Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
This is an image of the local heritage place known as 'Spring Cottage'
Spring Cottage
Addresses
Type of place
House
Period
Victorian 1860-1890
Style
Queenslander
‘Spring Cottage’ is one of the oldest houses in this part of Hamilton and provides evidence of occupation patterns in Hamilton before the local building boom at the end of the century. It was built circa 1873 for William Bishop. It is a relatively intact example of a mid-nineteenth century brick and sandstone house. It is believed that the paths and garden beds are substantially unchanged since they were laid out by the Smith family after they purchased the property in 1899.
Lot plan
L1_RP109025
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Brick - Painted
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
Lot plan
L1_RP109025
Key dates
Local Heritage Place Since —
Date of Citation —
Construction
Roof: Corrugated iron;Walls: Brick - Painted
Criterion for listing
(A) Historical; (B) Rarity; (D) Representative; (E) AestheticInteractive mapping
History
This attractive nineteenth century brick house was built circa 1873 for William Bishop. It was one of the first houses in Crescent Road.
Bishop (simply listed as a “gentleman” in early Post Office Directories) purchased a small 23 perch block in 1871 and built his house on the site within a couple of years. The house was located on a track leading down the hill to Hamilton Road (sometimes also known as Eagle Farm Road and now named Kingsford Smith Drive). Historical photographs show that in early years the area was crisscrossed with such tracks, some of which later developed into streets. The track on which ‘Spring Cottage’ was built was eventually became Wooton Street, then Weekes Street, and finally Crescent Road.
The house was constructed from brick with sandstone foundations and cellar. In the mid-nineteenth century British artisans and craftsmen who had migrated to Brisbane continued to build in materials well-known to them. Over the succeeding decades, the timber vernacular Queensland house gradually became the norm.
The Bishops retained the property until Emma Bishop’s death in 1899. The property was then transferred to Eva Smith and her husband, John, a plasterer, who retained ownership until 1930. A photograph from circa 1910 shows Smith and several children in the garden with stepped paths leading down the slope between the garden beds. The garden layout has remained relatively intact since this time.
The property has changed hands several times since it was sold in 1930, though a later owner, Mrs Adele Hutton, who was a relative of the original owners, states that the house had always stayed in the Bishop and Wallin families. According to Mrs Hutton, her grandmother, Martha Ann Bishop married William Wallin, an English immigrant from Leamington, England. William Wallin owned the property from 1930.
‘Spring Cottage’ is one of the older houses in the area, constructed well before the late 1890s building boom in Hamilton. It is presently very well maintained and in intact condition.
Description
This high-set brick and sandstone residence is of the colonial style with a steeply pitched gable roof core and a separately roofed verandah around its perimeter. The verandah roof is supported by square timber posts with timber brackets and enclosed with timber louvres along the side of the house. The roofs are sheeted in corrugated iron and the exterior walls are clad in timber boards. The front door is central to the house frontage with French doors on either side. Style and type of the building indicates that it is from the 1870s-1880s period.
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 Water Supply and Sewerage Detail Plans
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BCC Heritage Trail – Hamilton. 3rd edition. Nd
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Department of Natural Resources, Certificates of Title
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John Oxley Library Historical Photographs Collection
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Queensland Post Office Directories
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Queensland State Electoral Rolls
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Telephone conversation with Mrs Adele Hutton. 15 Oct 2001
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Communication by email from resident, David Brown. 24 Mar 2011
Citation prepared by — Brisbane City Council (page revised September 2020)