This heritage property called Linwood at 75 Shakespeare Street, Coorparoo, has been listed for sale by tender closing 5pm September 23,
A 123-year-old Queenslander currently owned by the state government has been listed for sale – and its history is a richlist snapshot of young Brisbane.
The historic home known as Linwood was built circa 1898, just under 40 years after Queensland became a separate colony from New South Wales.
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Classic features remain at Linwood despite the passing of years.
It was owned by just two families before it was transferred to the crown in 1975 before it was listed under Queensland Health for the past 14 years.
Just under a decade ago, Linwood was cited for heritage listing, when a Brisbane City Council citation described as having local significance “as one of the fine homes built by affluent local residents on the elevated areas of Coorparoo in the late nineteenth century”.
It was described as “a fine example of a substantial 1880s timber house” with “elegance and symmetry” in its design incorporating double front bays, an interesting roof form and decorative Victorian era detailing.
The vast home embraces wood features.
The citation said the home was built circa 1898 for William “Bill” Lahey Nicklin and his wife, Georgia Nicklin. The Federation Queenslander was built on a substantial block of land which had been gifted to Mrs Nicklin after marriage by her father – former Brisbane mayor James Hipwood. It was near the Hipwood’s own substantial family home ‘Surrey Hill’.
“William Nicklin’s father, Reuben Nicklin, was a successful businessman who settled in Coorparoo with his family in the 1870s and William continued his father’s role as a prominent member of the local community.” Mr Nicklin’s mother was timber industry heiress Jane Lahey.
Features such as the traditional fireplace are a rarity in Queensland.
Coorparoo Shire was newly created with just 2500 residents when the home was built in 1898, the heritage citation said. “Its residents were a mix of farmers and wealthy politicians and businessmen who established fine homes, often situated on the higher parts of the suburb.”
“The Nicklins were a prominent family in Coorparoo. Reuben Nicklin built two fine homes in Coorparoo in the 1880s – ‘Langlands’, now part of Villanova School and ‘Hatherton’ which became the Methodists’ Queen Alexandra Home for children. Reuben Nicklin’s grandson, Sir Francis Nicklin (William Lahey Nicklin’s nephew), was the Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1968.”
The vast veranda/sleep out has been enclosed but offers tonnes of potential.
According to the heritage document, the Nicklins added four adjacent allotments to their landholding in 1904 to give Linwood an acre of space on the corner of Shakespeare Street and Rees Avenue. Then when Mrs Nicklin died in 1925, the property transferred to her husband whose community efforts had included helping push to set up the Coorparoo Bowls Club in the 1920s.
It was subdivided in half after his death in 1956, according to the BCC document, when the house was bought by Esmonde and Mary Rylands who relocated it closer to Shakespeare Street.
Ben Smith of Place Woolloongabba listed 75 Shakespeare Street, Coorparoo, for sale by tender, describing it as a “once in a generation heritage estate”.
“Beautifully preserved original features, including 12-foot ceilings with ornate roses, archways, rich hardwood floors and timberwork, bay windows, as well as an opulent marble fireplace create timeless grandeur.”
He said renovations of yesteryears “shaped a floorplan that lends itself to an array of residential (subject to council approval) or commercial options”.
The property is zoned for ‘Community Facilities (Health Care Purposes)’, has ramp access and secure lower parking.
“Either way, this is a rare opportunity to own a large slice of Brisbane’s history,” he said.
The seven-bedroom Linwood is listed for sale by tender closing 5pm September 23.
sophie.foster@news.com.au / @SophieFoster
The property is in Coorparoo, one of the hottest suburbs for buyers wanting to be close to the Brisbane CBD in recent years.
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