Killara

Like many houses at Hamilton built during the early decades of the 20th century, Killara was constructed on land subdivided from a grand 19th century estate. It is situated on land which was part of 17 acres acquired by Deed of Grant by pastoralist James Sutherland in 1855. It is believed that Sutherland built a house on this estate  which was later demolished and that a second house, Windermere, was built for his daughter, Ruth, and her husband, John George Appel, around 1886. The estate was subdivided from 1909 and the residence, Windermere, now sits on a large block facing Sutherland Street. Cecilia Walsh, the wife of John Ambrose Walsh, purchased 4 subdivisions of the former Windermere estate in October 1917.

The Walsh’s property (measuring some 140 perches) was mortgaged for 800 to John Thomas Isles in November 1917. This possibly financed the construction of their new home on the site. In 1918, just over 52 perches on the eastern side of the property was sold to Philip James Symes. Cecilia Walsh retained title of the remaining 87 perches.

According to the Walsh family, Killara was built in 1918 and was designed by Arnold Edwin Brooks, an architect working in the office of F.R. Hall. Hall was previously in partnership with Robin Dods from 1896 to 1916, and the house is thought to have been strongly influenced by Dods’ work. Brooks, who arrived in Brisbane in 1880, also had a long association with Dods. He was employed in the office of Hall and Dods from 1910, the same year in which he won the competition for the Canberra Hotel (since demolished). Brooks was the Queensland sub-editor of the architectural journal The Salon from 1912 – 1916 and a councillor of the Queensland Institute of Architects from 1912 – 1924. Brooks established his own Brisbane practice in 1922.

John and Cecilia Walsh raised two sons and two daughters in their new home. John Walsh, whose family originated from Port Douglas and Cairns in north Queensland, was a lawyer with the firm J.A. Fitzgerald and Walsh. He later went into partnership with one of his sons, [Harold?], forming the company of Walsh and Walsh. In 1923, the Walsh family acquired an additional 13 perches on their northern boundary.

After the death of Cecilia Walsh in 1951, the property of Killara passed to her daughter Cecilia, now the wife of Harold George Godsall, also a solicitor. Killara remained the family home of the Godsalls for many years until it was recently sold. 

Killara has been widely recognised for its architectural merit and for its heritage value as a fine example of an early 20th century residence of Hamilton. It has featured in the Brisbane City Council’s Hamilton Heritage Trail, the RAIA’s Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture in Queensland and in architectural publications such as Towards the Dawn: Federation Architecture in Australia 1890 – 1915 (1989). It is also entered on the Register of the National Estate as a heritage place.

Killara is a timber building with a Marseilles tiled roof, designed in a sophisticated refinement of the Queensland Federation style. The main entrance is in a projecting wing with a decorative timber gabled roof. A generous verandah, with French doors opening onto it, surrounds the house on three sides. Internally, the house has large carefully detailed rooms. The house retains much of the original furniture. An interesting polygonal bay window is featured in the large living room, and more orthodox rectangular bay windows are used in the master bedroom and dining room. Each bedroom is virtually self contained with either built in cupboards and/or wash basins. Internally, black Japan stained doors, mouldings and architraves are contrasted with painted vertical jointed boarding to the dado line. Above the dado, the walls are plasterboard. The ceiling is plastered, with cover strips forming a decorative pattern. Externally, the walls are sheeted with weatherboards, the walls to the verandahs are painted vertical jointed boarding and the eaves are boarded. The interior and exterior of the house have a very high degree of intactness. Killara is a rare example of the work of A.W. Brooks. It clearly illustrates the influence of the practice in which he was working at the time, that of Hall and Dods, through it artistic and technical excellence, its urbane, reserved detailing, proportioning and planning.

An architectural assessment in 2001 noted that what appears to be the original front pedestrian gate is still in place in the Windermere Road fence. The two decorative timber gables to the roof and a prominent, simple chimney are important to the appearance of the house from the street.

1. Australian Heritage Commission. Register of the National Estate. Place Report for Killara, Database No. 017453. 21 Sept 2001

2. BCC Heritage Trail – Hamilton. 3rd edition. Nd

3. Brisbane City Council Water Supply and Sewerage Detail Plans

4. Department of Natural Resources, Certificates of Title

5. Environmental Protection Agency. Entry in the Queensland Heritage Register 600048 Windermere

6. Gardiner, Fiona, Register of significant twentieth century architecture (Australian Heritage Commission, 1988)

7. Queensland Post Office Directories

8. Information kindly provided by Mr John Walsh. Telephone conversation 21 Sept 2001