a photograph.

(Photo: © DERM 2009)

In addition to running the coach station, William Grigor acted as postmaster for the area, a duty that continued after the mail was transported by rail instead of coach. Grigor would ride to the railway station and pick up the mail, at the same time handing over outgoing mail from the area. He was listed as postmaster until his death in 1907. After he passed away his children and then his grandchildren lived at Bankfoot until it was purchased by Caloundra City Council in 2004.

As for the Spring Hill property, it remained in the Grigor family for 120 years. It was restored in the 1980s and here is a current picture.

(Photo: © 2013 the foto fanatic)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Inglenook, New Farm

February 28, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Wading pool, Wynnum

≪ Previous: Terraces, Spring Hill

Limbo is a word that intrigues. Not the dance, but the condition - as in "a state of limbo". It has religious significance, especially for Catholics, but other more modern meanings are "an intermediate or transitional state". Today's property fits into that definition.

The large property (just over 3300 sq m or 130 perches in the old money) in New Farm was sold in late 2009 for a reported $6.2 million. At that time it was listed on the Brisbane City Council's heritage list, but not on that of the state government. If you look it up now, the BCC web pages say "currently under review" - in other words, in a state of limbo.

On the land sits a former residence known as Inglenook that dates from 1888. A portion of land from the Kinellan estate of Sir Robert McKenzie (across the road from Merthyr House owned by Sir Samuel Griffiths) was purchased by successful businessman Leopold Benjamin and architect JJ Cohen designed the house Inglenook for him. Here is a photograph showing the large portion of land and the house. The Spanish Mission-style house directly across the street is Santa Barbara.

Photo: homehound.com.au)

Unfortunately the boom of the 1880s turned into the bust of the 1890s and Benjamin was forced to sell his home. In 1919 it was bought by Henry Byram and it was renamed Allawah. A later inhabitant was Leslie Wilson who bought the property in 1925 and he called it Risdon. He was the owner until 1942 when it was bought by the Girls Friendly Society, a part of the Church of England, who used it as a home for single service-women who came to Brisbane during the war. After the war ended, it became a home for single working women and then a hostel.

I have only read news reports about the intentions of current owner, a Brisbane barrister, with respect to the property. There has been talk of demolishing a couple of outbuildings and renovating the interior of the main house. A recent report stated that the Council has approved a development application for the property, a probable reason for the heritage listing to be under review. Some heritage commentators have fears for the interior of the house if a refurb goes ahead.

(Photo: homehound.com.au)

This New Farm house is an an area of rich historical significance in Brisbane. Let's hope the new owners maintain its integrity.

Click herefor a Google Map.

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Wading pool, Wynnum

March 4, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Bee Gees Way, Redcliffe

≪ Previous: Inglenook, New Farm

Recently the lovely mrs tff had a Monday off as a substitute for having to work on a Saturday. We decided that we wanted to venture to the seaside and have some fish and chips overlooking the water. We estimated that the last time we had done something similar would have been a beach holiday decades earlier.

Anyhow, the venue that we decided on was the bayside suburb of Wynnum, only about 15 km from where we live. We found a feed, although many of the local chipperies were closed for no other reason than it was Monday. I suppose the weekends are their busiest times and they are entitled to rest sometime.

We ate our fish and chips under these trees right next door to a saltwater wading pool that was built in 1932. Here is a picture postcode from 1991.

(Photo: Centre for the Government of Queensland)

When I hear of the recessions and austerity programs that are so often talked about today, I think also about the Great Depression of the 1930s. Things must have been really tough then. Rampant unemployment and deflation led to wide-spread poverty, forcing many to live rough and beg for assistance. Where possible, governments introduced public works as a means of providing jobs, and it was as a result of one of those schemes that the wading pool was built. Men on the "susso" were given jobs based on needs - men with bigger families were allocated more work. Here is a photograph of men building the retaining wall for the wading pool in 1932, and below that some families enjoying the completed pool.

