In a past week, my main focus was on Woolloongabba. One afternoon when I dropped off my car for a service I went for a walk and looked at some of the heritage listed buildings in the area. Actually, I saw more beautiful buildings that were on the heritage register. On Saturday, I attended a “Save Abbotsleigh” rally hence, the change of the focus area and Sunday spent on the bayside at Brighton finishing my last post. Below are photos I shared on Instagram last week.

Broadway Hotel

The Broadway Hotel was built in 1889-90 for Brisbane publican Michael McKenna. The location was a prominent one, close to the intersection of Wellington and Logan roads, the latter being a major Brisbane arterial road. The new Broadway Hotel, located prominently to take advantage of the increased traffic flow between Brisbane and the eastern suburbs, was an imposing structure designed to attract attention, and rapidly became a well-known local landmark. The substantial three-storeyed hotel was designed to cater for country visitors as well. [QLD Heritage Register]

Shop

This charming two-storey shop, erected prior to 1893, is significant as evidence of the Woolloongabba Fiveways as a principal shopping district of Brisbane in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Variously the premises of confectioners, wine merchants, fruiterers and grocers, it also housed a State Fish Shop during the 1920s. A well composed two-storey masonry building with a decorative façade and double shop front, it has intrinsic aesthetic significance as well as making an important contribution to the streetscape. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Taylor-Heaslop Building (former)

The Former Taylor-Heaslop Building, erected in 1889-90, is important as surviving evidence of the Woolloongabba Fiveways, one of Brisbane’s principal shopping centres in the latter part of the 19th century, and for demonstrating the impact of the economic boom of the 1880s on metropolitan Brisbane. While a number of similar buildings of this era were erected at South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley and in the Brisbane central business district, comparatively few have survived as intact as this building. [QLD Heritage Register]

Woolloongaba Post Office (former)

The Woolloongabba Post & Telegraph Office was constructed in 1905. The form and detail of the exterior of the building is skilfully designed to articulate the domestic and public roles of the building. The former post office illustrates competency in design and workmanship, and reflects the high standard of Government buildings in Queensland, designed by the Department of Public Works during the early 20th century. When erected, the building was unusual for its incorporation of a piazza in a commercial building. [QLD Heritage Register]

Burnett Swamp Bridge

The bridge was built in 1928 to carry tram and other vehicular traffic across Norman Creek to Stones Corner. It was first called the Buranda Bridge. It is one of Brisbane’s oldest, reinforced concrete, creek crossings. Its configuration without longitudinal girders indicates an early approach to provision for waterway maximisation at a flood-prone site. It was designed by eminent engineer C.B. Mott. He was the first Designing Engineer of the Greater Brisbane City Council, later to become Chief Engineer and Manager of the Council’s Department of Works. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

Residence ‘Abbotsleigh’

This two storey timber house was built for George Keen, a carrier, and his family. It is situated on the western side of Bowen Hills, opposite the railway line (to Shorncliffe) which opened in 1882. ‘Abbotsleigh’ replaced an earlier shingled cottage on the property and is set amongst mature vegetation including a large and significant Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) near the front boundary on Abbotsford Road. It appears that the original brick kitchen at the rear has been retained. [Brisbane Heritage Register]

This weekend my outdoor office was in Brighton – a bayside suburb of Brisbane previously known as North Sandgate. After opening of the rail line to Sandgate in 1882 so many people were moving into the area, they decided to create their own suburb. Brighton is probably named after the English town of the same name.