Newstead House, Brisbane

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox building | name = Newstead House | native_name = | native_name_lang = | former_names = Newstead | alternate_names = | image = Newstead House Brisbane-1 (22337365891).jpg | image_alt = | caption = Newstead House | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | map_caption = | altitude = | building_type = Mansion | architectural_style = Victorian | structural_system = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = Newstead House Board of Trustees | current_tenants = | landlord = | location = On the northern bank of the Brisbane River at its junction with Breakfast Creek | address = Corner Newstead Ave and Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead | location_town = Brisbane | location_country = Australia | coordinates = {{coord|-27.4427|153.0462|type:landmark_region:AU|display=inline,title}} | groundbreaking_date = | construction_start_date = 1846 | completion_date = | opened_date = | inauguration_date = | renovation_date = 1865, circa 1900 | demolished_date = | destruction_date = | height = | diameter = | antenna_spire = | roof = | top_floor = | other_dimensions = | floor_count = | floor_area = | seating_type = | seating_capacity = | elevator_count = | main_contractor = | architect = | architecture_firm = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = | quantity_surveyor = | awards = | designations = | ren_architect = | ren_firm = | ren_str_engineer = | ren_serv_engineer = | ren_civ_engineer = | ren_oth_designers = | ren_qty_surveyor = | ren_awards = | website = http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au | embedded = | references = }}

'''Newstead House''' is Brisbane's oldest surviving residence and is located on the Breakfast Creek bank of the Brisbane River, in the northern Brisbane suburb of Newstead, in Queensland, Australia.<ref name=brisne0020030102dybk000mb>Trent Dalton, "Grand residence", ''Brisbane News'', 20 November 2002, p 16, Nationwide News Pty Limited via factiva accessed 7 September 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name=brisne0020030102dybk000mb/><ref name=QHR>{{cite QHR|15040|Newstead House and Park|600265|access-date=13 July 2015}}</ref>

Newstead House is the oldest surviving home in Brisbane, but not the oldest surviving building, built in 1846, for Patrick Leslie and his wife Catherine (née McArthur).<ref name="bdm">New South Wales fdRegistrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages</ref> In 1847 he sold Newstead House to his brother-in-law John Clements Wickham (married to Anna McArthur),<ref name="bdm"/> the Police Magistrate and Government Resident.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22923963 |title=BRISBANE'S HISTORIC HOMES. |newspaper=The Queenslander |location=Brisbane |date=16 January 1930 |access-date=9 February 2011 |page=50 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Newstead House was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.<ref name="QHR" />

==History== thumb|Newstead House – side view Newstead House is said to have taken its name from Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire, England,<ref>{{cite QPN|49248|Newstead|access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref> a former Augustinian priory which became the Byron family home.<ref>"Newstead Abbey" in Daniel Hahn and Nicholas Robins (eds), ''The Oxford Guide to Literary Britain & Ireland'' (Oxford University Press, 2009) via Oxford Reference Online, Oxford University Press accessed 7 September 2011.</ref>

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'''.<ref name=1940Davies>A. G. Davies, "Significance of 'Newstead', oldest residence in Brisbane", (1940) ''The Historical Society of Queensland Journal'' Vol. 3 no. 2, pp 57-66, {{ISSN|1837-8366}}, Brisbane, Queensland.</ref>

Newstead House was built as a residence by Brisbane's first architect and builder Andrew Petrie for fellow Scottish settler Patrick Leslie; it was soon acquired by Captain John Wickham. Then it was leased to Attorney-General Ratcliffe Pring. It was later leased, then sold, then leased again to merchant and Member of the Queensland Legislative Council George Harris. George Harris and his wife Jane (née Thorn) lived in the house for 27 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=History and Virtual Tour|url=http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au/history/history.htm|publisher=The Newstead House Trust|access-date=3 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005020653/http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au/history/history.htm|archive-date=5 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

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, another Brisbane heritage-listed mansion nearby.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Our History – Newstead|url=https://newsteadhouse.com.au/our_history/|access-date=2021-09-18|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="qhr">{{cite QHR|14994|Palma Rosa|600219|accessdate=19 May 2021}}</ref>

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.<ref name="bbh">{{cite book |title=Building Brisbane's History: Structure, Sculptures, Stories and Secrets |last=Gregory |first=Helen |author2=Dianne Mclay |year=2010 |publisher=Woodslane Press |location=Warriewood, New South Wales |isbn=9781921606199 |pages=132 }}</ref> These plans to establish a factory at the property were abandoned due to the downturn in the agricultural sector.<ref name="bbh" />

