Miegunyah is a heritage-listed

detached house A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling, single-family residence (SFR) or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family residential dwelling. Definitions ...

at 35 Jordan Terrace,

Bowen Hills Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bowen Hills had a population of 4,898 people. Geography Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane centr ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. It was built . It was also known as Beverley Wood. It was added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As ...

on 21 October 1992. It is now home to the Queensland Women’s Historical Association and operated as a late 19th century period

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

History

On the verandah at Miegunyah a residence in Brisbane 1886

This single-storeyed timber residence was built around 1885 on land owned by

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia Politics an ...

, a successful ironmonger and merchant who lived at nearby Folkestone. Perry had bought the land in 1875, and the house was occupied by his adult sons Herbert and George who built the business premises Perry House in the

Brisbane CBD Brisbane City is the central Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is also colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD", "the city", or simply "to ...

. Herbert's wife was Leila Elizabeth Markwell, grand-daughter of

George Edmondstone George Edmondstone (1809–1883) was politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and an alderman and mayor in the Brisbane Municipal Council.Brisbane City Council Archives The surname is spell ...

. Leila Perry died in 1920 and Herbert Perry died in 1922. Miegunyah remained in the Perry family until 1926, and several changes of ownership followed to 1966. The house was saved from demolition by the

Queensland Women's Historical Association The Queensland Women's Historical Association is a historical society in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia which studies the history and heritage of Queensland, including its pioneer families and the contribution made by women. The Association is h ...

, who by 1967 had raised sufficient funds to acquire the building. They refurbished the house and later opened it as a house museum dedicated to the pioneer women of Queensland. The interior has been partly returned to its original layout and colour scheme.

Description

Miegunyah is a single-storeyed timber house (c.1885) surrounded by a

verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...

with

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

baluster A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s, wide filigree posts and valances.

Bay windows ''Bay Windows'' is an LGBT newspaper, published weekly on Thursdays and Fridays in Boston, Massachusetts, serving the entire New England region of the United States. The paper is a member of the New England Press Association and the Nationa ...

at the front do not extend to the

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...

, which is in

corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America), zinc (in Cyprus and Nigeria) or ...

. Entry is via a projecting gabled

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

with a

fretwork Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly u ...

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The house is highset at the front with brick

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

and honeycomb brick infill. The

stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical direction, vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps wh ...

and portico base are in solid masonry ornamented in classic detail including arches with

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

. The exterior of the timber stables at the rear has been conserved while the interior has been altered to provide caretaker accommodation.

Heritage listing

Miegunyah was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Miegunyah demonstrates the principal characteristics of a substantial single storeyed 1880s residence, including stables and garden. The fine quality of the residence exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics valued by the community. Miegunyah is significant for the association between the building and the Perry family, prominent Brisbane merchants and also with the work of the

. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. Miegunyah demonstrates the principal characteristics of a substantial single storeyed 1880s residence, including stables and garden. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The fine quality of the residence exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics valued by the community. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. Miegunyah is significant for the association between the building and the Perry family, prominent Brisbane merchants and also with the work of the

References

Attribution

External links