(Photo: wikipedia.com)

(Photo: Wynnum Historical Society via wikipedia.com)

The opening of the pool in January 1933 attracted a large crowd who were entertained by a yacht race on the bay that was arranged for the occasion. The wading pool has remained popular ever since, and recently the Brisbane City Council forked out $6.5 million to upgrade the facilities and improve safety features - that was completed in 2008. This is the finished product.

(Photo: http://laras-log.blogspot.com.au)

This place is a haven for families with little children and a very pleasant way to while away a few hours. Best of all - it is absolutely free!

Click here for a Google Map.

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Bee Gees Way, Redcliffe

March 7, 2013, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: HB Sales Building, Margaret St

≪ Previous: Wading pool, Wynnum

I was a pimply teenager when the Bee Gees' first hit record "Spicks and Specks" hit Brisbane's radio waves. Then it barely seemed an instant before they were talking to Molly Meldrum on Countdown and in a further second they were off to England to pursue their dreams. We all know what happened after that.

In the way that communities adopt successful people, the Bee Gees were often referred to as Queenslanders, Brisbaneites, or even "the group from Redcliffe". This despite the fact that they were born in the UK and returned there before any real success found them.

The Bee Gees arrived in Brisbane in 1958 and went north to live on the Redcliffe peninsula. Recently a house that they once lived in caught fire and was badly damaged - the incident made news throughout the country. This is the damaged house, and below that is a photograph of the trio Gibbs from back in those days.

(Photo: Channel 7 via brisbanetimes.com.au)

(Photo: Courier Mail)

Brisbane, and especially Redcliffe, have been in a state of excitement for the past few weeks as news spread that the sole remaining member of the Bee Gees, eldest brother Barry, would be coming back to unveil a statue of them and open a laneway commemorating their musical achievements. Prior to the actual event (that occurred on 14 February), anything Bee Gees related was newsworthy. We saw another house that the Gibbs family had lived in (below) and interviews with primary and high school acquaintances. One lady claimed to have been Barry's high school girlfriend until she dumped him! Would that count as 15 minutes of fame, I wonder?

(Photo: © mustdobrisbane.com)

Hundreds of people gathered at Redcliffe for the celebrations. There was full coverage by the television networks and the other news media. I wasn't able to get there myself, but I certainly followed the events on TV. Here is a photograph of Barry Gibb (in the white panama) with his mother, older sister and other family members admiring the statue and surrounding memorabilia.

(Photo: Terri Begley, abc.net.au)

Barry Gibb admitted that he and his brothers were tearaways as kids, and that music turned out to be their salvation from a potential life of crime. Obviously emotional as he referred to his twin brothers who have both passed away, he said that he expected to shed a few tears later.The sculptor,Phillip Piperides, was delighted with the finished statueportraying the brothers when Barry was 12 and the twins were 9.

Bee Gees Way runs between Sutton St and Redcliffe Paraderight near thejetty, and should become one of the area's major tourist attractions.

Click here for a Google Map.

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HB Sales Building, Margaret St

March 11, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Watson Bros Building, Margaret St

≪ Previous: Bee Gees Way, Redcliffe

References to early Brisbane often mention a place called Frog's Hollow. It was a low-lying area that stretched from Elizabeth St down to the river at the Botanical Gardens and bounded on the other two sides by George St and Edward St. Back in the days when farming took place in the area that is now the Gardens, Frog's Hollow was a wet and swampy area that the convict farmers had to traverse to get to their workplace. Frog's Hollow was low in other ways too. The wet and unsanitary conditions meant that anything built here was cheap and unkempt - it became Brisbane's red light district, where prostitution, sly grog and even opium dens could be found.

Over time the low-lying ground was back-filled and light industry started to spring up. But it was still susceptible to flooding in heavy rain. Below is a photograph taken during the 1864 flood, looking from George St down Charlotte St, where the "hollow" can readily be seen.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #22130)

Today's building is situated on Margaret St in the old Frog's Hollow district. It is the HB Sales Building, and next door is the Watson Bros building that we will see next. The HB Sales building was designed by Frank Longland and it was built in 1912 on land owned by the publican Mrs Sarah Ballswho, at the time was the licensee of the Stock Exchange Hotel on Edward St. The building was to become the workshop of Acme Engineering Works, previously of Charlotte St. The Watson Bros building next door had been built in 1887 by Mrs Balls' husband John and his partner Henry Smith. John Balls died in 1895.