It was purchased by the Brisbane City Council 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<ref>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/nhta1939260/index.html Queensland Parliament legislation]</ref> 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 in the grounds in memory of this. It was dedicated on 3 May 1952 by the Queensland Governor, Sir John Lavarack.<ref name="aus-usa-monument">[http://www.yourbrisbanepastandpresent.com/2011/05/australian-american-war-memorial.html Australian American War memorial, Newstead Park]. Your Brisbane: Past and Present. Retrieved 16 March 2013.</ref><ref name="monumentAus">[http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww2/display/92170-australian-american-memorial-/photo/6 Australian-American War Memorial]. Retrieved 5 April 2014</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50295703 |title=MEMORIAL TO U.S. UNVEILED TO-DAY. |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=3 May 1952 |access-date=6 April 2014 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

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) until 1973<ref name="dqh">{{cite book |title=Discover Queensland Heritage |last=Cook |first=Penny |year=2006 |publisher=Pictorial Press Australia |location=Corinda, Queensland |isbn=1876561424 |page=35 }}</ref> when they moved to the Commissariat Store.<ref name=brisne0020030102dybk000mb/><ref name=QHR/><ref name=article22923963>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22923963 | author= F. E. Lord|title=Brisbane's historic homes. 1. Newstead.|newspaper=The Queenslander |date=16 January 1930 |access-date=7 September 2011 |page=50 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Newstead House is now a museum. It is open to the public, and concerts 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.<ref name=brisne0020030102dybk000mb/> Newstead Park is still managed and maintained by the Brisbane City Council.

==Heritage listing== Newstead House was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.<ref name=QHR/>

==Newstead Park==

Newstead Park is a significant historic park.<ref name="newsteadhouse.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au/ |title=Welcome to the Historic Newstead House |access-date=21 February 2008 }}</ref>

The land originally formed a part of the land purchased by Patrick Leslie in 1845 on which he built Newstead House.<ref name="newsteadhouse.com" />

In the 1920s, the Brisbane City Council constructed an electrical substation 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.<ref name="EPAreport">{{cite web | url=http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p01702bb.pdf | title=Statutory authorities reporting to the Minister for Environment Annual Report 04 – 05 – Board of Trustees of Newstead House | access-date=4 March 2008 | publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080802085816/http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p01702bb.pdf  |archive-date = 2 August 2008}}</ref> 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.<ref name="aus-usa-monument" /><ref name="monumentAus" />

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.

{{gallery | align = center | title = Highlights of Newstead Park | File:John Oxley Landing Memorial at Newstead Park, Queensland 01.jpg|The John Oxley Landing Memorial, erected 1983 | File:Newstead Park, Queensland 07.jpg|Newstead Park | File:Newstead Park monument-and-Brisbane-River.jpg|Monument to United States service men and women and gazebo | File:Tide Recorder, Newstead Wharf, Brisbane.jpg|Electric Tide Recorder, erected 1959 | File:Pissoir by Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co in the Newstead Park, 01.jpg|Cast iron pissoir, relocated to Newstead Park in 1960s }}

==See also== {{Portal|Queensland}} * Old Government House {{-}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * Greenwood, G. and Laverty, J., "Brisbane 1859–1959 A History of Local Government", Brisbane City Council, Brisbane, 1959. * Steer, G. R., "Brisbane Tramways: Their History and Development", ''Historical Society of Queensland Journal'', Vol 3, No 3. * {{Cite journal |last=Austin |first=C. G. |date=1947 |title=Newstead House and Capt. Wickham, R.N. |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:215333 |journal=Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland |volume=3 |issue=6 |pages=459–465 |issn=1837-8366 |via=University of Queensland}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Newstead House}} * [http://www.newsteadhouse.com.au Official website] * [https://buildings.slq.qld.gov.au/feature.html?id=13201927-3703-4259-b374-0a485e5a76d6 Newstead House Brisbane Discovery Queensland Buildings website] {{Brisbane landmarks}}

Category:Museums in Brisbane Category:Heritage of Brisbane Category:Houses in Brisbane Category:Tourist attractions in Brisbane Category:Houses completed in 1846 Category:Historic house museums in Queensland Category:Parks in Brisbane Category:Landmarks in Brisbane Category:1846 establishments in Australia Category:Queensland Heritage Register Category:Andrew Petrie buildings Category:Queensland in World War II Category:Pre-Separation Queensland Category:Newstead, Queensland