Tarrangower

In 1918 Charles Emanuel Foggett purchased a large portion of land beside the tram terminus. Situated at the peak of the hill, with extensive views, this triangular parcel was bordered by Chatsworth Road, Upper Cornwall Street and Wylie Avenue.  

By 1921 a grand new house had been constructed for Foggitt and his family, and the same year, they were recorded at the address in the Post Office Directories. In September of that year, the house was featured in a Queenslander article, ‘Brisbane Homes: Four Residences in Chatsworth Road, Greenslopes’. The masonry house with terracotta tiled roof was clearly shown at the peak of the hill, surrounded by an impressive and decorative brick fence. At the time, the design of the house would have been very modern. The Foggitt family named the imposing house ‘Tarrangower’. 

The architectural firm commissioned to design the house was Atkinson and Conrad, one of the leading firms in Brisbane throughout the Interwar period. Henry Atkinson and Arnold Conrad were responsible for designing some of Brisbane’s finest buildings from this time, including ‘Craigston’ on Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill. 

Charles Emanuel Foggett first came to Australia from England in the late nineteenth century and began working at the JC Hutton bacon curing factory. By 1905 Foggitt and business partner Thomas Jones had established their own small goods manufactory, Foggitt, Jones and Co.. Their products included “hams and bacon, pork and beans, lard, ham pate, pigs’ feet, veal and tongue pate, and other toothsome preparations”.1

The company had a factory and abattoir beside Oxley Creek, Oxley, and later another factory at South Brisbane. During World War One the company supplied large amounts of canned and cured meats to troops fighting in the overseas conflict. This afforded the company large profits. Charles Foggitt died in 1926 and the company was taken over by JC Hutton.   

In 1929 the subject property was sold to Edward Hill, who lived in the house for several years before it was sold to a succession of owners. 

Coorparoo is a well-established, inner south-eastern, residential suburb of Brisbane. The ridgetops with their panoramic city views were the preferred location for numerous large, architecturally designed homes in the initial development of the area. Inter-war homes now dominate the suburb, though a mixed collection of styles and eras are present. ‘Tarangower’ stands out in its scale and style in this area. The siting at the apex of a hill, combined with the grand scale of this house makes it an exposed and highly visible, neighbourhood landmark. Open, panoramic views of the Brisbane CBD, surrounding suburbs and hills beyond are also present from this site. 

Set on a generous, irregularly shaped, corner block with busy roads to the west and south, the front elevation of ‘Tarrangower’ faces a quiet side street to the east. It is primarily a two-storey residence sitting closer to the north and west boundaries. Below the primary ground level, a substantial addition to the north-east of the site includes a small secondary residence with car parking under and roof forms continue along the northern elevation, providing covered external areas to a lower third level. Vehicular access onto the site is on the northern boundary from the west with additional two garage spaces, under the eastern lawn, accessed by Wylie Avenue to the east. Separate access to the granny flat addition is also from Wylie Avenue.

An original brick and timber fence encompasses the property, with detailed face brick piers, face brick plinths with timber batten infill across the top. A curved stucco feature highlights the western pedestrian entry. The eastern fence and retaining wall differs with brick banding detail to brick piers similar to the brick pilasters of the residence, with roughcast stucco infill and face brick capping. A grand brick pedestrian entry to the east with solid timber lattice-like gate also has brick banding detailing, providing access from the street level up to the ground level of the residence with masonry stairs. The site is dominated by a large open lawn to the east, known previously as a tennis court, with border planting and trimmed hedges. The western portion of the site is more formally landscaped with paved terraces, water features and larger gardens with mature plantings.

The house is approximately rectangular in plan and with a large terracotta tiled gable roof. Exterior walls of the ground floor are exposed brick, as are the pilasters that extend the full height of the house. The upper storey exterior walls are stucco finish and pale in colour. Original open balconies to the west and south have solid balustrades with stucco finish, face brick capping and face brick piers. There is an entry portico at ground level to the south with adjacent timber trellis.  A newer timber deck to the north has timber slat balustrading with timber shingle cladding skirt and is partially covered by a skillion roof. This deck area has additional veranda space below. A covered terrace to the east with double timber posts and awning style tiled roof that covers the bank of timber French doors to the eastern lawn, also appears to be a later addition. 

The tiled roof features exposed rafter detailing to the eaves, half-shingled gable ends with exposed roof timbers. An ornately detailed face brick and stucco chimney with two chimney pots features on the north-eastern corner. The windows in ‘Tarangower’ are timber-framed casement window with square clear leadlight detail and exposed brick sills. The ground floor windows also include detailed leadlighting. The upper floor features two large banks of windows with embedded intermittent colonnettes. Paired casement windows feature throughout the house. 

The interiors of this residence have not been inspected.

‘Tarangower’ is in excellent condition and the main house has seen minimal intervention. Major additions have been made to the site however terracing of the new works on the sloping site has helped minimise the visual impact on the subject residence.

1. Telegraph, 20 June 1913, p3

2. Post Office Directories.

3. Certificates of Titles, Department of Natural Resources and Mines

4. Queensland Electoral Rolls

5. BCC Building Registers

6. Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle, The Character of Residential Areas, Brisbane, A Study for the Brisbane City Council, 1994

7. Brisbane History Group, Housing, Health, the River and the Arts, Papers No. 3, 1985

8. Brisbane City Council Water and Sewerage Maps

9. Telegraph, 12 August 1930, p19

10. Riddel Architecture, Conservation Management Plan, Foggitt & Jones Factory, South Brisbane, November 2007

11. Daily Mail, 14 July 1926, p8

12. Courier Mail, 1 May 1941, p3

13. Queenslander, 10 September 1921, p20

14. Telegraph, 13 February 1923, p2

15. Courier Mail, 29 June 1938, p5