Here are some photographs of the HB Sales building.

(Photo: nathandavid88 via skyscrapercity.com)

(Photo: google.com)

Acme Engineering Works remained in the premises until 1928, after which it was owned by Charles Jeays who operated in plumbers' supplies. After WWII the building was occupied by Gardiner Batteries and then HB Sales from 1958. The last couple of inhabitants appear to be vendors of bicycles and accessories.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Watson Bros Building, Margaret St

March 14, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Lucerne, Paddington

≪ Previous: HB Sales Building, Margaret St

If I had to have a city office, I'd want one that looked like this. Designed by the famous architect Richard Gailey, the Watson Bros building in Margaret St is a 19th century marvel. Gailey was certainly prolific, but there is no doubt that he was also very talented. He designed fabulous houses, spectacular hotels and brilliant warehouses in Brisbane, and we are fortunate that some such as the Watson Bros building are still standing.

George Watson Senior arrived in Brisbane in 1862 aboard the ship Ocean Chief. He established a plumbing business in Albert St which thrived in growing Brisbane. Sons George Junior, Thomas, James and John joined their father in the plumbing business and when George Senior retired in 1880 they took over the business and expanded it. That expansion called for new premises which they had constructed in the area known as Frog's Hollow (see previous post), gradually being cleaned of its squalid buildings and unsavoury reputation. Here is a drawing of their 1887 building that appeared in The Queensland Figaro in both January and February 1888. The sign above the top floor of the building says "Watson Brothers Late George Watson".

(Photo: trove.com.au)

I'm not sure when the "late" George Watson died. According to Queensland Figaro, he attended the "house-warming" for the new building on Tuesday 8 November 1887, so he must have passed away between that date and January 1888. I have never been involved in the construction industry, but from what I read in today's press the relationship between the executives and the workers is a far cry from how they appeared in those days. Have a read of the report on this house-warming party and see what you think.

Present at that function was John Balls, whose firm Smith and Balls were the contractors who completed the project. John Balls was the husband of Mrs Sarah Balls who continued the running of their businesses (they were also hoteliers) after John's death. She was to be involved in the construction of the next-door building some years later.

Below is a photograph of the building from around the year 1900, and some alterations are evident. An awning over the footpath has been added, and the signage is different (assuming the sign in the drawing above was accurate and not the artist's representation).

State Library of Queensland; Image No 89333

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #89333)

When the building opened there were some tenants, but gradually the Watson Bros business expanded to inhabit all three levels. Brothers Thomas, James and John left the business in 1902, leaving George Junior to run it. He, in turn, brought his sons George III and Norman Mayor aboard, together with his four daughters and his foreman prior to the formation of a limited company.

George Watson Jr was a respected businessman in the mould of his equally admired father. He became a council alderman in 1891 and mayor in 1892, and remained on the council until 1896. Son Norman Mayor (click here to read about him) was killed in WWI and George Junior died on 21 June 1923. The business of Watson Bros was heavily involved in WWI, having fitted out plumbing alterations to 90% of all vessels that were converted to troopships.

Watson Bros continued as a viable business until 1961 when it was forced into liquidation. Since that time ownership of the building has changed a few times and tenants have included Queensland Ballet Company, a car park operator and an artists' co-operative. Here is a recent photograph of the building and below that a close-up of the central pediment.

Finally, an advertisement from 1955, proudly articulating the company's 100 year history in Brisbane.

(Photo: the kingsman magazine)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Lucerne, Paddington

March 18, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Eton House (Hellesvere), Upper Roma St

≪ Previous: Watson Bros Building, Margaret St

This week we are looking at a couple of inner-city places that have stood the test of time and have not only survived but thrived. Both now have a commercial orientation, but I'll bet that most of you don't know of them.

