Newstead House is Brisbane's oldest surviving residence and is located on the

Breakfast Creek The Breakfast Creek ( Aboriginal: ''Barrambin'') is a small urban stream that is a tributary of the Brisbane River, located in suburban Brisbane in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Course and features Rising as the Enoggera Cre ...

bank of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

, in the northern

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

suburb of Newstead, in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.Trent Dalton, "Grand residence", ''Brisbane News'', 20 November 2002, p 16, Nationwide News Pty Limited via factiva accessed 7 September 2011. Built as a small cottage in the Colonial-Georgian style in 1846, the cottage was extended and today is painted and furnished in a late Victorian style. Newstead House is the oldest surviving home in Brisbane, but not the oldest surviving building, built in 1846, for

Patrick Leslie Patrick Leslie (25 September 1815 – 12 August 1881) was a Scottish settler in Australia. Leslie and his two brothers (Walter and George) were the first to settle on the Darling Downs, and he was the first person to buy land in Warwick. ...

and his wife Catherine (née McArthur).New South Wales fdRegistrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages In 1847 he sold Newstead House to his brother-in-law

John Clements Wickham John Clements Wickham (21 November 17986 January 1864) was a Scottish explorer, naval officer, magistrate and administrator. He was first lieutenant on during its second survey mission, 1831–1836, under captain Robert FitzRoy. The young ...

(married to Anna McArthur), the

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

and

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

Resident. Newstead House was listed on 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 a ...

in 1992.

History

Newstead House is said to have taken its name from

Newstead Abbey Newstead Abbey, in Nottinghamshire, England, was formerly an Augustinian priory. Converted to a domestic home following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron. Monastic foundation The prior ...

, Nottinghamshire, England, a former Augustinian priory which became the Byron family home. The property was referred to as Newstead until it left the possession of J.C. Wickham in 1859 after which it became known as Newstead House.A. G. Davies, "Significance of 'Newstead', oldest residence in Brisbane", (1940) ''The Historical Society of Queensland Journal'' Vol. 3 no. 2, pp 57-66, , Brisbane, Queensland. Newstead House was built as a residence by Brisbane's first architect and builder

Andrew Petrie Andrew Petrie (1798 - 20 February 1872) was a pioneer, architect and builder in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Early life Andrew Petrie was born in Fife, Scotland. He trained as a builder in Edinburgh. He married Mary Cuthbertson in 1821. C ...

for fellow Scottish

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

Patrick Leslie; it was soon acquired by Captain John Wickham. Then it was leased to Attorney-General

Ratcliffe Pring His Honour the Honourable Ratcliffe Pring (17 October 1825 – 26 March 1885) was a lawyer, politician and the first Attorney-General in colonial Queensland. Early life Pring was born on 17 October 1825 at Crediton, Devon, England, the seco ...

. It was later leased, then sold, then leased again to merchant and

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council: * 1860–1869 * 1870–1879 * 1880–1889 * 1890–1899 *1900–1909 The 1900s may refer to: * 1900s (decade), the decade from 1900 to 1909 * The century from 1900 to 1999, al ...

George Harris. George Harris and his wife Jane (née Thorn) lived in the house for 27 years. A prominent Jewish businessman named Lewis Flegeltaub with his large family was in residence at Newstead House from 1891 to 1894; the family previously lived at

Palma Rosa Palma Rosa is a heritage-listed mansion at 9 Queens Road, Hamilton, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Stombuco and built from 1886 to 1887. It is also known as Palmerosa, Palmarosa, and Sans Souci. It was added ...

, another Brisbane heritage-listed mansion nearby. The Lysaght Brothers bought the property in March 1898 with the intention to demolish the house and build a factory that produced iron and rabbit-proof wire fencing. These plans to establish a factory at the property were abandoned due to the downturn in the agricultural sector. It was purchased by the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

in 1918 and was the residence of the superintendent of their council parks. The Council leased part of the property to the Historical Society of Queensland in 1934 and it was used to store historical records. In 1939, the Queensland Parliament created a Trust and ownership was transferred to the Newstead House Trust. The building was occupied by American troops during World War II. There is an Australian–American

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

in the grounds in memory of this. It was dedicated on 3 May 1952 by the

Queensland Governor The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial functi ...

, Sir

John Lavarack Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack, (19 December 1885 – 4 December 1957) was an Australian Army officer who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state. Early l ...

.Australian American War memorial, Newstead Park
Your Brisbane: Past and Present. Retrieved 16 March 2013. Australian-American War Memorial
Retrieved 5 April 2014 Other than the war-time occupation it was operated as a museum and research library by the Historical Society of Queensland (now known as the

Royal Historical Society of Queensland The Royal Historical Society of Queensland (RHSQ) is a historical society founded in Brisbane, Australia in 1913. It promotes the study of Australian history especially that of Queensland and adjacent Pacific islands. It maintains an important co ...

) until 1973 when they moved to the Commissariat Store. Newstead House is now a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

. It is open to the public, and

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

are sometimes held at the house and grounds. Newstead House is now maintained by the Newstead House Board of Trustees assisted the Friends of Newstead, a volunteer group who also organise various events to attract visitors. Newstead Park is still managed and maintained by the Brisbane City Council.

Heritage listing

Newstead House was listed on the

in 1992.

Newstead Park

Newstead Park is a significant historic park. The land originally formed a part of the land purchased by

in 1845 on which he built Newstead House. In the 1920s, the

constructed an

electrical substation A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...

for its tramway system in the grounds of the House. Since the closure of the tram system in 1969 the substation was purchased by the Newstead House Board of Trustees and has been used as a Resource Centre and offices for management staff. In May each year, the park is host to the commemoration of the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

. The Australian-American monument in the park is dedicated to the United States service men and women for helping in the defence of Australia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. A playspace featuring an "Alice through the Looking Glass" theme has been developed by the Brisbane City Council is located on the southern side of the park, near Newstead Avenue.

References

External links

Official website
{{Brisbane landmarks Museums in Brisbane Heritage of Brisbane Houses in Brisbane Tourist attractions in Brisbane Houses completed in 1846 Historic house museums in Queensland Parks in Brisbane Landmarks in Brisbane 1846 establishments in Australia Queensland Heritage Register Andrew Petrie buildings Queensland in World War II Pre-Separation Queensland

History

Heritage listing

Newstead Park

See also

References

Further reading

External links