Shafston House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shafston House |
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Building in 2015
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| Location | 23 Castlebar Street, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1851 - 1930s |
| Architect | Robin Dods |
| Official name: Shafston House, Anzac Hostel, Ravenscott, Shafston International College | |
| Type | state heritage (landscape, built) |
| Designated | 7 February 2005 |
| Reference no. | 600241 |
| Significant period | 1850s-1930s (fabric) 1850s-1960s (historical) |
| Significant components | ward - open air, attic, fence/wall - perimeter, driveway, residential accommodation - staff housing, lawn/s, gate - entrance, paving, residential accommodation - magistrate's house, service wing, trees/plantings, wall/s - retaining, terracing, cellar, depot - postal |
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Shafston House is a special old house in Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia. It's known as a heritage-listed villa, which means it's protected because of its history and beauty. The house was designed by Robin Dods and built over many years, starting in 1851. It has also been called Anzac Hostel, Ravenscott, and Shafston International College. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 2005.
Contents
History of Shafston House
Shafston House is a group of buildings built between 1851 and the 1930s. It sits on large grounds right next to the Brisbane River. The main house was built in different stages from 1851 to 1904.
Early Days and First Owners
In 1850, the land where Shafston House stands was surveyed. Reverend Robert Creyke bought two large pieces of land with river frontage. In 1851, he built a single-story house on one of these pieces and called it Ravenscott.
Many important people in Brisbane in the 1840s and 1850s built large homes along the Brisbane River. These included Newstead House (1846) and Bulimba House (1849–50).
A drawing from 1851 shows Ravenscott as a long, low house with verandas and a sloped roof. It overlooked the Brisbane River. The land around it was mostly clear and had other small buildings.
Henry Stuart Russell and the Name Change
In 1852, Robert Creyke sold the property to Henry Stuart Russell. He was a sheep farmer and politician from the Darling Downs. Russell said he "completed" the house and renamed it Shafston. He likely named it after his wife's birthplace in Jamaica. This means the main part of Shafston House includes the older Ravenscott building.
Russell also bought more land nearby, making the estate very large, about 44 acres (17.6 hectares).
What Shafston House Looked Like in the 1850s
In 1854, Russell advertised Shafston for rent or sale. The house was made of brick and stone. It had a drawing room and a dining room separated by folding doors. There were five large bedrooms and a long hallway.
Under the drawing room, there was a stone dairy, a pantry, and a wine cellar. A long veranda stretched along the front of the house. At the back, connected by a covered path, was a brick service building. This building had a kitchen, two servants' bedrooms, a laundry, and storage rooms.
There was also a large brick building with stables for two horses, a coach-house, and rooms for grooms. Other features included a chicken coop, a well, and a garden. Most of these improvements were made after Russell bought the property in late 1852.
The property didn't sell in 1854 and was offered again in 1855. By then, it was being used as a boarding house. The ground floor had eight rooms and a staircase. The front veranda was 56 feet long and 10 feet wide. There were three large cellars underneath it.
French doors opened onto the front veranda. The attic had three rooms, two of which could be bedrooms. This suggests the five bedrooms mentioned earlier were on the ground floor. A kitchen, servants' rooms, and a pantry were attached.
The property still didn't sell. People who rented it in the 1850s included Nehemiah Bartley and lawyer Daniel Foley Roberts. A drawing from around 1858 shows Shafston as a large, single-story house with a front veranda and a high roof. It had attic rooms and three dormer windows looking over the Brisbane River.
Changes Over the Years
In 1859, the property was transferred to Louis Hope, a farmer and sugar grower. It seems Hope did not live there. From 1860 to 1871, Gilbert Eliot, who was the Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, rented Shafston House. Other renters in the 1870s included William Barker and Dr. and Mrs. Henry Challinor.
In 1875, Hope divided the property into smaller pieces. In 1876, Shafston House, with about 4 acres (1.6 hectares) of land, was advertised for sale. The house had nine rooms on the ground floor and hadn't changed much since 1854. It was a brick and stone house with a roof of wood shingles and iron.
It had a drawing room, dining room, five bedrooms, and servants' rooms. There was also a large brick stable and water tanks. The property did not sell at this time. The same advertisement ran again in the Brisbane Courier in 1881.
In 1883, Mary Jane Foster bought Shafston House. Her husband, Charles Milne Foster, owned a successful ironmongery business. The Fosters lived at Shafston House until 1896. They are believed to have updated the house in the early 1880s. The architect for this work was probably FDG Stanley.
These updates likely included changing the verandas, adding the front entrance porch, and adding more detailed Gothic decorations. The bay windows were probably added at this time too.
In the late 1890s and early 1900s, different tenants lived in the house. These included E. B. Bland, John F. McMullen, and William Gray.
