Rutland Court

Speculative land purchases in the first decade of the new colony resulted in subdivisions, particularly in Spring Hill, as small as seven perches in area. The Queensland Parliament passed legislation in 1865 attempting to control such undue subdivision of land but the groundwork for the sale of subdivided allotments was already in place. Over the next several years, Dickens subdivided Portion 225 but, owing to the land’s location on the town fringes, the resulting allotments remained comparatively large. 

On 6 June 1882, Maxwell McNaught purchased subdivision 31 of Dicken’s original Suburban Portion 225 comprising one rood, 3 1/10th  perches. On 16 June, the same day the purchase was registered, he transferred the holding to his wife MaryAnn McNaught. She subsequently took out a mortgage on the property for one hundred pounds and for a further fifty pounds the following year. A house is likely to have been built on the land in this period. It was named Lennox or Lennox Cottage. A prominent Brisbane businessman, McNaught lived there with his large family until his death in 1900. His fourth son, W. G. McNaught, later operated a large department store at 154 Queen St.

In December 1900, a new title was issued to Mary Langmuir McNaught. Mr and Mrs W.A. McNaught lived at the house with Mrs McNaught until 1903 when she is listed as residing at Loughill next door. In 1913, the McNaughts may have started to take in boarders as a double bedroom to let was advertised in October that year. The property was sold to James Stephenson Glasgow in April 1915. By 1920, its name had been changed to Moorings where rooms were available to let.  Albert Edward Woodrow owned the house from July to September  1923 when he sold to Sarah Ann Bergin. Mrs Bergin was the widow of John F. Bergin, Alderman for Enoggera, and then Toowong, in the Brisbane Municipal Council. A noted philanthropist, he had died unexpectedly in January 1915. She continued to reside at the family home Raybourne, St. Lucia, although listed as residing at the Gregory Tce. house in 1925 and 1926. It seems that the house occupying the site was either removed, as was popular in those years, or demolished, and Mrs Bergin commissioned the erection of a block of flats. Or, more likely, it continued to be let to tenants. Donald McKensie is listed as residing at the house from 1928 to 1933 and P.J. Brown from 1934 to 1936. Bergin did not take out a mortgage and the change in ownership would have occurred in the middle of the building of the flats commissioned by Mrs Bergin.

The next owner in October 1933 was another widow, Gertrude Ada Knox. According to Brisbane City Council records, G. Knox made an application to register flats at this address in January 1953. In December 1956, Knox sold to joint tenants Augusto and Mary Vedelago who applied to the Council for registration of one flat and five garages in July 1957 and another application for residential flats in June 1958.  They in turn sold to Ivan Dennis and Marie Dennis as joint tenants , the purchase being registered on 22 June 1971. Allenden Nominees Pty Ltd purchased the property in September 1980 and, the following year, also purchased the adjoining property Lokarlton. In 1985, developers Rubis and partners unsuccessfully applied for approval for an apartment building on the site and, in October 1986, the property was sold to the Board of Trustees of the Brisbane Grammar School

At October 2001, it was held in the name of Trustees Allan Ramsay Mein and Glenice Margaret Mein.

Subdivision 31 of Portion 225 was converted to Lot 31/RP.10464 on 3 April 1987.