This stately timber house was built in 1883 for Hugh Mackay, a clerk and accountant, and his wife, Mary. The Mackay’s owned a large section of land surrounding the house which was subsequently subdivided in 1901 as the Garnet Hill Estate. The house once had substantial grounds and a frontage to Cavendish Road before postwar subdivisions reduced the size of the property. Named ‘Garnet Hill’, the house is important in demonstrating the early residential development in the Coorparoo area.
A beautiful example of colonial architecture with the large verandahs and asymetrical hip roof this home is a stunning reminder of Queensland architecture. Sitting in a Brisbane suburban street surrounded by units and more contemporary homes of the 20th century this home makes a definite statement.
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Saturday 6 December 1930, page 21
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Rise of Greenslopes.
From Farm to City.
GREENSLOPES is indebted for its name to the late Mr. Friederick Wecker, a German farmer, who was the earliest settler in the district. This staunch old German, who owned 46 acres of land at the corner of Old Cleveland road and Kirk-land-avenue (formerly Wecker Street), grew some particularly fine grapes, and lived among his grape vines, where St. James's Roman Catholic Church now stands. At the back of his property was some undulating land, 98 acres in all, belonging to the late Mr. Reginald Jennings. Mr Wecker bought this paddock, and as the grass grew in such abundance on these slopes he invariably referred to it as his "green slopes." In the early eighties the Henzell family established themselves in the district. The late Mr. T. S. Henzell purchased the 98 acres from Mr Wecker at £25 an acre. The price seems ridiculous in comparison with the high value of land now but it has to be remembered that when the Hen-zells settled there they were beyond the pale of the city and most of the surrounding country was thickly timbered. The land was divided into nine blocks, one of which was sold to the late Mr F. L. Wuresching, who erected a residence on it, and in turn sold it to the late Mr. James Hipwood, who called his newly acquired property the Surrey Hills estate. Mr Hipwood took a prominent part in local authorities, and, besides being a member of the first Coorparoo Shire Council in 1888, became Mayor of South Brisbane, and finally Mayor of Brisbane. Dur-ing the land boom of 1924 the estate was cut up and at public auction sold at the rate of £1600 an acre. The late Mr. J. H. Henzell, a brother of Mr. T. S. Henzell, purchased a block of land in the vicinity of White's Hill. The estate was a large one, and made an ideal setting for a comfortable family home. The land was cleared, gardens laid out, fruit trees planted, and everything was planned ready for building the home. Even 40,000 hand-made bricks from the Lutwyche brick-yards were transported to the property at a great cost. At the last minute, however, Mrs Henzell "refused to live in the bush," and the whole scheme collapsed. With years of neglect the land reverted to forest growth, and to-day is still thick bush.
Henzell Hill.
MR. FRED. HENZELL, another brother, brought property along the Logan-road. The estate on which Henzell Hill is situated formerly belonged to the late Mr. R. G. Rowton (29 acres), the late Mr. T. M. King (30 acres), and the late Mr. W. Smith (34 acres), and is bounded by Logan-road, Chatsworth-road, Lade-street, and Plimsoll street. Mr. Henzell built Oakleigh, on Henzell Hill, and about 1887 part of the estate, amounting to 25 acres, called Leamington Park, was disposed of by private sale. The survey plan advertising the estate described the land as being situated next to the Mt. Pleasant estate, Logan-road. The population, it went on to say, was rapidly increasing, and on every hand was evidence of great future prosperity and immediate development. The high view of North and South Brisbane and of a long reach of the Brisbane River were added attractions to the prospective buyers. The majority of the allotments were of 16 perches, and the prices realised from £15 to £50. On the original sketch Thomson-street was at first called Park Street, but later was named after Mr. John Thomson, the respected shire clerk of the Coorparoo Shire Council. Similarly, Churchward street was named after Mr. W. Churchward, for many years the shire engineer. The Henzell home, together with the crest of the hill, subsequently, about 1898, was purchased by the late Mr. E. J. Curd (after whom Curd-street was named), father of Mr. R. B. Curd, the present Collector of Customs for Queensland. Mr. Curd recalls that even in those days facilities were very few. Soden's buses were the principal means of transport. Regular services had been established, serving the Coorparoo, Greenslopes, and Annerley areas, and there was great rivalry between the drivers, who provided some thrilling races as the double-deckers rocked over the bad roads at break-neck speed. Special provision had been made for theatre-goers, and a bus driven by George Krosch left the city at 11 p.m. It was a non-stop run, and the pace was fast and furious. In 1925 Mr. Curd sold the property. The house was bought by Mr. W. Harris, P.M., who shifted it a little further down the hill, where he is still living in it. The crest of the hill once more passed into the Henzell family when it was purchased by Dr. Arthur Henzell. The adjoining property, the Mt. Pleasant estate, be-longed to the late Mr. J. Le G. Brereton, who possessed 63 acres in all. The land which lay between Henzell's property and the Holland Park reserve was sold to a syndicate, and was cut up and disposed of by Isles, Love, and Co., Ltd., about three or four years before the arrival of the Greenslopes trams in 1914.
