27 Enoggera Terrace, Red Hill

In 1870 Amelia Fanny Wilson purchased the land upon which No.27 would later be built as portion 768. In 1885 title passed to Henry Collett, a builder who appears in the 1887 Post Office Directory to be living in nearby Surrey Street. In 1891 title was transferred to John Storie the younger, owner of the Storie Steam Joinery on Windsor Road.  

Located on the side street that today bears his name, the joinery opened in 1885 under the control of Storie’s father, John Storie Snr. It remained in the same location until 1926 when it relocated to the corner of Windsor Road and Prospect Terrace as Storie and Co. Surviving the Great Depression, the business is listed in the same position in 1940. With a landmark nearby residence and over 50 years of continuous service towards the development of the district, the Storie name would have been well known in the local community.

  

John Storie Jnr’s house was an example of a substantial middle class home which reflected the success of the family business. Its elevated position provided cooling breezes, with the added benefit of being high enough to escape flooding. It is likely that the house would have incorporated features which showcased the work of the joinery and the family’s skills as carpenters. Storie’s name first appears on the site in Enoggera Terrace in the 1892 Post Office Directories, suggesting that the house was constructed between 1891 and 1892.

For a period in 1894-5 the house was rented to two compositors, James Yates and Fred Rose.  Storie sold the property in 1925 and it has since had several owners. 

The house is presently a guesthouse and has been named Kangaroo House. Both the interior and exterior have undergone changes over the decades since it was built. According to the present owners, the top floor of the building was added circa 1918.

The house has a verandah on each storey. The top floor verandah wraps around the house with a metal curved roof separate from the main roof of the house in a fashion typical of 19th century dwellings. Timber posts and top rails with cast iron balusters are located at both verandah levels. Vertical timber valances decorate the upper part of the lower verandah. French doors open onto verandahs at both levels. Tall vertical arched windows are located along the right sidewall. The house is raised above the ground on stumps and clad with timber boarding.  

Several large trees grace the garden of the house contributing to the streetscape.

1. Brisbane City Council Water Supply & Sewerage Detail Plans

2. Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificate of Titles

3. Queensland Post Office Directories