The first is this little gem from the 1860s, Lucerne, at Paddington. Erected on what was then over six acres of land in the vicinity of Old Bishopsbourne, the house was one of three increasingly large houses built by bricklayer James Young to accommodate his ever-growing family that finally amounted to 16 children.

Young and his family moved from this residence to one of the other larger houses in the early 1870s and let this one to solicitor John Guthrie, and it was he who named the house Lucerne. After Guthrie left the house, James Young let it to a Miss Davis who ran a girls' school there. Young subsequently sold the house to a Mr Campbell who on-sold to John Scott MLA in 1883. The earliest photograph of the residence that I could find is this one from around 1932.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #176795)

And here it is a little later, after the verandah panels were removed.

(Photo: © 1979 National Trust of Queensland; R Stringer)

Today the house is run as bed and breakfast accommodation for guests and is known as Lucerne on Fernberg. This photograph from 1996 shows the front entrance to the house and part of the attractive garden.

(Photo: © DSEWPaC rt50896; J Houldsworth)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Eton House (Hellesvere), Upper Roma St

March 21, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Fell's Cottage, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Lucerne, Paddington

Like our last post, this is also a historical venue that is now a commercial premises. Although it is very close to the CBD, most people would be unaware of its existence, let alone its history.

Francis Curnow arrived in Brisbane in March 1860 at the age of twenty and went to work as a clerk at Cribb and Foote in Ipswich, before becoming a pay clerk for the Roads Department. From there he moved to the Railway Department, eventually becoming chief clerk of the railways. This job brought him to Brisbane in 1877 and he purchased from James Gibbon an allotment near the site of Roma St railway station on which to build a house. This is the house, known then as Hellesvere.

(Photo: © 1982 National Trust of Queensland; F Bolt)

Francis Curnow went on to become Queensland's third commissioner for railways, retiring in 1889. Tragically he lost a twenty year-old son who drowned in a "swimming baths" in 1900, and Francis himself died in 1901. The house remained in the Curnow family until 1909.

In the 1930s Hellesvere was purchased by a Mrs Curtis who renamed the residence Eton and operated it as a boarding house.

(Photo: chiangdow.com)

The building is still called Eton, and operates now as a bed and breakfast venue in the heart of Brisbane's backpackers accommodation quarter.

(Photo: google.com)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Fell's Cottage, Spring Hill

March 25, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Coorparoo Uniting Church

≪ Previous: Eton House (Hellesvere), Upper Roma St

(Photo: Courier Mail)

I was all set to prepare a post on this property but the good folk at the Courier Mail have done it for me!

Click here to read about this 1878 worker's cottage.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Coorparoo Uniting Church

March 28, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Springbok demo at the Tower Mill Motel, Wickham Terrace

≪ Previous: Fell's Cottage, Spring Hill

The first church to be built in the Coorparoo shire was the Methodist Church constructed in 1886. Here is a photograph of that building from around 1895.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #172462)

That church was demolished in the early 1950s to enable a new church to be erected in its place. The new building was designed by Alex Trewern and completed in 1952. The second building is still standing, now called the Coorparoo Uniting Church. Here is a current photograph. I like how Trewern retained a link to the looks of the original church.

(Photo: © 2012 the foto fanatic)

A hall was constructed next to the original church building in 1914 - it was extended in 1919 and remains to this day. A current photograph of the hall follows - you can also see here similar styling to the original church building.

Click here for a Google Map.

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Springbok demo at the Tower Mill Motel, Wickham Terrace

April 1, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Athol Place, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Coorparoo Uniting Church

Those of you who have followed these pages would know that I am an ex-rugby player (more enthusiastic than proficient) and still a follower of "the game they play in heaven". In 1971 I was actually playing rugby league in Maryborough, a small town north of Brisbane where I was working at the time. However, I did transport myself to Brisbane in order to see the Australian rugby union team (the Wallabies) play the South African side (the Springboks) on 31 July of that year. The occasion was more memorable than the game.

