Addresses
Type of place
Cottage, House
Period
Federation 1890-1914
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence 'Ryhill Cottage'
Ryhill Cottage
Addresses
Type of place
Cottage, House
Period
Federation 1890-1914
Style
Queenslander
Ryhill Cottage is a rare example of a nineteenth century brick house in Sunnybank Hills. It is an important remnant of the period when the district, then known as 'Coopers Plains', was developing as an area of European rural settlement. This charming brick cottage is believed to have been built by Coopers Plains brickmaker James Brazier, circa 1891. It passed to the Fredericks family and remained in their hands until the late 1940s. Both the cottage and an adjacent well have been restored by recent owners.
Lot plan
L381_RP37369; L380_RP37369
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Brick - Painted
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L381_RP37369; L380_RP37369
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Brick - Painted
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
History
This charming brick cottage dates from the late nineteenth century and was probably built by James Brazier, a brickmaker who lived at Coopers Plains in the 1890s.
The cottage is situated on land which was granted to William Dyson in 1875. The land was owned by several parties in succession, including James Cowlishaw, before being subdivided for residential development from 1890.
James Brazier acquired the two allotments on which the cottage is sited in 1891 and owned the 34 perch property for six years before selling it to Frederick Fredericks in 1897. The land remained in the Fredericks family until the late 1940s. Markings on an internal wall thought to have been made by the Fredericks children around the turn of the century are still visible.
Post Office Directories for the Coopers Plains area for the early decades of the twentieth Century do not list residents by street. However, Frederick Fredericks is listed as residing at 'Cooper’s Plains Railway Station' from 1896-97. Presumably this refers to the general locality of the station.
The cottage grounds include an old well and both the cottage and the well have been restored by recent owners.
Description
The building has a notably simple floor plan consisting of a front verandah, four rooms beneath the main roof and a rear service room. From the front verandah, through the front door a small hallway leads between two front rooms into a main rear room, flanked by the fourth room on the south to the rear. Both rooms to the north side of the building including the main room feature large fireplaces situated in the shared internal wall. An on-grade paved verandah area and a subservient room currently used as kitchen is attached to the rear of the main part of the house.
The building construction is of sandstock bricks with timber floor, timber roof structure and galvanised iron roof. The footings of the building consist of two layers of the sandstock bricks without mortar laid beneath the cavity brick walls. Some areas of the brickwork have been rendered, and remnant straps of a wall plate are evidence of a verandah to the north side of the building which has now been removed.
Statement of significance
Relevant assessment criteria
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the local heritage criteria under the Heritage planning scheme policy of the Brisbane City Plan 2014. It is significant because:
References
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Queensland Certificates of Title
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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Information kindly provided by Jeff and Leanne Paulsen 1998-99
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)