Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence
140 Ashgrove Avenue, Ashgrove
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This house was built circa 1886-87 for accountant, commission agent and trade assignee, George Cannon. Cannon resided in the house until he sold his property of 5 acres to local resident Richard Grant in 1908. During the 1920s and 1930s the house was known as 'Fernbank'.
Also known as
The Haven, Fernbank
Lot plan
L10_SP120751
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) HistoricalInteractive mapping
Also known as
The Haven, Fernbank
Lot plan
L10_SP120751
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) HistoricalInteractive mapping
History
This house, known to local residents as The Haven, was built during the late 1880s for accountant George Cannon. During the 1880s, Ashgrove was predominantly a farming district with a number of fine homes on large properties belonging to Brisbane's wealthier citizens. Several residential estates, such as the nearby Grove Estate were auctioned during this period when mass immigration caused settlement to expand beyond Brisbane's inner suburbs. However, Ashgrove's distance from the city and lack of public transport contributed to the slow sale of these allotments. It was the extension of the Red Hill tramline to Ashgrove in 1924 that stimulated rapid growth in the area, completing its transformation into a residential suburb. Prior to 1924, the nearest tramline was situated on Enoggera Road. This was extended to Newmarket Road in 1903.
Ashgrove Avenue, originally named Serpentine Road, became known as Three Mile Scrub Road in the 1890s as it was situated three miles from the Brisbane GPO. At this time, there were two dairies off Three Mile Scrub Road and Chinese gardens on both sides at the Newmarket end of the street. Residents in the street were largely from professional and clerical occupations.
The land on which the house is sited was originally part of Portion 653, bounded by Enoggera Creek and Serpentine Road. This land was purchased by Deed of Grant by Smith William Greenwood in 1868. On 26 November 1884, Greenwood sold 5 acres (subdivision 1) of his property to George Cannon.
George Cannon is listed in the 1885-86 post office directory as an accountant, commission agent and trade assignee of George St, Brisbane. In November 1885, he mortgaged his land in Serpentine Road for £500. Records suggest that the house was built between 1885 and 1888. Cannon resided in the house until he sold his property of 5 acres to Richard A. Grant in 1908. An area of land containing 3 allotments adjoining the property on the eastern boundary was purchased by Eileen Grant from Greenwood in 1921.
Richard Alexander Grant, a resident elsewhere in Serpentine Road from around 1900, mortgaged the property for £335 in October 1908. During the 1920s and 1930s the house was known as Fernbank. Early in 1929, Richard Grant transferred a narrow strip on the eastern side of the property to Percy Richard Grant, possibly his son. In 1936, the land was subdivided again and over 2 acres sold. Richard Grant retained resubdivision 10, the portion containing the house. On his death in 1937, this land passed to his widow Maria Keating Grant. Percy Grant, who had previously lived on the neighbouring allotment, then resided in 140 Ashgrove Avenue until the early 1940s.
In 1943, the house was sold to Henry Saunderson who immediately mortgaged it, possibly for further extensions. In 1944, the property again changed hands when it was purchased by Lily Capell. The house remains in the Capell family. Although the house's appearance has altered, it is significant as evidence of the transformation of Ashgrove from a rural area to a residential suburb in the late nineteenth century.
Statement of significance
This is a place of local heritage significance and meets one or more of the criteria for entry in the Heritage Register of the Brisbane City Plan 2000. It is significant for the following reason/s.
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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Lawson, Ronald Brisbane in the 1890s: A Study of an Australian Urban Society. St Lucia U of Q Press, 1973
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Queensland Certificates of Title
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Queensland Post Office Directories
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)