Addresses
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Boat Shed
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Boat Shed
Boat Shed
Addresses
Period
Interwar 1919-1939
The boat shed, on the Brisbane River at the rear of 64 Thorn Street, Kangaroo Point, is an early surviving example of a timber boat shed. The shed was built before 1922 and is associated with the Knight family, who owned “Woodbine”, a large residence on the same site.
Lot plan
L100_RP96906
Geolocation
-27.475994 153.041020
Key dates
Significant Development — Circa Pre 1922
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) RepresentativeInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L100_RP96906
Geolocation
-27.475994 153.041020
Key dates
Significant Development — Circa Pre 1922
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) RepresentativeInteractive mapping
History
In November 1851, Robert Geyke purchased Eastern Suburban Allotment (ESA) number 45, in the Parish of South Brisbane, which measured just over five and a half acres. By 1865, he also owned ESA 44, which was just over five acres in size. Both of these portions were located on the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point. Ten years later, in June 1875, Louis Hope amalgamated ESAs 39 to 46 into one huge land holding of about forty-four acres. Hope immediately subdivided the land for residential lots and in August of the same year, he sold the first lots in the estate. It is likely that Thorn Street was created at this time.
In July 1880, Master Mariner Aaron John Clark purchased subdivision 100 of Hope’s land. This was a large lot between Thorn Street and the Brisbane River, measuring one rood and twenty-seven perches (approximately 1695m2). Given that Clark was a ship’s captain, access to the river may have been a priority when selecting a location for his house. Clarke is recorded as living on his land by 1883, indicating that he had built a house there by that date.
Clark sold his property to Charles Edward Foster in 1885, however Foster doesn’t appear to have ever resided there. Over the next fifteen years, the house was rented to Thomas Wymond, Henry Smith, Edward Clarke, Charles Shearing and William Laughland. In February 1900, the property was purchased by John James Knight, a journalist for the Brisbane Courier. Knight later became Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Brisbane Newspaper Company and also published numerous books on Australian history.
The Brisbane City Council (BCC) surveyor’s notebook from 1922 records that the residence located at the subject property was named ‘Woodbine’ and had a boatshed at the river’s edge. The boat shed was confirmed on the 1923 BCC detail plan that was drafted from the notebook. The boatshed as shown in the records matches the located and description of the subject building. The records are unclear however ‘Woodbine’ was most likely the same residence built on the site about 1883 for Master Mariner Aaron, J. Clark.
John James Knight resided at ‘Woodbine’ from 1900 until his death in November 1927. His wife remained at the address after his death, until about 1933, when she sold the property to Russell McDonald Wight.
‘Woodbine’ no longer survives and a unit complex was built at the site of 64 Thorn Street, Kangaroo Point in about 1960. The boat shed however continues at the river’s edge and probably owes its survival through the 1974 and 2011 floods to being protected by the brick retaining wall constructed along the river as part of the 1960s unit complex.
Description
The boat shed is a small timber structure located along the south-east boundary of the property at 64 Thorn Street, Kangaroo Point that adjoins the edge of the Brisbane River, and partially projects out over the river. A unit complex dating from the 1960s has been constructed set back on the main part of the site, and an above ground swimming pool with a brick retaining wall as part of the unit complex has been constructed across the remainder of the river frontage abutting the early boatshed on the north-western side. The boatshed is set low at the water level of the river and nestled against the retaining wall of the swimming pool on the subject site and the end of the elevated reclaimed riverside walkway that extends from Park Avenue to the south east.
The boat shed is a simple rectangular timber building, with a corrugated iron gabled roof. It appears to be built on stone foundations and has weatherboard cladding on the south-eastern side and chamferboards on the river side. The roof sheeting on the south-eastern side appears older than that on the north-western side, which may have been more recently replaced. A boat ramp running up underneath the shed provides access to the shed direct from the river. The lower part of the shed is open to the river and fills with water at high tide.
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 Building Cards
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Brisbane City Council Detail Plans
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Brisbane City Council Surveyors Notebooks
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Department of Natural Resources, Queensland Certificate of Titles
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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Trove digitalised newspapers. http://nla.gov.au/nla.newspapers
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)