Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence
40 Newstead Terrace, Newstead
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This house was built circa 1881 for carpenter William Ryan, who may have been responsible for its construction. When the property was seized from Ryan by a lending company in 1907, it was purchased by Charles Holbeck who had a lease on the floating kiosk at the Hawthorne ferry terminal. Charles later sold the property to his relatives, Annie and James Holbeck, but from 1915-1919 ran refreshment rooms from the property after his lease on the floating kiosk was terminated. The house survives as a remnant of the area’s late nineteenth century residential development, now largely surrounded by warehouses and industrial buildings.
Lot plan
L74_RP9348
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) HistoricalInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L74_RP9348
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) HistoricalInteractive mapping
History
This site was once part of a 25-acre parcel originally granted to Captain Wickham, Police Magistrate of Moreton Bay in 1845. In 1880 William Ryan purchased this 14 9/10 perch block, part of the Newstead Estate which had been released for residential subdivision in 1878. An allotment of this size, one of the smallest in the estate, was permitted prior to the passing of the Undue Subdivision of Land Prevention Act of 1885. Others in the neighbourhood purchased allotments two and three sizes larger than Ryan’s. The 1885 Act was designed to prevent the excessive subdivision of estates, the creation of narrow, winding streets and the overcrowding of houses by imposing minimum subdivision standards on land owners. It made 16 perches the minimum size for residential allotments and required dwellings to be set back at least 33 feet from the centre line of lanes.
As a carpenter by trade, it is probable that Ryan built this house himself. In 1881 he borrowed £60 from the Brisbane Permanent Banking, Building and Investment Company, the first of many loans he took out over the next decade. The first loan was presumably to finance the construction of this modest worker’s cottage, which is first listed in Post Office Directories in 1883. Ryan took out a second mortgage in 1885 for £60 and in 1887 borrowed a further £80. His next three loans in 1889, 1890 and 1891 were for £20 each. It is quite probable that the financial hardships caused by the 1890s depression were the reason behind Ryan’s borrowing. In 1907 Ryan’s financial position worsened, and this property was seized by the lending company which in 1908 sold it to Charles Alfred Holbeck.
In the same year Holbeck took out a substantial mortgage of £170 on the property, possibly to finance his floating kiosk at the Hawthorne ferry terminal on Merthyr Road. In 1909 he sold the block to a relative, Annie Holbeck, of Clarendon. Annie Holbeck and her husband James resided at the address, and after Charles Holbeck’s lease on the floating kiosk was terminated, the refreshment rooms operated from this site from circa 1915 to 1919. The property remained in the ownership of Annie Holbeck until her death in 1938 when it was passed to her husband.
The Newstead Estate was originally put up for sale in 1878, and then again in 1888. It would seem to have bee primarily intended for residential purposes. Small industrial premises began to creep in during the late 1880s. As late as the 1920s Maud Street still had a highly residential character. Today the house remains a remnant of that 1880s residential development, although it is largely surrounded by industrial and warehouse buildings.
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
-
Titles Office Records
-
Post Office Directories.
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)