Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
World War I 1914-1918
Style
Arts and Crafts
This is an image of the local heritage place known as Residence
161 Graceville Avenue Graceville
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
World War I 1914-1918
Style
Arts and Crafts
This residence was built circa 1914 for John Gilligan, Chief Hansard Reporter for Queensland State Parliament, and his wife Ruth Geddes Gilligan, a journalist. The couple named the house ‘Chotah Bagh’ and resided there until 1921. The Gilligans sold the property to Dr James Chauncy, who likely extended the house in the early 1920s, before renaming the property ‘Koorong’ and moving there with his family in 1923. Chauncy retained the one acre property until 1951, though the family appears to have moved away from the house in the mid-1930s. Allotments were sold from the site in the 1950s and the site was reduced to its present size in 1971. The house was sold to its current owners in 1980.
Also known as
Koorong
Lot plan
L1_RP187044
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Terracotta tile;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (E) Aesthetic; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
Also known as
Koorong
Lot plan
L1_RP187044
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Terracotta tile;Walls: Timber
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (E) Aesthetic; (H) Historical associationInteractive mapping
History
In 1892 Charles Alford Miflin, a messenger at the Chief engineer’s Office, Roma St, purchased 6 allotments of land in portion 19, Oxley. However, he continued to live in Bowen Hills, and in 1912 he sold the land to Ruth Geddes Gilligan, wife of John Gilligan. In 1913 Ruth also purchased the neighbouring 3 acres, 1 rood and 24 perches.
John Gilligan, appears to have been the Chief Hansard Reporter for the Queensland State Parliament, from November 1892 to May 1921, and had also worked for the Brisbane Courier. In 1914 and 1915 Ruth took out three mortgages for a total of 600 pounds, and probably built this large federation style residence about that time. John is first listed in the POD as living in Graceville in 1914-1915. A John Gilligan is also listed in the Toowong Cemetery records as having died in December 1921, aged 74; the same year that the above property was sold to James Hornidge Chauncy, as part of 10 allotments for which a new title had been issued in 1920.
The house then passed through a number of hands. In the 1946 aerial photo the house and gardens appear to take up the original 6 allotments. However, in 1956 a new title was issued for 4 allotments, and in 1971 a title was issued for the two allotments on which the house stands. The current owners purchased two allotments to the south in 1980, and then subdivided the total into two new lots.
The house is distinctive with its steep, terra-cotta tiled roof, but no architect has yet been discovered.
According to the 2004 owners, who have information from James Chauncy’s son, the house was built for Dr Chauncy, who had taken out a War Service Homes mortgage in 1923. This is borne out by the titles. However, the 1921 sales advertisement describes the ‘substantial and modern tiled roof residence’ already on site. The site was an acre – ten blocks all facing Graceville Avenue – so it is possible the mortgage funded another house, but the 1946 aerial shows only this house on the site.
Further, according to the War Service Homes Act 1918 the mortgage could be used to fund the purchase of a dwelling house and land, or to complete a partially erected dwelling house, or to enlarge a dwelling house (see section 20). Based on that, it is most likely that the house was built for the Gilligans and extended for the Chauncy family.
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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Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland Certificates of Title
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Walter Taylor South Character and Heritage Study, BCC Heritage Unit, 1997
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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Brisbane City Council Water Supply & Sewerage Detail Plans
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McKellar's Map of Brisbane and Suburbs. Brisbane: Surveyor-General’s Office, 1895
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A Journalists Memories, Reginald Spencer Browne, at www.queenslandhistory.com/browne7.htm
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How Queensland Hansard Operates, at www.home.vicnet.au/~aphea/your_Queensland.htm
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Queensland Family History Society, Toowong Cemetery Monumental Inscriptions, Vol 4, 1988
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National Library of Australia, Trove newspapers, Telegraph, The Week, Brisbane Courier
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Ancestry.com.au, http://search.ancestry.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=35&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=0&msT=1&gss=ms_f-35&gsfn=geoffrey&gsln=edyveanwalker&msrpn__ftp=Tarragindi%2C+Queensland%2C+Australia&msrpn=100747&msrpn_PInfo=8-|0|1652397|0|5027|0|30096|0|0|100747|0|&sbo=0&uidh=nd5&_83004003-n_xcl=f
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Commonwealth Electoral Rolls
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Brisbane City Council aerial photographs, 1946, 2012
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War Service Homes Act 1918
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised June 2022)