Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Federation 1890-1914
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence 'Linwood' (former)
Linwood
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Federation 1890-1914
Style
Queenslander
‘Linwood’, an elegant late Victorian style residence, was built circa 1898 for William “Bill” Lahey Nicklin and his wife, Georgia Nicklin. The house once boasted a tennis court and large circular drive. It was built on a block of land previously owned by Georgia Nicklin’s father, James Hipwood, near the Hipwood family home, ‘Surrey Hill’. William Nicklin’s father, Reuben Nicklin, was a successful businessman who settled in Coorparoo with his family in the 1870s and William continued his father’s role as a prominent member of the local community.‘Linwood’ was the home of William Lahey Nicklin for over fifty years before being sold, converted to flats and relocated on the site closer to Shakespeare Street. The site was returned to Crown ownership in 1975 and became the property of Queensland Health in 2006.
Lot plan
L866_SL8054
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
People/associations
William Lahey Nicklin (Occupant)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (D) Representative; (E) Aesthetic; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L866_SL8054
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
People/associations
William Lahey Nicklin (Occupant)Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (D) Representative; (E) Aesthetic; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
History
This substantial timber home was built circa 1898 for William “Bill” Lahey Nicklin, a successful Brisbane timber merchant.
At this time the newly created Coorparoo Shire had an estimated population of 2 500. Its residents were a mix of farmers and wealthy politicians and businessmen who established fine homes, often situated on the higher parts of the suburb.
William Lahey Nicklin was born in 1872 into two influential Brisbane families. He was the son of Reuben Nicklin, a local politician and businessman, and Jane Lahey, whose family was successful in the Queensland timber industry. The Nicklins were a prominent family in Coorparoo. Reuben Nicklin built two fine homes in Coorparoo in the 1880s – ‘Langlands’, now part of Villanova School and ‘Hatherton’ which became the Methodists’ Queen Alexandra Home for children. Reuben Nicklin’s grandson, Sir Francis Nicklin (William Lahey Nicklin’s nephew), was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968.
In 1895, William Nicklin married Georgia Ada Hipwood, the daughter of James Hipwood. Hipwood was another prominent Coorparoo resident, who served as Mayor of Brisbane from 1886 to 1887. After the wedding, James Hipwood purchased six allotments in the Queens Park Estate which was adjacent to the Hipwood family home, ‘Surrey Hill’. In 1897, he transferred this land to his daughter, Georgia Nicklin. Within a short time, William and Georgia Nicklin had built a house on their land which they named ‘Linwood’.
The Nicklins acquired an additional adjacent four allotments in 1904, giving them over an acre of land on the corner of Shakespeare Street and Rees Avenue. A tennis court was established in the grounds and a semicircular drive gave access to the front entrance of the house. Georgia Nicklin died in 1925 and the property title passed to her husband. William Nicklin played a significant role in the Coorparoo community and was instrumental in establishing the Coorparoo Bowls Club in the 1920s.
After William Nicklin’s death in 1956, the property was subdivided in half. The portion which included the house was purchased by Esmonde and Mary Rylands in 1957 and the house was relocated on the site closer to Shakespeare Street and converted to flats. In 1975, title to the property passed to the Crown. In 2011, the site was owned by Queensland Health.
Description
This elegant timber house is symmetrical in form with the entrance opening from a timber staircase onto the centre of a wide verandah and flanked by large bay windows. The bays extend up into the corrugated iron roof creating an interesting roof form.
The verandah extends around both sides of the house and has a separate bullnosed roof. Above the entrance onto the verandah is a decorative semi-circular pediment. The verandah posts feature delicate column brackets and balustrading.
The house has been built in unsympathetically underneath with concrete blocks. However, this is partially screened from the street by vegetation.
The interior of the house has not been inspected.
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 Aerial Photographs
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Brisbane City Council detail plan no. 424. Undated
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Brisbane Courier. 8 Aug 1895
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Brisbytes community history webpage. Viewed 30 Mar 2011. http://www.ourbrisbane.com/suburbs/coorparoo/history
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Coorparoo Bowls Club website. Viewed 30 March 2011. http://www.coorparoobowlsclub.com.au/history.html.
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DERM. Land titles information
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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State Library of Queensland, John Oxley Library, Estate Maps
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)