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| Brooklyn House |
Step inside this newly restored classic Queenslander.
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Brooklyn House has been lovingly restored by owners Terry and Jan Ward. This historical home of 86 squares, situated in the town of Howard in Queensland, has taken 12 years for the couple to finish. (They originally started off in Melbourne in a home of 11 squares).
The home was commissioned to be built in 1890 by the Rankin family, wealthy Scots immigrants who were involved in the first collieries in the area. Dame Annabel Rankin became the first female senator in Queensland and is recognised as a pioneer in Australian women's politics.
The family kept a high profile in the area for around 70 years, and they moved out with the closing of the mines. The house deteriorated fairly rapidly, although it was still owned by the family.
In 1971 the home was sold for the sum of $8,000 to Bernard Dowd, the owner of Hickory, a large female garment manufacturer. Some years later the house was sold and bought by a fisherman, and the home was in poor condition when the Wards purchased it.
It had been on the market for around four years when they stumbled upon it during a family holiday. To Terry's horror, it was Jan who first showed an initial interest in renovating the place.
Although no strangers to home renovations (they had completed several Victorian home projects in Melbourne), it was two years before they bought the house.
Sourcing the materials within Queensland was pretty hard going, and many items had to be brought from Melbourne, before the rise in popularity of Queenslander homes made the materials more readily available.
All the timber fretwork on the outside of the house is English beech, which was hand carved during the sea journey from the UK. The entire interior of the house is made from Queensland red cedar, which even includes the old chicken shed. The lining boards are made from hoop pine from Fraser Island and are one inch thick. Several photos of the Rankin family adorn the walls, as well as a photo of Stephen Ward (the original builder).
Even though a plumber by trade with no formal building qualifications, Terry has completed all the work himself. Stripping the paint to expose the beautiful carved red cedar door frames was one of the more time consuming jobs (he says he couldn't have done it without his trusty belt sander).
Through sheer inspiration and determination (and by putting any spare cash into their project), the Wards managed to tackle one room at a time, and even lived in a caravan while the kitchen was being renovated. Having completed Brooklyn House, they are starting to get the renovation bug again and are thinking of tackling yet another home.
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More Info
Brooklyn House is open for guided tours. For further information call Brooklyn House, Ph: (07) 4129 4943.
Tours cost $4, and Devonshire tea is $3. Combining the tour and tea will cost $6.
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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