The Late Mr. E. Deshon.
ANOTHER prominent resident was the late Mr. Edward Deshon, C.M.G., who, besides being Auditor General, was also Under Secretary of the Lands Department and first member of the Land Board. About 60 years ago Mr. Deshon lived on land fronting Saltwater (now Kingfisher) Creek, but later acquired the adjoining property fronting Logan-road, on which he lived. About the year 1885 Mr. Deshon, who was of a retiring dis-position and loved the pleasures of the bush and the comfort of a country home, moved out from Logan-road, which he thought was getting too closely settled. He selected a fine property, where the Cavendish-road tramline now ends. The country was all heavily timbered with gums, iron-bark, stringybark, broad-leaved box, wattle, and other timbers, which had to be cleared before the house and garden could be made. The new home, which was designed by Mr. A. B. Wilson, was called Kemendine, after a place in India at which Mr. Deshon's father, Col. Deshon, had been billeted. About three years ago the home was sold to Archbishop Duhig, who converted it into the Loreto Convent. The Deshons, however, have all built their homes around the ancestral centre, and still cling to the district of their youth. Belgaum-street, off Cavendish-road, has been named after Belgaum, the home of Mr. A. P. Deshon (manager of the Agricultural Bank). Belgaum, like Kemendine, is of Indian origin.
About the same time, or shortly after, the Deshons arrived at Green-slopes, the late Mr. Nathaniel Lade (after whom Lade street was named), a well-known Queen street saddler, built his home at the corner of Cavendish road and Chatsworth road, which later passed into the hands of Mr James Stodart, M.L.A. for Logan. Another home-builder near by was the late Mr. H. W. E. Mackay (accountant of B. D. Morehead's) whose home Garnet Hill is still standing. He lived in the street that bears his name. The late Mr. George V. Hellicar who was Crown Solicitor many years ago built on the land south of the Deshons and called his place Abbotsleigh after which Abbotsleigh Road has been named. Mr Ebenezer Cowley brother of Sir A. S. Cowley, lived on the diagonal corner from Mr. N. Lade's home. On the opposite corner Mr. J. W. Knight lived. Mr. Knight was formerly Sub-collector of Customs at Port Douglas but started an auctioneering business in Brisbane. About the year 1839 Mr. Hiley built a home on the slopes where Mr. D. Boyle now lives but the latter gentleman has considerably enlarged the place since he purchased it. The late Mr. J. S. Nixon-Smith of Brabant and Co., also built his house on the "slopes" about the same time, and a couple of years later about 1891, Mr. W. F. Schlencker built his present home in Wylie-avenue then called Fritz-street. The site of the house at present owned and occupied by Mr. T. M. Barry of Barry and Roberts, Ltd at the corner of Wecker-street and Cornwall-street was, about 1890, built upon by Mr. Alexander Fraser, and the property afterwards sold to Mr. A. M. Kirkland and finally to its present owner. On the opposite side of Cornwall-street Mr. John Gasteen, until lately secretary of the Brisbane Gas Co., bought land, on which he built Thruston his present home.
