Rochemount

John Stephens was the younger brother of Thomas Blackett Stephens, a newspaper proprietor and politician, who resided in historic Cumboqueepa. John and his wife Charlotte had sailed to Australia around 1851 to join John’s brother Thomas. They remained in Sydney for some years before coming to Brisbane. For twelve years, from 1862-1874, John was manager of his brother’s newspaper ‘The Courier’ and later ‘The Queenslander’.1​​​​​​​

At the time of this house’s construction, Stephens worked in the Queen Street office of John Bell Ellis and Co, commission and estate agents. He later went on to join the civil service department and later worked as a clerk in the Government Savings Bank.

Prior to building Rochemount, Stephens appears to have faced financial difficulty, as his property was placed in the hands of trustees in 1874. The trustees were his brother, Thomas Stephens, and Edward Deighton, who was Under Secretary for Public Works and Mines.

John Stephens and his family continued to reside at Rochemount until 1893 when it appears to have been leased to Mrs E Sexton, wife of prominent South Brisbane figure, Richard Sexton. In 1894 the property was sold to Annie Baynes and she and her husband Ernest lived in the home which they named Tarong until 1913.

By 1926, the house had been divided into flats and was known as Tarong Flats. At that stage, the property still extended down to Westbourne Street, and the house was surrounded by extensive terraced gardens, with a tennis court at the lower part of the grounds near Westbourne Street. Since the late 1920s the home’s original property was gradually subdivided and a series of flats were built, each representing a different stage in the subdivision of the land.

(Streetscape)

Opposite 18 Blakeney Street and leading down towards Gladstone Road are a series of smaller pitched roof dwellings. Some of these obviously date from the Victorian era, but most have unfortunately suffered with modern extensions, alterations and enclosed verandahs. As with many other streets in this area the roofscape and scale of these original dwellings has been maintained and thus ensured the continuity of the streetscape. Even the back of 18 Blakeney Street still manages to seem grand in comparison to these more humble dwellings. Number 14 Blakeney Street nearby has the grander scale of an upper middle class federation era residence with some Art Nouvea touches to the curvilinear forms of its timber detailing. It contributes greatly to the streetscape of this side of Blakeney Street as does number 10 further along with its large pyramidal roof which extends over its lattice enclosed verandahs, timber verandah posts and brackets, and tall brick chimney.

The streetscape also reflects the interesting mix of the well-to-do and the artisan/ craftsman. The more humble dwellings are indicative of the growing importance of the South Brisbane peninsular as a commercial and industrial centre which complemented the city centre and also the rapid urbanisation within the area governed by the South Brisbane Municipal Council from 1888.

Another gable roof extends to the east of the main roof and a larger one with a ridge at the same level as those truncated pyramid but north of it, extends to the west. As seen from Blakeney Street a smaller gable roof with cut out sections runs parallel to the road in front of the main roof. In front of this again are two different lean-to roofs, one a recent addition.

A separate section of the building sits right on the Blakeney Street alignment and currently sees use as a garage. The roofscape also features a myriad of ventilators and two large brick chimneys.

The house is predominantly constructed of timber but has brick fireplaces. The verandahs feature paired posts and timber brackets, and similar timber detailing features below the barge boards in the cable ends.

A series of flats from various stages of Highgate Hill’s development are situated on the original site, which has slowly been subdivided. Its extent though, can still be seen on Westbourne Street in the form of the original fence, portions of which still exist right along the original frontage.

1. Titles Office Records and Post Office Directories

2. Reminiscences by Ann Finlay, Grand-daughter of T.B. Stephens, Royal Queensland Historical Society files