Spring Hill is one of Brisbane’s oldest suburbs with a rich and fascinating history. Originally settled in the early 19th century, the area became popular due to its proximity to the city centre and reliable water source.
Towards the latter part of the 19th century, Spring Hill saw significant development. Many of the houses built during this period were traditional Queenslanders, characterized by their timber construction and elevated design to allow for ventilation. An important example is ‘Park Terrace’ at 130 – 146 Fortescue Street, Spring Hill.
‘Park Terrace’ is a row of five small, timber framed, one-storey cottages. Four cottages are identical and one is similar. The cottages have pyramid roofs, clad with corrugated metal sheeting, timber framed front verandahs with curved roofs and a curved central entry pediment. The verandahs are highly decorated with cast metal and timber fretwork. They retain original timber framed windows and doors.
History
The convict settlement was closed in 1839 and in 1842 Moreton Bay was officially opened for free settlement as part of the colony of New South Wales. At this time the area now known as Spring Hill was Crown Land and by 1856 the government had begun to subdivide the land and sell to private investors. Initially the land on top of the hills was bought by wealthy Brisbane residents who established large houses overlooking the town. Smaller and less expensive lots were bought by those of slighter means on which modest workers’ cottages were erected. Spring Hill quickly became one of Brisbane’s earliest dormitory suburbs, where most of its inhabitants went to jobs every day in other areas. The town limit was denoted by Boundary Street at this time.
Prior to the construction of ‘Park Terrace’, Fortescue Street was a well-established suburban street with houses lining both sides of the street with residents mostly from the artisan and working classes. In 1884 this included two vanmen, four mariners, a bricklayer, police constable, butcher, two storeman, a monumental sculptor and a printer. Specifically between Wedd Street and Gregory Terrace there was a vanman, a builder and contractor, ironmoulder and draughtsman.
James Anderson resided in the second house down the hill from Gregory Terrace in Fortescue Street and had since the early 1880s. Anderson, an iron-moulder, and his wife Mary had purchased a twelve perch block of land on Fortescue Street in 1878 on which they constructed a house. In 1879 this land was recorded in the Post Office Directories as ‘vacant land’, confirming Anderson built a new house between 1878 and 1883. It is unlikely that this was the house that is on the property today.
From 1884 James Anderson, then working as an engineer and perhaps on a better wage than as an ironmoulder, began to buy properties on Fortescue Street. The first of these was just over ten perches of land at 134 Fortescue Street in 1884; the next was a little over thirty four perches of land at 138 Fortescue Street in 1884; in 1893 he bought just over fifteen perches of land at 130 Fortescue Street (it is likely that the recording of the transfer of the land in the Title Deeds was delayed, as is sometimes the case, as Anderson had constructed a house on this property by 1889).
Anderson had five timber cottages constructed following the same design. The cottages were built between 1889 and 1890 and set side by side along Fortescue Street. All but one of the cottages, 146 Fortescue Street, were built as rental properties and in 1890 the Post Office Directories first listed the row of cottages as ‘Park Terrace’. The five cottages were numbered 1 -5; No. 1 was Anderson’s house at the top of the row (now No. 146), No. 2 and No. 3 were built on one lot (now No. 138), No. 4 was the next (now No. 134) and at the end of the row was No.5 (now No. 130). These cottage numbers are confirmed by the 1912 Surveyor’s Notebook drawings that detail each cottage and include both the Park Terrace number and the street number, for example “Park Terrace No. 1, No. 146 (wood)”.
The new cottages available for rent were targeted at a professional clientele and the rents for each cottage may have been higher than other houses in Fortescue Street. This is demonstrated by the range of tenants that resided in the cottages from when they were first built: in 1890 the cottages were home to an engineer (Anderson), an architect, the secretary of the Queensland Club and Madame Bushwell (correctly spelt in the next year as Madame Boucherville). In 1891 the cottages began to be advertised in the Brisbane Courier. An example of this was on the 30 March 1891, “To Let, Superior Cottage of four rooms, kitchen, servant’s room, baths…[contact] J. Anderson, No. 1 Park Terrace, Fortescue Street” . Another was featured in 1896, “To Let, No. 3 Park Terrace, Fortescue Street… four rooms, kitchen, servant’s room, bath”. 1 2
By 1910 a shift had taken place with the tenancies with more artisan and working class people residing in the cottages, including a shop assistant, a tailoress, a guard and a missionary.
In 1920 the Anderson family sold Nos. 134, 138 (both houses) and 146 to Edward John Lynch, a coach trimmer who lived in nearly Mulgrave Street. Lynch continued to rent out the properties as he was never recorded at the address. 130 Fortescue Street was sold in 1924 to Mary and Owen Nugent who were first listed at the address in 1921.
As a row of five timber cottages, constructed at the same time for the same property holder, ‘Park Terrace’ is a rare example in Brisbane of speculative property investment and development from the late nineteenth century. ‘Park Terrace’ contributes to the streetscape of Fortescue Street and remains one of Spring Hill’s most picturesque streets.
Description
‘Park Terrace’ is historically important as a rare surviving row of five timber cottages constructed at the same time and following the same design. They were built in 1889 for James Anderson, who saw the potential for a line of rental properties along Fortescue Street. The cottages make a significant contribution to the streetscape in Fortescue Street, making it one of the most picturesque streets in Spring Hill.
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:
Historical CRITERION A
The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of the city’s or local area’s history as a row of five nineteenth-century detached timber cottages built at the same time, following a similar design and constructed as a private rental investment, Park Terrace demonstrates Spring Hill’s development as an inner city residential precinct.
Rarity CRITERION B
The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of the city’s or local area’s cultural heritage as a row of five timber nineteenth-century cottages built as rental properties at the same time by the same owner.
Aesthetic CRITERION E
The place is important because of its aesthetic significance as a row of five timber nineteenth-century detached timber cottage built at the same time and following a similar design, Park Terrace is important for its contribution to the Fortescue Street streetscape.
References
- The Brisbane Courier, 30 March 1891, p2 2. The Brisbane Courier, 24 March 1896, p7 3. Post Office Directories 4. Department of Natural Resources. Queensland Certificates of Title 5. Queensland Electoral Rolls 6. Allom Lovell Marquis-Kyle, The Character of Residential Areas, Brisbane, A Study for the Brisbane City Council, 1994 7. Brisbane History Group, Housing, Health, the River and the Arts, Papers No. 3, 1985 8. Original Surveyor’s Notebook Drawings, Brisbane City Council Archives, 1912
SPRING HILL’S HISTORIC ‘PARK TERRACE’, BRISBANE QLD 4000 adapted by Jonzun Lee.
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Image: Brisbane City Council
Source: Brisbane City Council, Local Heritage Places, Heritage Citation
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