Haddington

Shorncliffe and nearby Sandgate are located 17 kilometres from central Brisbane. The first land sales in the Sandgate area occurred during the 1850s, and much of the early development centred on the area now known as Shorncliffe. On 29 April 1880, Sandgate was declared a constituted municipality. During the 1880s, the area around Pier Avenue and Yundah Street became the town’s communal and civic centre. The first Town Hall, constructed in 1882, the Court House, and the first two police stations were located in this area.  

From the 1880s onwards, the Sandgate area became increasingly popular as a residential and seaside resort town. The high area overlooking the sea was favoured by well-to-do residents of Brisbane wishing to escape the summer heat and later became known as Shorncliffe.  

By the 1880s, there were at least five hotels in Shorncliffe, including the grand Seaview Hotel. The opening of the train line to Brisbane in 1882 (extended to Shorncliffe in 1897) and the construction of the Sandgate Pier boosted the development of the area. The train line to Sandgate was the first line built solely for passengers in the Brisbane area. The train line provided a quick and efficient service for the growing number of residents commuting to Brisbane, and holidaymakers and day-trippers. What is now known as Shorncliffe Station was previously called Sandgate Station and was the ‘end of the line’ destination for residents and visitors.  

Numerous attractions catering for visitors were also developed around this time. For example, separate bathing areas, dressing sheds, a caretaker’s cottage, office and licensed area were built close to the already established Sandgate Pier. In the 1930s, an enclosed area protected by railway lines, a shark net and stone wall was constructed as a shark-proof swimming enclosure lit at night. Additionally, Flinders Parade, between First Avenue and Gladstone Street (now Twelfth Avenue), was dotted with cafes, refreshment rooms, flats and boarding houses. Attractions on the foreshores included sand-garden competitions, donkey, goat and gig rides, canoe hire and a miniature railway.  

However, the building of the Hornibrook Highway Bridge in 1935 brought mixed blessings for Shorncliffe, Sandgate and Brighton. This was because while the highway brought more passing trade to the area, it also enabled visitors to travel further north, typically by public transport, to the Redcliffe Peninsula for holidays rather than vacationing in Sandgate as had traditionally been the case. After the Second World War, increased car ownership also led to a further decline in the area's popularity as people were able to travel further beyond Brisbane’s city limits for a holiday. Car ownership also brought the expansion of Brighton, Deagon and Nashville as outer suburbs became more attractive. 

The development of Haddington

Haddington was built in 1876 for William Henry Barham, a co-owner of a steamboat business. In 1874, in conjunction with his business partner J. Marker, Barham commissioned the building of a steamboat. At the same time, Barham and Barker applied to Brisbane Municipal Council's Improvement Committee to use 'a piece of land near the ferry in Alice-street' to construct the vessel. As a result, the steamboat Heather Bell was launched in 1875. By 1883, the Heather Bell had been joined by a second vessel named Belle. The vessels were used for commercial and recreational activities along the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay, including being licenced as a lighter by Her Majesty's Customs to carry goods within the Port of Brisbane. In 1884, the Heather Bell was used to provide a trip to the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Nelson, which was moored in Moreton Bay. However, by the 1890s, the business began to fail and in 1892, Barham and Barker were forced to sell the Heather Bell to cover debts. By 1898, a petition was filed against Barham to liquidate his 'estate.'

While living in Shorncliffe, Barham was an active local community member. For example, in 1883, Barham was a member of a deputation that presented a petition to Queensland Government's Minister of Works to extend the railway line past Sandgate to Shorncliffe, though this did not happen until 1897. Barham was also an active member of the Sandgate School of Arts, including as a Trustee, and the Sandgate Regatta. While Barham continued to own Haddington until he died in 1910, by the late-1890s records indicate that he was residing in Graceville. 

After Barham died, Haddington was acquired by Nugent Wade Brown in 1911. After arriving in Queensland in the 1860s, Wade Brown worked on various farming stations in the 'Burnett district' before moving to Shorncliffe. Haddington remained in the Wade Brown family until 1919 when the Union Trustee Company of Australia Ltd. and Alfred Walsh took over as trustee following the death of Wade Brown. However, records show that by 1963, it was firmly back in family ownership with Gladys Wade Brown listed as owner. 

During the heyday of early tourism in the area between the First and Second World Wars, newspaper reports reveal that Haddington also provided accommodation to both visitors and permanent boarders. It was not unusual at the time for owners of large homes to offer rooms for rent to holiday makers and boarders. Family members continued to reside at Haddington throughout this period. For example, Dr Guilford Davidson, a member of the Wade Brown family noted as dying at his home Haddington in 1943. Davidson had practiced medicine in Sandgate continuously for 45 years. 

1. Brisbane History Group, Sandgate/Shorncliffe Tour, 1990