Robin Dods' Influence
By 1903, James Henry McConnel, a farmer from Cressbrook, was using Shafston House as his family's town home. He bought the property in 1904. That year, he hired the famous Brisbane architect Robin Smith Dods to renovate the house again.
Dods likely added the detailed timber work in the front hall and the two main rooms (drawing and dining rooms). He probably also designed the windows in the dormers. His work includes decorative parts like the fireplaces, timber carvings at the entrance, and the cupboard under the stairs.
Shafston House remained the McConnel family home until about 1913. In 1915, it was leased to a group called the Creche and Kindergarten Association. They used it as a training center for teachers.
Anzac Hostel for Veterans
In 1919, after World War I, the Australian government bought the property. They turned it into an Anzac Hostel. This was a special place to care for soldiers who were seriously injured in the war. Anzac Hostels were set up in most Australian states at this time.
The property then included the main house, a kitchen building, stables, and a bush house. Many changes were made in 1919. The main house was used for both the hostel and offices. The drawing room became a ward (a room for patients), and the dining room stayed the same. Bedrooms were used for nurses and the matron.
A study and a bedroom were combined to create a recreation room. The attic, which was one open space, was divided into bedrooms for nurses and a storage room. The kitchen courtyard was covered, and two new rooms were built there. A timber laundry building was added, and the stables became living quarters for orderlies (staff who helped patients).
To house the soldiers, a large ward building with open sides was built in the front grounds in 1919. It was connected to the main house by a covered path. This building was raised on stumps and had a bathroom block. It showed the idea that fresh air was good for healing and health.
The Anzac Hostel welcomed its first patients in July 1920. It worked as a hospital for veterans until about 1969.
Later Changes and Uses
In the late 1920s and 1930s, the government sold off the southern part of the property. This made the house grounds smaller. The old brick stables were demolished. In 1928, a small timber building was built for the orderlies. The 1919 laundry building was moved, and a new garage was built.
In 1937, the East Brisbane Postal Depot was built on the property. It was a small room at first, but a large extension was added in 1951 for sorting mail.
From 1969 to 1987, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) used the property. This led to more changes, like new offices, a bar, fire escapes, and updated bathrooms. Verandas were enclosed, and the space under the main house was also enclosed. A garage and store were built near the river.
The grounds also changed with new paving, fences, entrances, driveways, and parking areas. By 1981, the main house was used for administration and as a mess hall. The ward building became a Movement Control Centre. The old kitchen block housed the Queensland Air Training Corps. The garage/postal depot was used for RAAF Public Relations. The former orderlies building became a tavern.
In 1978, Shafston House was recognized for its historical importance and added to the Commonwealth Register of the National Estate. Conservation work was done on the main house in the 1980s.
In 1988, Shafston House was leased to a businessman. After not getting approval for a restaurant, the house was renovated as a home. The 1919 laundry was removed, and a new garage was built. The ward building was updated, and new bathrooms were added to the house. The landscaping was also changed.
In 1994, the lease was transferred again. In 1995/96, the property was redeveloped as part of the Shafston International College. The main house was updated, and the link to the kitchen wing was enclosed to create a new sitting room. More work was done on the grounds and other buildings, including enclosing the open-air ward. A concrete walkway and new retaining walls were built along the river.
The property became freehold (fully owned) between 1998 and 2002. In 2021, the house and land next to the Brisbane River were sold to a property development company.
What Shafston House Looks Like
Shafston House sits on a large piece of land that slopes down to the Brisbane River. The buildings include the original house and its kitchen (from 1851), the old ward building (1919), the former orderlies' living area (1928), the old postal depot (1936), a newer garage, and a very new two-story building next to the kitchen.
Main House Features
The main house is a one-story building made of brick and stone. It has a steeply sloped roof with attic rooms and cellars underneath. The walls sit on strong foundations made of Brisbane tuff (a type of stone). The roof was once covered with wood shingles, then slate, and now has terracotta tiles. At the back is the original separate brick service wing, also on a stone foundation.
The house is built in a Gothic-revival style. This means it looks like older Gothic buildings. Its outside decorations include fancy plaster on the gables (the triangular parts of the roof), timber decorations, dormer windows (windows that stick out from the roof), and stone blocks at the corners of the walls.
The front part of the house has a bay window with a corrugated iron roof. At the northern end, French doors open onto a balcony with a steep iron roof and cast-iron railings. The main entrance has a stone portico (a porch with columns) that is slightly off-center from the small front veranda.
Inside, most of the walls are brick covered with plaster. The floors are made of pine wood. The main reception rooms have special ceilings with sunken panels, called coffered ceilings. The fancy decorative bands (friezes), moldings (cornices), and lower wall panels (dados) in these rooms were restored in the early 1980s. They are thought to be from the 1880s.