The photograph above shows the Tower Mill Motel on Brisbane's Wickham Terrace - it was the hotel where the touring Springbok team was staying. In 1971 South Africa was still governed by a white minority government which had initiated the hated apartheid regime - a method of separating and subjugating the non-white races. South Africa was subject to economic sanctions and sporting boycotts from the rest of the world anxious to put an end to apartheid.

Despite that climate of unrest this rugby tour took place, and it was bedevilled from beginning to end by protests and protestors. One of the more serious clashes between protestors and police occurred right here in Brisbane outside the Tower Mill Motel, where 500 police lined up to "protect" the South Africans from the demonstrators who only numbered about 400 consisting mainly of unionists and students, including many females. The police lined up on the Tower Mill Motel side of Wickham Terrace, facing the demonstrators who had gathered across the road on the side of the actual Tower Mill. The following photographs provide some perspective of the scene.

(Photo: via mypolice.qld.gov.au)

(Photo: QLS Criminal History Tour booklet 2012)

I wasn't there, but some accounts say that there were plain-clothed police amongst the crowd who started it all. In any case, the police charged the demonstrators and hurled them down the hill behind the mill. Many of the protestors were arrested, many were injured.

Statements from those present indicate that many of the police had removed their ID badges so that they could not be called to account. Queensland's new (at the time) premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, had declared a State of Emergency - thus providing police with greater powers of arrest and detention. Peter Beattie, later to be premier of the state himself, was one who was beaten and arrested - he later said that he was verballed by the police who fabricated charges against him. Later information indicated that Bjelke-Petersen gave the police carte-blanche to deal with demonstrators and that he even told a police representative that their claim for higher wages that was in arbitration would go through if the police followed his instructions.

The result of the events of that evening was that when the match took place at the Exhibition Ground, a small crowd of only about 10,000 (including me) was all that turned up to see the football. What demonstrators that were present were kept well away from the players and spectators. It was an eerie walk down Gregory Terrace to the football pitch with police lined up virtually shoulder to shoulder.

The match? Well, it was easily won by the visitors. The unrest and protests had little effect on the clinical display of the Springbok side and they disposed of the Wallabies by 14-6. The Australian players, on the other hand, looked nervous and ill-at-ease and were never a threat to the South Africans.

At the time I did not agree with sporting boycotts. I felt that young South Africans should be able to mix with athletes from other countries to gain an understanding of how races could come together. I was proven wrong though - most South Africans felt that sporting boycotts were one of the principal reasons for the breakdown of apartheid and the move towards democratic government.

However, I always thought that people had a right to protest against apartheid as long as they were lawful gatherings and there was no violence. Police here in Queensland had a "no demo" policy under Joh's instructions, so this and other demonstrations that could have been peaceful were violently broken up by the coppers. I knew of plenty of young people who left Queensland at that time as a result of this poisonous political atmosphere.

Here is a current photograph of Wickham Terrace, taken from the Tower Mill Motel and looking towards the Tower Mill and the area where the protestors gathered. It is a much more peaceful scene now.

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Athol Place, Spring Hill

April 4, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Archibald House (Glenugie), New Farm

≪ Previous: Springbok demo at the Tower Mill Motel, Wickham Terrace

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #57297)

One of Queensland's early medical pioneers was Dr Joseph Bancroft (above) who migrated here from his native Manchester in October 1864, seeking a warmer climate for health reasons. From all reports Bancroft had a nimble mind and an enquiring nature, particularly regarding flora and fauna - on the trip out to Brisbane aboard Lady Young, he dissected flying fish, examined albatross and collected botanical specimens from the ports at which they stopped on the journey.

