Lonsdale House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lonsdale House |
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Lonsdale House, 2009
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| Location | 283 Boundary Street, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1860s circa - 1950s circa |
| Official name: Lonsdale House | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 27 August 1999 |
| Reference no. | 601159 |
| Significant period | 1860s-1870s, 1920s-1940s, 1950s (fabric) 1860s-1870s (historical) |
| Significant components | kitchen/kitchen house, residential accommodation - main house, fence/wall - perimeter, views to, toilet block/earth closet/water closet, views from, attic |
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Lonsdale House is a special old timber house located at 283 Boundary Street in Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia. It has two floors and an attic. This house was built a long time ago, possibly in the 1860s, and was definitely standing by 1879.
Lonsdale House is important because it shows us what homes were like in Brisbane's early days. It is now protected as a heritage-listed building, meaning it's a significant part of Queensland's history.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Lonsdale House is in Spring Hill, one of Brisbane's very first suburbs. In the mid-1800s, people started buying land here. Spring Hill quickly became a popular place for people to live, especially those who worked in the city centre. It was easy to walk to Queen Street from here.
At first, richer families built big houses on the higher parts of Spring Hill. Working-class families lived in the valleys. By the early 1900s, Spring Hill was one of Brisbane's busiest suburbs.
Boundary Street, where Lonsdale House is, was home to many working-class people like builders and labourers. Middle-class families lived on the higher parts of the street.
Who Lived Here?
The land where Lonsdale House stands was first sold in 1853. In 1862, a man named Robert Bourne bought the land. He was a retired missionary and had business interests in Sydney and Victoria. He moved to Brisbane around 1852.
Robert Bourne lived in Spring Hill and owned several properties. After he passed away in 1871, his family sold his properties. In 1879, Lonsdale House was described as a two-storey timber house with seven rooms and a separate kitchen. It was bought by Henry Lander Pethebridge for £350.
Henry Pethebridge was a carpenter and worked as a government inspector. He and his family lived in Lonsdale House. After Henry died in 1910, the house was rented out. It became a boarding house, where different people could rent rooms.
Over the years, Lonsdale House changed owners several times. From the 1930s, the Hough family lived there. By the 1950s, it was definitely being used as a boarding house with nine rooms. A second kitchen was even added around this time. The current owners bought the house in 1966.
Lonsdale House is one of the few early inner-city homes that are still standing today. It gives us a glimpse into Brisbane's past.
What Lonsdale House Looks Like
Lonsdale House is a two-storey timber house with an attic. It sits on a small hill in Spring Hill, offering views over central Brisbane. The outside walls are made of wide timber boards.
Outside Features
The house has verandahs (porches) on both the front and back, on both levels. The roof is steep and made of corrugated iron. There's a brick chimney rising from the main roof.
The front verandahs have timber posts with pretty decorations and fancy brackets. The lower verandah has a timber railing, and some parts are covered with timber lattice for privacy. The upper verandah has a cast iron railing.
The front of the house has a glass entrance door and timber windows. On the first floor, there are three double doors that open onto the verandah. The front of the roof has a window with a curved iron hood above it.
The sides of the house also have timber windows with similar decorative hoods. The back of the house has more verandahs and single-storey extensions.
There's an old kitchen extension at the back, which looks like it was once a separate building. Another extension on the other side is newer. In the backyard, there's a small brick toilet building and a timber carport. The front of the property has a brick wall with a timber picket fence.
Inside the House
Inside, on the ground floor, there's a long hallway with a timber staircase leading upstairs. The staircase has a decorative newel post (the main post at the bottom). The hallway has a timber archway.
There are two main rooms on the ground floor, one at the front and one at the back. These rooms have timber windows and ceilings lined with timber boards. The back room has an old fireplace.
The back verandah on the ground floor has been enclosed and now includes a kitchen area. The old kitchen wing at the back has timber walls and ceilings.
Upstairs, on the first floor, there's a landing that leads to three rooms and the back verandah. The rooms on the front side have double doors that open onto the verandah. These doors have colourful glass details. The back room also has a fireplace.
The back verandah upstairs is also fully enclosed. It has small rooms for a shower and a toilet.
From the first floor, a narrow staircase leads up to the attic. The attic has two rooms, one at the front and one at the back. These rooms have timber walls and ceilings. The front attic room has a window in the gable end of the roof. You can see how the roof was originally built with timber shingles.
All the floors throughout the house are made of timber.
Why Lonsdale House is Important
Lonsdale House was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 27 August 1999. This means it's officially recognised as a place of special historical and cultural value.
Historical Significance
Lonsdale House helps us understand how Spring Hill grew into an important suburb of Brisbane. It's a great example of an early home in the city.
Unique Features
This house is quite rare because it's a three-level timber house from the mid-1800s, built in a style called Georgian. It shows us what houses of that type looked like, with its entrance to one side, attic rooms, and original details like windows and staircases. It also had an early kitchen wing that was once separate from the main house.
Architectural Importance
Lonsdale House is important because it shows the main features of its type of building. It has a special design, including the way the entrance is placed, the attic rooms, and the original doors and windows.
Beautiful Design
The building also has a lovely design that adds to the look of Boundary Street and the Spring Hill area. It's a beautiful part of the neighbourhood's history.