Some Old Residents
OTHER well-known residents of respected memory are Mr. T. M. King, who formerly filled the positions of Collector of Customs, Under Secretary to the Treasurer, and Auditor-General. It is not surprising that the son of such a valued public servant should follow his father's footsteps. His son, Mr. R. M. King, devoted much of his life to the Coorparoo Shire Council, of which he was chairman, and to-day fills the position of Minister for Public Instruction and Public Works. The late Mr. T. M. King built Erica, now occupied by Mrs. Isiah Lahey. Mr F. C Parkinson, a former international footballer, who married Miss Ettie Henzell, has lived for over 50 years in Henzell terrace, while his brother lived on the Cavendish road, near the Deshons, for an equal length of time. Another old resident in Henzell-terrace is Mr. Sidney Robertson, solicitor, who married Miss Gertie Henzell. Mr. Robertson was also a councillor on the Coorparoo Shire Council, and has a street named after him on the old Henzell estate. The late Mr. Davies, chemist, built the home now occupied by Colonel D. E. Evans. Mr. Ernest Holland is living in the street named after his father, the late Mr. Julius Holland. Mr. J. D. Russell, who bought part of the late Mr. Fred. Henzell's property, Mr. J. Burstall, and Mr. E. Campbell, draper, are other well-remembered names. The late Messrs. J. M. Douglas and Richard Dansie were members of the first Coorparoo Shire Council, and two streets off the Logan-road perpetuate their names. The late Mr. Samuel Marriott has been similarly honoured. When the Coorparoo Shire Council was elected on the ward system in 1892 Mr. Marriott was the only one of the original council to be returned. Trundle-street recalls the late Mr. J. J. Trundle.
Majestic Park.
THE newest portion of Greenslopes is Majestic Park, an area of 176 acres, which terminates at Boundary-road, the approach to White's Hill. This fine property was originally held in four large blocks by the late Messrs. D. Holland (52 acres), Alfred Holland (47 acres), Julius Holland (50 acres), and J. E. D. M'Carthy (32 acres). Mr. Alfred Holland was the only one to settle on his estate, on which he built a fine, commodious home, surrounded by pleasant gardens, fruit trees, vine-yards, &c., which had taken years of labour and tending to develop. Later however, the family moved into town, and the estate and everything on it suffered from lack of attention. The empty house became the prey of people who wanted spare parts, and piece by piece the house disappeared, as well as every vestige of improvements and cultivation, and eventually the bush covered all signs of habitation. Later all the land belonging to the Holland brothers and Mr. M'Carthy passed into the hands of Mr. T. J. Nolan, grazier, who, in turn, disposed of it to T. J. Burke Pty., Ltd., in August, 1924.
The year 1924 marked one of the most prosperous periods in the history of Brisbane. It was a period of expansion, and many of the newest suburbs of Brisbane were opened up in that year, due to the exceptional number of land sales and the extension of the tram services in all directions. Greenslopes shared in the general prosperity, and in September, 1924, Majestic Park was offered for sale. The original estate was cleared of its timbers, over £2000 spent in marking out roads that conformed to the best advantage of the land, and fully 70 acres out of the 176 acres were set aside and devoted to parks and reserves. The subdivision of the estate was carried out under the most modern town planning system, and when offered for sale was ready for occupation. On April 3, 1925, the Cavendish-road tram extension was opened, and, in addition, the Camp Hill tram extension was opened on January 10, 1925, so that the new district was conveniently served by two trams. The land is high and undulating, and affords a splendid view of the city. Many people have taken advantage of the new sites, and each year sees more homes built on the estate. A good feature of the settlement is that all the homes are of the modern de-sign, giving assurance that the district will grow into one of importance and pleasant dignity, as befits the name of the estate. The naming of the streets after planets has been due to the proximity of the estate to White's Hill, on which a telescope for viewing the stars is provided.
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