In one of his first activities here, Bancroft built a house on Enoggera Creek that he called Kelvin Grove after gardens near Glasgow. Here is a photograph of that residence from 1868. The house gave its name to the suburb of Kelvin Grove we know today.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #6713)

In 1866 Bancroft commenced his medical practice on Wickham Terrace in rooms rented from Alexander McNab, a builder who had constructed three stone terraces there called Athol Place. McNab lived next door in Athol Cottage that he had also built. In this photograph from around 1882, it is stated that Athol Place can be seen in the background behind Roma St railway station - possibly the building with two chimneys above the RHS of the long structure in the foreground. Below that is a current photograph of Athol Place - still standing on Wickham Terrace and now owned and occupied by a group of doctors.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #6410)

(Photo: © 2013 the foto fanatic)

Bancroft worked out of Athol Place for a couple of years before becoming the house surgeon at Brisbane Hospital in 1868. He went on to research such diverse subjects as wheat, grapes, oysters, bananas, sugar-cane as well as traditional medical areas such as leprosy and filaria disease. He also worked on a potential solution to the rabbit plague.

It is no wonder that the main building Queensland Institute of Medical Research is named the Bancroft Centre in his honour.

Bancroft was also the European pioneer of the Deception Bay area, where from 1881 he developed a 3000-plus acre site to continue his botanical interests. He also built a plant that processed and dried meat as pemmican and then canned it for sale. Dr Bancroft's wife Anne suffered from a medical condition that was helped by salt water baths, so he constructed sea baths for her - there are remnants still in existence, listed on the state's heritage register.

There is also a monument to Dr Bancroft at Deception Bay - here is a photograph.

(Photo: monumentaustralia.org)

Bancroft died suddenly in his city residence, this two-story house on the corner of Ann and Wharf streets on 16 June 1894 at the age of 58.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #265)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Archibald House (Glenugie), New Farm

April 8, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Victoria Flats, Spring Hill

≪ Previous: Athol Place, Spring Hill

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #191906)

This man is John Archibald who was a successful businessman as well as a member of Queensland's upper house of parliament.

Archibald was born in 1845 near Edinburgh in Scotland and migrated to Queensland in 1863, working firstly at Cribb & Foote's department store and then joining the Queensland civil service. In April 1888 he left government employment and became a partner in a flour milling enterprise, later forming the Dominion Milling Co Ltd. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1897. He was also elected as mayor of Warwick in 1890 and 1897.

In 1902 he settled in a house in New Farm called Glenugie. Archibald passed away in 1907 and his wife remained in the house until her death in 1929. Glenugie was listed for auction on 1 December 1926, as advertised in the Brisbane Courier of 13 November that year. I can only assume that the property did not sell, as further articles in the paper indicate that the house became "a gift" to the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. The Archibalds were staunch Methodists and at that time the house passed to the churches to be used as a hostel for girls. It was renamed Archibald House.

(Brisbane Courier 13 November 1926 via trove)

(Brisbane Courier 5 July 1930 via trove)

(Brisbane Courier 1 August 1930 via trove)

The charming house still stands. It is once again a private residence and here are a couple of photographs of it.

(Photo: DERM)

(Photo: google.com)

Click here for a Google Map.

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Victoria Flats, Spring Hill

April 11, 2013, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Coorparoo Shire Hall, Coorparoo

≪ Previous: Archibald House (Glenugie), New Farm

Kilroe was here.

Mrs Frances (Fanny) Kilroe was the original owner of these four flats, built in 1923 on the high side of Gregory Terrace. The flats, originally known as Kilroe's Flats, have views over Victoria Park from the front and the towards the city at the rear.

(Photo: © 2013 the foto fanatic)

Frances Elliott and Joseph Kilroe were both immigrants to Brisbane from Ireland. They married at Gympie on 13 February 1895.

(Photos: ancestry.com)

(Source: Brisbane Courier 23 February 1895 via trove)

Joseph Kilroe was a draper. On 1 August 1899 he was made a partner at the successful firm of Finney Isles.

(Source: Brisbane Courier 18 November 1899 via trove)

The Kilroes never lived in the flats - for a time they lived in the next door property called Mirrunya and later moved to Paddington. The flats were designed by architect TBM Wightman and were among the first purpose-designed flats in Brisbane. The flats stayed in the Kilroe family until Fanny's death in 1948 when they were sold.

Click here for a Google Map.

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