The wooden parts like doors and window frames are made of cedar. The renovations done in the early 1900s show the influence of the Art Nouveau style, which used flowing lines and natural shapes. The exact changes made by architect Robin Dods are not fully known. However, the fireplaces and much of the internal wood work, especially in the stairwell and doorways, are believed to be his work. Dods probably added the windows with diagonal glass panes in the upper parts.
Other Buildings and Grounds
Several other buildings have been built on the grounds. The most important is the large ward building from 1919. This is a single-story timber building, low to the ground and supported by stumps. It was designed to have open sides, but it has since been enclosed and extended. New rooms have been built underneath it.
The beautiful entrance gate from Castlebar Street still exists. It has cast-iron gates and posts, and a matching cast-iron fence on sandstone bases and pillars. The shape of the driveway that curves around the front of the house from Castlebar to Thorn Street can still be seen. However, these areas have been paved, and parking spaces have been added. Some old stone paving remains near Castlebar Street.
The terraced lawn (a lawn on different levels) between the house and the river is still mostly there. However, other areas have been changed for paving and parking. Some large, old trees on the northwest side still survive, including a fig tree near the former orderlies' cottage. Close to the river, some old brick and stone retaining walls are still standing.
Why Shafston House is Important
Shafston House was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 2005 because it meets several important criteria.
Showing Queensland's History
Shafston House was built in 1851 and changed significantly in the 1850s, 1880s, and 1904. It is one of the few large riverside homes left in Brisbane from before Queensland became a separate colony. It helps us understand the early history of Queensland. The house is on a high spot and still has clear views of the river over a large terraced lawn. Of the old riverside houses from the 1840s and 1850s, only Newstead House (1846) and Shafston House (1851) still have this strong connection to the river.
The house was a grand home for over 60 years. Many important people who shaped Queensland's development lived there or owned it. These include Reverend Robert Creyke, who started building it; Henry Stuart Russell, who finished it and named it "Shafston"; Louis Hope, who owned it from 1859; the Foster family, who updated it in the 1880s; and James Henry McConnel, whose family hired architect Robin Dods to make more changes.
The property is also important because it became an Anzac Hostel from 1919 to about 1969. This was a place to care for soldiers who were seriously injured in World War I. It shows how Australia dealt with the impact of the world wars. It was the only Anzac Hostel in Queensland that was a long-term home for severely injured soldiers from World War I. It is also one of only two former World War I hospitals left in Queensland.
A Rare Part of Queensland's Heritage
Shafston House is rare because it is one of the oldest houses still standing in Brisbane. It is probably the third oldest house in the city area, after Newstead House (1846) and Bulimba House (1849-50). It is a rare example of a large riverside estate, which was common in the early days of Brisbane.
Learning About Queensland's Past
Inside the current building, there are parts of the original 1850s house. These parts could help us learn about how buildings were constructed in Queensland in the 1850s, which is uncommon to find.
Showing What a Historic Home Was Like
Shafston House shows the main features of a large, middle-class riverside house from the mid-19th century. It has stone cellars, attic rooms, a separate brick service building, terraced grounds, and river frontage. Its decorations and the way it separated public and private spaces, as well as family and servant areas, are typical of its time. Since 1851, the house has kept its original location overlooking the river and its visual link to the river.
The main rooms, especially the drawing room and dining room, have rare examples of fancy Victorian-era style. This includes painted lower wall panels and decorative bands, and detailed wood work and fireplaces. The style of the internal updates by architect Dods also remains. The drawing room and dining room show the best examples of Dods' work, but also have bay windows believed to be by architect Stanley. Decorative parts like the fireplaces, carved wood at the entrance, and the cupboard under the stairs are linked to Dods.
Several other buildings were built when it was a hospital, including an open-air ward (1919), a garage (around 1919), and orderlies' quarters (1928). These buildings help us understand how the place worked as a hospital. The former Ward Block, built in 1919, was designed like a typical small hospital ward. It was built with light timber and placed to catch breezes, showing health practices that were important at the time.
Its Beautiful Look
Shafston House has been changed many times over the years, with major updates in the 1850s, 1880s, and 1900s. Despite this, it has kept a beautiful and unified look. Its beauty comes mainly from its Victorian Gothic style (including its detailed decorations) and its garden layout and riverside setting. Even with the later work by architects Stanley and Dods, the main features of the style remain. The verandas and entrance porch added in the 1880s, and the interior wood work from the early 1900s, also add to its beauty. The house is a well-known sight along the Brisbane River and from New Farm across the river. It adds greatly to the beautiful views of the Brisbane river.
Images for kids
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Building detail, 2015
