Teneriffe House facts for kids

Teneriffe House is a historic house located at 37 Teneriffe Drive in Teneriffe, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect William Henry Ellerker and built in 1865. Today, it is recognized as a special heritage site and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 May 1993.

The Story of Teneriffe House

Building a Grand Home

This large house was built in 1865 for James Gibbon. He was an important politician in Queensland's government, serving as a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council. He also bought and sold land, hoping its value would increase.

The house was designed by William Henry Ellerker, an architect from Melbourne. Ellerker worked in Brisbane for a short time, from 1864 to 1866. He was known for winning a competition to design the Queensland Parliament House.

Early Owners and Changes

In 1854, James Gibbon bought about 48 hectares (about 118 acres) of land. This land was on the ridge between New Farm and Newstead. He named his new property Teneriffe. He lived in other places before deciding to build Teneriffe House in 1865.

When it was finished, Teneriffe House cost £1,715. People described it as a very impressive home. It sat on a high hilltop, so it could be seen from far away. The house was made of brick covered with a smooth plaster-like finish, on a stone base. It had wide verandas, about 3 meters (10 feet) deep, all around it. The roof was made of slate.

Inside, large folding doors separated the drawing room and dining room. Each of these rooms was quite big. The kitchen, pantries, and servants' rooms were in a separate building.

In March 1882, James Gibbon sold the house to James Cowlishaw for £2,000. Gibbon planned to return to England. The property was then divided into smaller pieces of land. The house, on 2.6 hectares (about 6.4 acres), was bought by Robert W Wilson, a Brisbane importer. He made many big changes to the house.

Major Renovations in the 1880s

It's believed that the southern wing and the billiards room wing were added around this time. By mid-1886, the main house had a very large drawing room and a big dining room. It also had a butler's pantry, four bedrooms, two dressing rooms, and three bathrooms. There was even a nursery for children.

The front veranda was made even deeper, about 6 meters (20 feet). All the veranda posts were replaced with decorative metal pillars. A separate brick building was built with a flat roof. This building had a billiards room, three bedrooms, and a toilet.

The service wing, where the staff worked, included a kitchen, a servants' hall, three servants' bedrooms, a pantry with a fireproof strongroom (a very secure room), a storeroom, and a double cellar. The house had electric bells and gas lighting throughout. Other buildings on the property included a laundry, stables, a coachhouse, rooms for men, and a small house for the groom. The gardens were also beautifully designed, with a fernery and a tennis lawn.

Wilson sold his belongings in December 1885 and moved back to England with his family. For a few years, Teneriffe House was rented by GH Green, who managed the Brisbane branch of the Commercial Bank of Sydney. Around 1891, David J Abercrombie took over as bank manager and also moved into Teneriffe House. The Abercrombie family lived there for almost 30 years.

Later Years and Subdivision

In 1905, Reginald Edward Rowe Hillcoat, a farmer from North Queensland, bought Teneriffe House. His family lived there from 1919. Around this time, the inside of the western wing, which might have been the first kitchen, was updated.

After Hillcoat passed away in 1925, the property was divided again. The Brisbane City Council took over about 3.5 acres (about 1.4 hectares) of land, which included the original fruit orchard. This land was turned into a park, now known as Teneriffe Park. The Hillcoat family received £1,750 as payment for this land.

Teneriffe House is still owned by Reginald Hillcoat's family today. His wife and one of his two daughters lived in the house until they passed away in 1938 and 1983. However, in the late 1960s, the large house was changed into several smaller apartments, called flats.

What Teneriffe House Looks Like

Teneriffe House is a large, one-story house made of brick and timber. It sits on a hill overlooking the Brisbane River. The main entrance is at the back, facing Teneriffe Drive. This is because the front of the house was designed to take advantage of the beautiful river views.

The house is made up of four main parts:

• The Main Part (Core): This section was built in 1865 and updated in the 1880s. It's a well-designed brick building with a roof that slopes down on all four sides, made of wavy metal sheets. It has stone foundations. Wide verandas with slender metal pillars go all around it. The front veranda is about 6 meters (20 feet) deep and has decorative wooden patterns and a bouncy floor. The back veranda has been enclosed (closed in).

* At the back, there's a grand entrance with a fancy roof and decorations. Beyond this entrance, a formal hallway leads to four large rooms. These rooms have cedar wood details and fireplace surrounds made of marble. Wide glass doors open onto the verandas from the two back rooms. The large front room can be divided by an ornate archway and folding cedar doors. It has big windows that slide neatly into the walls. This main part of the house now contains two flats.

• The Strong Room and Timber Wing: Attached to the southern end of the back veranda is a small brick strong room with a built-in safe. Next to it, a timber (wooden) wing extends from east to west. This might be the original service wing from 1865. The veranda on its southern side has been enclosed, but the one on the northern side is still open. This wing has also been converted into two flats. Some rooms still have timber paneling and plasterwork from around the 1920s.

• The Southern Timber Wing: To the south, another timber wing (added around the 1880s) connects to the main part of the house through the verandas. It's simpler in design but has the same glass doors as the main house. It also has a double fireplace with marble surrounds, a small window that sticks out from the wall, and folding doors in the long southern room. This wing has been divided into two flats.

• The Billiard Room Building: To the southeast, there's a brick building (also from the 1880s) that used to have a billiard room with a window in the ceiling for light. This building is built into the side of the hill, so it's lower than the other parts. It has a flat roof that you can walk on, with a low concrete wall around the edge. Part of its roof structure has fallen down.

Even though Teneriffe House has been changed into flats, it still largely looks the same as it did, keeping its original shape, materials, and details.

Why Teneriffe House is Special

Teneriffe House was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 May 1993 because it meets certain important standards.

Showing Queensland's History

Teneriffe House is important because it shows how the Teneriffe area developed over time. This large house reflects how wealthy people lived and what their tastes were like in Brisbane from the 1860s to the 1920s. It shows how buildings changed over these years.

Rare and Unique Features

The very wide front veranda and the separate billiard room with its walkable roof are quite rare for houses built in Brisbane in the 1800s. The main part of Teneriffe House is one of the few surviving houses from the 1860s in Brisbane. It's also one of the few known buildings in Brisbane designed by the architect W H Ellerker.

Connection to Important People

Teneriffe House is important because it's one of the few remaining 1860s houses in Brisbane. It also has a special connection to the work of Melbourne architect W H Ellerker, as it's one of the few buildings he designed in Brisbane.