Lota House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lota House |
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Building in 2015
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| Location | 162 Oceana Terrace, Lota, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s–1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1865 – c. 1910 |
| Official name: Lota House – Edwin Marsden Tooth Memorial Home, Lota House | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600247 |
| Significant period | 1860s-1910s (fabric, historical) |
| Significant components | trees/plantings, dairy/creamery, extension/s or addition/s, billiards room, driveway, tank – water (underground), natural landscape, garden/grounds, residential accommodation – main house, cellar |
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Lota House is a very old and important house located in Lota, Queensland, Australia. It was built a long time ago, starting in 1865. This beautiful house is also known as the Edwin Marsden Tooth Memorial Home. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because of its special history and design.
A Look Back at Lota House History
Building the Original Lota House
The first part of Lota House was built between 1865 and 1866. It was a large, two-storey brick home. It was made for an early Queensland settler from Ireland, William Duckett White, and his wife, Jane. Jane White owned Lota House until she passed away in 1887. She left the house to her son Albert and made sure her husband William could live there for the rest of his life. William Duckett White died at Lota House in 1893.
The Grand Lota Estate
Lota House was built on a very large piece of land, about 240 acres. William and Jane's son-in-law, Graham Douglas Mylne, described it as a grand and comfortable house. He said it had big rooms, fresh breezes, and amazing views over Moreton Bay.
The main entrance to Lota House faced south. However, the most important rooms looked out towards the bay on the east side. There was a dairy on the southwest corner of the house. The ground floor had a big entrance hall. To the right were the drawing and dining rooms. An office and a staircase leading upstairs were also on the right. At the end of the hall was a small sitting room, next to a bootroom. A pantry was under the staircase, which led to a cellar. Upstairs, there were bedrooms and a dressing room. The servants' rooms and kitchen were in a separate building.
Gardens and Farm Life at Lota
The entrance to the Lota estate had two large white gates. These gates were flanked by huge Moreton Bay fig trees. A gatekeeper's lodge was also nearby. A curved driveway led through open grassy fields to the house. Jane White designed the large gardens around the house.
Behind the house, a grassy courtyard separated it from the stables, coachhouses, and haylofts. A separate kitchen and servants' quarters were connected to the main house by a covered walkway. In the courtyard, there were two deep underground tanks. These tanks collected rainwater and had large, round stone covers. Water was pumped from these tanks to the house, kitchen, stables, and garden.
Further west, on the slope behind the stables, were yards for animals. There were cow stalls, chicken coops, and pig styes. A hut for South Sea Islanders who worked on the property was also there. Cows and horses grazed in the fields around the house. Crops like maize, sorghum, and hay were grown near Lota Creek to feed the animals. Like other farmers nearby, the Whites likely grew sugar cane on their land. The estate stretched down to the bay. By the 1910s, there was a boat-shed and a jetty there.
Changes and Renovations in the Early 1900s
In 1908, William and Jane's grandson, William Duckett White (also called Duckett), bought the property. He decided to renovate and add to the house. The new parts were made of timber. They included a large two-storey section at the back. This section had a kitchen and laundry downstairs. Upstairs, it had a school room, a spare bedroom, two bathrooms, and more servants' rooms.
A single-storey day nursery was added to the west corner of the downstairs verandah. A separate billiard room was built to the northwest of the house. A covered walkway and a bush house with a slatted wooden roof connected the billiard room to the main house. A Brisbane architect, Claude William Chambers, asked for bids for this work in September 1908.
At this time, the dining and drawing rooms from 1865-66 were redecorated. The Sydney company Beard Watsons added fancy timber fireplaces, replacing the older white marble ones. They also put in new wallpapers and carpets. Duckett White also divided the large estate into smaller blocks of land. Land sales began in 1911. The grounds around Lota House were reduced to just under 10 acres. The pine trees lining the driveway from Oceana Terrace to the front of the house were probably planted around this time.
New Owners and Community Use
Graham Ernest Mylne, who was the son of Captain Graham Douglas Mylne and Helena White, bought Lota House from his cousin Duckett White in 1913. Graham was a general manager for a company called White Collins & Co. for many years. His wife, Kathleen, was very involved with the Queensland Country Women's Association. Graham Mylne passed away in 1958.
In 1957, a businessman and kind person named Edwin Marsden Tooth passed away. He left a large sum of money to the Anglican Church of Australia. He wanted them to use it to support their schools and help people in need. He specifically asked the church to create a home for older people. The church bought Lota House from Kathleen, Graham Mylne's widow, to create the Edwin Marsden Tooth Memorial Home for aged care.
The Important Woodland
The remaining eucalypt woodland on the southeast and southwest edges of the property has been part of Lota House since the estate was first created. This woodland extends over the cliff along The Esplanade. It is a well-known landmark in the Lota area. The Brisbane City Council has listed it in their Brisbane Conservation Atlas because of its high natural and scenic value. In 1992, this woodland was protected by a council order due to its beautiful scenery and landscape.
Why Lota House is a Heritage Site
Lota House (now known as Edwin Marsden Tooth Memorial Home) was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. This means it is a very important place that needs to be protected. Here's why:
Showing Queensland's Past
Lota House helps us understand how Queensland's history unfolded. It shows how large estates were set up in Brisbane's eastern bayside suburbs in the 1860s. The way the Lota Estate was formed and later divided into smaller pieces of land shaped how the Lota area grew from the 1860s into the early 1900s.
A Rare Glimpse into the Past
This house is special because it is the oldest surviving home in the Manly-Lota area. It is also one of the few 1860s homes of its kind still standing in Queensland. It gives us a rare look at a way of life that is no longer common today. It is also a rare example of 1860s architecture influenced by the Georgian style that still exists in Queensland. The old eucalypt woodland, the Bunya pine, and other early trees show us what the original Lota estate garden and grounds were like.
A Great Example of Old Homes
The oldest part of Lota House shows us the main features of a large, two-storey brick home from the 1860s that was influenced by Georgian design. This includes its balanced look both inside and out, its delicate details, and the materials used like brick, render, slate, and cedar wood. Its location on a high spot with wide views and large grounds is typical of homes from that time. The additions and changes made in 1908 show how a big family home by the bay could change over time.
Beautiful Design and Features
The oldest part of Lota House has many beautiful features. Its simple, rectangular shape with a verandah supported by columns keeps the elegant balance and proportions of the Georgian style. The original room sizes and layout are still there. A lot of the original materials are still intact, especially the cedar wood details like doors, skirting boards, architraves, and staircases. The sliding louvered shutters on the upper windows and French doors are also rare and clever designs. The woodland around the house is a well-known and beautiful part of the Lota area.
Important to the Local Community
Lota House is very important to the local community. It is connected to the start and growth of European settlement in the Manly-Lota area. The name of the suburb, Lota, actually comes from Lota House. Many nearby streets are named after people who lived at Lota House. The house is also a big part of the published history of the area.
Connected to Key People in Queensland History
Lota House is also important because it was linked for a long time (from 1860 to 1960) to important Queensland families who owned large farms, like the William Duckett White family and the Graham Douglas Mylne family. Since 1960, it has been strongly connected to the Anglican Church of Australia's work in caring for older people.
