76 Winchester Street, Hamilton

Ashauer purchased this land in 1886, the year after it opened for sale as part of the Wickham Estate. Records show that he was living at Jackson Street by 1893 and was one of the first residents of Winchester Street. Other early residents of the street included auctioneer, Isaac Grimes.

At this time the area around Nudgee Road was semi-rural and dominated by the nearby Brisbane race track while the slopes of Toorak Hill further to the west were dotted with the homes of wealthy Brisbane residents. Many of the large estates of the Hamilton/Ascot area were subdivided for residential development in the 1880s including the Wickham Estate, Gardens Estate and Wickham Park Estate on the lower lying land around Nudgee Road. At an auction sale on 9 July 1898, another 560 allotments in the Wickham Estate were sold. Residential development was spurred by the opening of the railway to Pinkenba in 1882 and the Ascot tramline in 1899. The Hamilton Divisional Board was elevated to a Town Council in 1904 reflecting the development of the area. After several years of lobbying by local politicians and residents, the Hamilton State School opened in Oxford Street in 1907. This part of Hamilton continued developing as a middle class residential locality into the early years of the 20th century.

Reflecting the semi-rural nature of the area in the late 19th century, other members of the Ashauer family, including Christian’s sons, Christian Ludwig and Henry, were dairy farmers at nearby Schneider Road, Eagle Farm. When Christian Ashauer Senior died in 1901, his Winchester Street property passed to these two sons. In 1912, the house and surrounding 64 perches were transferred into the sole ownership of Christian Ludwig Ashauer, who put the property up for sale. 

The auction notice in the Brisbane Courier on 30 March 1912 described it as follows: “Splendid residential property on the Nudgee Road opposite Doomben Railway Station, having frontage to three roads, with good six-roomed house, stables etc.” The advertisement goes on to mention that the property had “water laid on”, tanks and was “all fenced with paling fence”. The property, however, was not sold.  A ‘to let’ notice was published in the newspaper the following year, describing the house as having “6 rooms and [a] kitchen”. Christian Ludwig Ashauer sold the two adjoining allotments facing Nudgee Road in 1925, retaining the house on 32 perches. 

During the 1930s, Council records show that the house, named ‘Mona’, had two outbuildings, which included a bathroom and toilet. These were demolished by 1938 and a wash house (possibly a laundry or bathroom) was added at the rear of the house. 

At this time, the southern verandah continued along the back of the house and the adjoining kitchen.

After the death of Christian Ludwig Ashauer in 1936, the Winchester Street house passed to Ernest Gager. The following year the property was transferred to Henry David Ashauer who kept the house for many years before selling it in 1985. 

1. Brisbane City Council (BCC) aerial photographs.

2. Brisbane City Council Archives. Surveyor’s Notebook. C532-14

3. Brisbane Courier, 1898-1950. NLA Trove digital newspaper website. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper?q. Viewed April 2013

4. Commonwealth Electoral Rolls

5. JOL Estate Map collection

6. Queensland Post Office Directories

7. Queensland Land Title Records