Newstead House, Brisbane
| Newstead House | |
|---|---|
 Newstead House | |
 | |
| Former names | Newstead |
| General information | |
| Type | Detached house |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Location | On the left bank of the Brisbane River at its junction with Breakfast Creek |
| Address | Corner Newstead Ave and Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead |
| Town or city | Brisbane |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°26′34″S 153°02′46″E / 27.4427°S 153.0462°E |
| Construction started | 1846 |
| Owner | Newstead House Trust |
 Newstead House seen from the east | |
 | |
| Established | 1939 |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au |
Newstead House is Brisbane’s oldest surviving residence and is located on the Breakfast Creek bank of the Brisbane River, in the northern Brisbane suburb of Newstead, in Queensland, Australia.[1] Built as a small cottage in the Colonial-Georgian style in 1846, the cottage was extended and today is painted and furnished in a late Victorian style.[1] [2]
Newstead House is the oldest house in Brisbane, but not the oldest surviving building. In 1847, Patrick Leslie (married to Catherine McArthur[3]) sold Newstead House to his brother-in-law (married to Anna McArthur[3]), the Police Magistrate and Government Resident.[4]
History
Newstead House took its name from Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, England,[5] a former Augustinian priory which became the Byron family home.[6]
The property was referred to as Newstead until it left the possession of R. N. Wickham in 1859 after which it became known as Newstead House.[7]
Newstead house was built as a residence by Brisbane's first architect and builder Andrew Petrie for fellow Scottish settler Patrick Leslie; it was soon acquired by Captain John Wickham. Then it became home to a series of judges, politicians, merchant ship owners. The Lysaght Brothers bought the property in March 1898.[8] The produced iron and rabbit-proof wire fencing. Plans to establish a factory at the property were abandoned due to World War I.[8]
It was purchased by the Brisbane City Council in 1918 and was the residence of the superintendent of their council parks. The Council leased part of the property to the Historical Society of Queensland in 1934 and it was used to store historical records. In 1939, the Queensland Parliament created a Trust[9] and ownership was transferred to the Newstead House Trust. The building was occupied by American troops during World War II. There is an Australian-American War Memorial in the grounds in memory of this.[10][11]
Other than the war-time occupation it was operated as a museum and research library by the Historical Society of Queensland (now known as the Royal Historical Society of Queensland) until 1973[12] when they moved to the Commissariat Store.[1][2][13]
Newstead House is now a museum. It is open to the public, and concerts are sometimes held at the house and grounds.
Newstead House and the grounds, Newstead Park, are now maintained by the Newstead House Trust assisted the Friends of Newstead, a volunteer group who also organise various events to attract visitors.[1]
Heritage listing
Newstead House was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.[14]
Newstead Park
Newstead Park is a significant historic park.[15]
The land originally formed a part of the land purchased by Patrick Leslie in 1845 on which he built Newstead House.[15]
In the 1920s the Brisbane City Council constructed an electrical substation for its tramway system in the grounds of the House. Since the closure of the tram system in 1969 the substation has been used by the Queensland National Trust.
In May each year the park is host to the commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea.[16]
A playspace featuring an "Alice through the Looking Glass" theme is located in the park.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Trent Dalton, "Grand residence", Brisbane News, 20 November 2002, p 16, Nationwide News Pty Limited via factiva accessed 7 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Newstead House". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council.
- ^ a b New South Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- ^ "BRISBANE'S HISTORIC HOMES". The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866-1939). Brisbane, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 16 January 1930. p. 50. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ Newstead, Place name details (database online), Property, titles and valuations, Department of Environment and Resource Management, Government of Queensland accessed 7 September 2011.
- ^ "Newstead Abbey" in Daniel Hahn and Nicholas Robins (eds), The Oxford Guide to Literary Britain & Ireland (Oxford University Press, 2009) via Oxford Reference Online, Oxford University Press accessed 7 September 2011.
- ^ A. G. Davies, "Significance of 'Newstead', oldest residence in Brisbane", (1940) The Historical Society of Queensland Journal Vol. 3 no. 2, pp 57-66, ISSN 1837-8366, Brisbane, Queensland.
- ^ a b Gregory, Helen (2010). Building Brisbane's History: Structure, Sculptures, Stories and Secrets. Warriewood, New South Wales: Woodslane Press. p. 132. ISBN 9781921606199.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Queensland Parliament legislation
- ^ Australian American War memorial, Newstead Park. Your Brisbane: Past and Present. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ Brisbane Brisbane Luxury Cruises. Retrieved 16 March 2013
- ^ Cook, Penny (2006). Discover Queensland Heritage. Corinda, Queensland: Pictorial Press Australia. p. 35. ISBN 1876561424.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ F. E. Lord (16 January 1930). "Brisbane's historic homes. 1. Newstead". The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939). Brisbane, Qld.: National Library of Australia. p. 50. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ "Newstead House". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Welcome to the Historic Newstead House". Retrieved 21 February 2008.
- ^ "Statutory authorities reporting to the Minister for Environment Annual Report 04 – 05 - Board of Trustees of Newstead House" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
Further reading
- Greenwood, G. and Laverty, J., "Brisbane 1859-1959 A History of Local Government", Brisbane City Council, Brisbane, 1959.
- Steer, G. R., "Brisbane Tramways: Their History and Development", Historical Society of Queensland Journal, Vol 3, No 3.
External links
