Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence 'The Quinta'
The Quinta
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This house was constructed in 1886 for Alexander Lamont. Beginning as the large house of a well-to-do citizen in a desirable location, changes in the social context of South Brisbane saw it converted to flats in the 1920s. The house is illustrative of the changes in South Brisbane society over time.
Lot plan
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (A) Historical; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
Lot plan
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (A) Historical; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
History
This fine timber residence was built as the home of Alexander Lamont, commercial salesman, in 1886. Named The Quinta since its construction, this house was one of the "old fashioned, many roomed houses" that renowned author David Malouf recalls characterised Edmondstone Street during the years he grew up there. These grand homes, he said, were built at a time when Edmondstone Street "…was the most fashionable area south of the river…".
The 36 perch allotment on which The Quinta was built was acquired through a Deed of Grant by Thomas Heaslop in March 1880 at a cost of £115. It was sold to Heaslop under the provisions of the Victoria Bridge Lands Sales Act of 1879. From Heaslop the vacant land was passed to two subsequent owners before being purchased by Lamont in September 1883.
Between that year and 1886, the year of the home’s construction, Lamont took out three Bills of Mortgage on this property totalling the considerable sum of £1,500. It is possible some of this money was used to fund the construction of 'The Quinta'. For a short time prior to the erection of his new home Lamont resided in Norfolk Road, South Brisbane.
Like so many people in the 1890s, Lamont appears to have fallen victim to the depression which swept the country early in that decade. He failed to repay Bills of Mortgage taken out in 1892 and 1896, totalling a further £450 and in 1902 his mortgagee Joshua Young placed a caveat on the property forbidding Lamont to undertake any further transactions on the property.
Possibly to assist in repaying his debts, Lamont moved out of 'The Quinta' in 1896 and rented the property to Alexander Aulesbrook, a boxmaker.Aulesbrook let the house for five years until 1901 when Lamont returned to his home. By 1906 Lamont had regained his financial stability and was able to repay his debts. He resided at The Quinta until 1926 when the house and property were sold to Mary Dunlop, a widow and Norah and Bridget Treacy, spinsters.
During the period that these women owned and resided in The Quinta it appears to have been divided into two flats. Mrs Dunlop lived on one side and the Misses Treacy on the other. Following Mrs Dunlop’s death in 1931 the side she had occupied was let to a variety of tenants and the Treacys remained in the other half. Norah Treacy finally sold the property in 1952 following Bridget’s death in 1950.
The division of the house into flats in the 1920s reflects the general trend that began to occur in South Brisbane around that time when the area underwent a period of decline. Large properties were subdivided and old houses were converted into flats or boarding houses. As Malouf testified, by the 1940s this area had lost its status as a prestigious residential address. The process of gentrification which has occurred in some parts of South Brisbane, prompting the restoration of many large homes to their original grandeur had failed to reach this part of the suburb as that time.
Description
This timber and corrugated iron Victorian era building has some typical characteristics of buildings from this period. These include its steeply pitched hipped roof and gable end facing Edmondstone Street featuring a bay window, its gable over the original entry, and its enclosed verandahs. It is raised on stumps above the ground, and has timber battening running to ground level between them around the undercroft. A tall brick chimney rises from the rear of the building above the ridge line. The bargeboards have ornate ends, and the main gable end is topped by a finial with a pendant below, partly obscured by sheeting in the upper portion of the gable. The small gable over the original entry has its own small finial and pendant and also features carved ends to the bargeboards.
The curved roof verandahs seem to have been enclosed at different times, the one on the right relatively early in the buildings history, and the front one more recently. A low brick fence follows the Edmondstone Street site alignment at the front of the property.
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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David Malouf, 12 Edmondstone Street, Ringwood: Penguin, 1985, p.4
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Titles Office Records
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Post Office Directories.
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)