Addresses
Type of place
Cottage, House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Dent's Cottage
Dent's Cottage
Addresses
Type of place
Cottage, House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This rare brick and timber cottage, with its separate detached kitchen, was built circa 1875 for William Dent. The cottage dates from the early stages of the development of Fortitude Valley and Spring Hill as satellites of the fledgling township of Brisbane.
Lot plan
L1_RP74243
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (C) ScientificInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L1_RP74243
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (C) ScientificInteractive mapping
History
Following the opening of the Moreton Bay penal colony to free settlement in 1842, land to the north of the fledgling township was still dense bush and swamp land. On 20 January 1849, the ship ‘Fortitude’ brought Presbyterian Minister Dr John Dunmore Lang and 256 free immigrants to the colony. These immigrants made their homes in the district which they named Fortitude Valley. Between 1850 and 1880 land in the area was cleared, sub-divided and sold.
In May 1860 land speculators Alexander Raff and William Rawlins bought adjoining city lots totalling 5 acres. These were sold 5 years later to Richard Warry (recorded in the street’s name) and Robert Davidson. These two entrepreneurs subdivided and sold the land in allotments ranging from half an acre to three perches from February 1865. After passing through the hands of John Cook and Betty Parker, subdivision 26 of Warry and Davidson’s land was registered to William Dent on 4 January 1870. This rare brick and timber cottage, with its separate detached kitchen, was built circa 1875 for William Dent.
Dent’s occupation is not currently known but he was receiving mail at this address from 1876. By this time, Fortitude Valley was entering into a period of rapid development. The township, separated from Brisbane by hilly terrain, was developing as a small commercial and residential hub, with grocers, bakers, drapers, hotels, schools and churches established by the time of Dent’s occupancy. As the nineteenth century progressed, Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley continued to develop. At the other end of Warry Street Keating’s Bread Factory became one of the major bread suppliers in Brisbane. Dent was fined for allowing his horses to escape and enter a nearby schoolyard in 1898.
Dent held the property until his death on 17 July 1925. His heir, also named William Dent secured a mortgage on the property in December 1925 and lived nearby at 124 Warry Street until his death in 1939.
Dent’s transverse gable timber cottage with detached kitchen is a relatively rare example of the modest early timber residential buildings in Fortitude Valley.
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, Properties on the Web, website
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Brisbane City Council, 1946 aerial photographs.
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Brisbane City Council, Heritage Register Database
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Department of Environment and Resource Management, Queensland Certificates of title and other records
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John Oxley Library, Brisbane Suburbs – Estate Maps
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National Library Australia digitised newspapers online https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
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Queensland Post Office Directories, 1868-1949
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)