Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence
Clytha
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This Victorian style house was built circa 1888 for Clara Australia Hill and her husband, F. Hill, who worked as a saddler in Wickham Terrace. Situated on a large allotment, ‘Clytha’, was one of the first houses in Kent Road, reflecting some of the earliest residential development in Wooloowin. The house and yard have experienced a number of alterations and additions over the past 120 years, illustrating some of the changing housing requirements of families throughout this time.
Lot plan
L3_RP57251; L4_RP57251
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
Interactive mapping
Lot plan
L3_RP57251; L4_RP57251
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
Interactive mapping
History
Alfred Lutwyche originally purchased the land on which the house is built in 1859, the year that Queensland became a separate colony. He paid the extraordinary price of £552 and 10 shillings for the 50 acres. At this time, most land in Brisbane was sold for £1 per acre. According to the title deeds, Lutwyche paid ten times this price for portion 196 in the Parish of Enoggera. It is not known why the land commanded such a high price. Perhaps the fact that it is bordered by Kedron Brook contributed to its value. Lutwyche’s involvement in the area is remembered as a nearby suburb and former railway station named after him.
Clara Australia Hill purchased 1 acre of this land in 1885. She took out mortgages for £90 in April 1886 and £250 in September 1888, both from the City and Suburban Permanent Investment and Building Society of Brisbane. It is likely that the second mortgage was used to build the house. A £350 mortgage in September 1889 for £350 with the Scottish Queensland Land Mortgage Company, was a re-financing both of these earlier loans. Clara and her husband are shown as living on Kent Road in the Post Office Directories from 1891.
Maria and John Bell purchased the land in 1900 and are shown in the Post Office Directories as living in the street from 1900 until 1930, when they sold the house to George Baumber.
This house is set back further from the street than other houses in Kent Road. This is possibly because the Hills originally owned a long, thin tract of land with a narrow frontage on Kent Road, which continued through to Everleigh Street. The land was subdivided to its current configuration in 1974 when the land fronting Everleigh Street was sold separately.
The house is set on low stumps and the original verandah had wrought iron balustrades. Local history has it that the iron balustrades were torn out during World War II and donated to the Pig Iron Bob War Effort. The war reached into suburban homes and backyards as residents were asked to support the troops overseas by donating scrap iron that could be melted down to make ammunition and guns.
Since 1945, this property has belonged to the Norman family. It is a large suburban block of nearly 64 perches or 1588m2. In 1959 the property also contained stables for four horses A swimming pool was built in the backyard in 1975 and a tennis court was erected in front of the house in 1980. The changes in use of this property mirror the evolution of Woolowin as a suburb for families with recreation based around the home.
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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Brisbane City Council Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Map no. 511, 1936
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Brisbane City Council Building Cards
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Correspondence from Keith Norman, property owner, April 2003
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Queensland Certificates of Title and other records
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McKellar’s Estate Maps of Brisbane, 1895
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Queensland Post Office Directories, 1887-1920
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)