Last week on Instagram I shared photos of some of the heritage buildings on Flinders Parade at Brighton and Sandgate Foreshore. There are more buildings with character yet I focused on those listed on Brisbane and Queensland Heritage Registers. Also, at the bottom of the post, you can find an interactive map with all of the sites.

Art Deco Residence “La Vittoria”

This two storey house was constructed in 1938 for, and by, Giuseppe Mangione. Named ‘La Vittoria’, the house was described in the Brisbane City Council’s Building Register as a ‘wood and concrete residence’. The design of the house adopted many of the then fashionable ‘Art Deco’ elements to create an unusual seaside home. The property remained in the Mangione family until the 1950s. ‘La Vittoria’ is an unusual example of a 1930s ‘Art Deco’ house which makes a striking contribution to Flinders Parade. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Iona”

This house was likely built circa 1886 by local contractor and mayor of Sandgate William John Farmer Cooksley, who obtained the site in 1885. Cooksley, a skilled carpenter, had arrived in the Moreton Bay district in 1858. Although almost penniless, he went on to become one of Queensland’s most successful pioneers. He built some of Sandgate’s earliest buildings and was its second mayor. Cooksley died in 1892 and the house was held by his trustees until it was sold in 1909. Later named ‘Iona’, the house was a rental property and seaside home for its twentieth century owners. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Rossall”

This attractive Bungalow style residence was constructed circa 1910 for Edward Austin Bell and his family. Bell was an Accountant who became the State Registrar for the Australasian Corporation of Public Accountants and named the house ‘Rossall’ after Rossall School in England. Substantially intact, this residence makes a fine contribution to the Flinders Parade streetscape and sits in a very desirable location on the Sandgate foreshores. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Cremorne”

This unusual house, built around 1920 by John McCallum, was named ‘Cremorne’ after McCallum’s well-known theatre in Stanley Street, South Brisbane. The house was host to famous theatrical figures and other prominent people, as McCallum and his wife entertained frequently and had friends come to stay with them at the budding seaside resort. John McCallum also became involved in Sandgate’s social and civic affairs, and served as the inaugural president of the Sandgate Progress Association. In 1925 ‘Cremorne’ was sold to the Carrick family, who hosted garden parties and fetes at the property. Subsequent owners leased the residence to tenants. Cremorne has operated as flats since the 1950s. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Broadhurst”

This single-storeyed timber building was erected in the late nineteenth century, at which time it was known as “Broadhurst”, and was the residence of Hugh McCall Hicks, and his wife Florence. Hicks was the General Manager of Perkins and Co. Ltd in Brisbane, and is recorded as living at Sandgate from the mid 1890s. From 1901 to 1994 it was firstly a convalescent home for the Brisbane Hospital, a later a centre for intellectually challenged persons. [Queensland Heritage Register]

Residence “Meridian”

‘Meridian’ was built in 1885 for prominent publican Peter Murphy. It was intended to be a hotel for visitors arriving on the new Sandgate rail line. This proposal was rejected by the local council and the building was completed as a large home. It was leased as a private residence until 1907, when Edward and Margaret Dyer converted it into a boarding house. Named ‘Meridian’ in 1919, it catered for holidaymakers and, later, long-term residents. It remained in the hands of the Dyer family until 1990, when the new owners restored it to a residence. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Ashwell” / “Hoya” / “Restville”

This large timber residence was probably constructed around 1894 as an investment property for William Lovell, a Sandgate resident and landowner. Sandgate had become a desirable seaside holiday destination for Brisbane residents following the opening of the railway line in the 1880s and the house, fronting Flinders Parade, was in a particularly appealing location. It was leased for several years before George and Louisa Colvin purchased the property in 1909. Known as ‘Ashwell’ by 1912, it was the Colvin residence before it was sold to Richard Early in 1922, who renamed it ‘Hoya’, then ‘Restville’. In 1935 the property was again sold after the death of Early and his wife Bessie, and converted into five self-contained flats. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

The pair of identical Nineteenth Century Residences

These two attractively decorated twin residences were built circa 1893 when Sandgate was emerging as a popular holiday destination. They were built as investment properties for Daniel McNab, a tailor and outfitter who owned a successful business in Queen Street. McNab owned the block until 1898 when it was sold to Hannah Eaton Brown who retained it until her death in 1944. The houses have been occupied by a variety of tenants and may have also been used as short-term holiday accommodation, particularly during the first half of the twentieth century when the beachside town was inundated with holidaymakers in the summer months. Both houses remained on the one lot until the land was subdivided in 2006. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “Torquay”

This fine timber home was built in the late nineteenth century when Sandgate was the favoured seaside destination for residents of Brisbane and southern Queensland. ‘Torquay’ is typical of the houses built as the seaside homes of successful businessmen of the time, and used as such by the owners until the Second World War. It was during this period that it was owned by Eric Paul Decker local Alderman and Member of the Queensland Parliament for the district. In the postwar period Sandgate’s popularity declined and houses shortages prompted the conversion of this large house, like many others, to flats. It was restored to its original grandeur in the 1980s. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence “The Cottage”

This substantial timber residence was built circa 1888 for William Albert Wilson, a surveyor and son of Reverend BG Wilson, the first Baptist Minister in Sandgate. Rev Wilson had a home in First Avenue, ‘Rothsay’, which is also historically significant in Sandgate. William Wilson’s home was built by William Street and despite its name ‘The Cottage’ had seven bedrooms. It later became the residence of architect George Cowlishaw, whose hospitality gave the residence a reputation as ‘the very temple of good fellowship’. In the 1950s, Wilson’s descendants converted the dwelling into flats for twelve people, though it is now once again a single family residence. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Sandgate Baptist Church

The former Sandgate Baptist church was built in 1887 following the boom in Sandgate’s population as a consequence of its connection with Brisbane by rail. Because it was one of the largest buildings in the developing town, the church was also sought after as a meeting place by a number of organisations, including the Freemasons. [Queensland Heritage Register]

Written by Maciek

Hi, I am passionate about history. I love discovering new places and learning their story. Wherever I go I find myself curious about stories behind buildings and places I see. At Everywhere History I’m sharing fascinating stories hidden behind buildings and places you’re passing by everyday.