Ep 2: Ashgrove history, incl the oldest house, Workers’ Dwellings and the Brisbane Retro Project!

Welcome to the second episode of the House Detective Diaries! I'm an architectural historian and I research houses and find out amazing things about their history all the time, so I thought I would share some of them with you all!

In this video I share the Top 5 most interesting, quirky, unusual or unexpected things I have uncovered during my house history research recently, including:

1. How the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove got its name
2. One of the oldest surviving homes in Ashgrove (St John’s Wood)
3. How I unexpectedly found a photo of a house I was researching
4. The Workers’ Dwellings House Scheme
5. Exciting news about my Brisbane Retro Project!

I hope you enjoy watching! Let me know what your favourite discovery was in the comments below!

Would you like me to uncover the secrets and stories of YOUR house?? I research houses and buildings all over Australia!I offer a range of different packages, check out my website for more information and pricing here: www.housedetective.com.au/hireme

Photo sources:

1. Ashgrove

The Grove Estate Flyer: Ashgrove Historical Society, shared by Dale Read on the Lost Brisbane Facebook page.
Various newspaper snippets: Trove.nla.gov.au
Queensland Post Office Directories, State Library of Queensland (SLQ)
Map of Harding's land: Moreton 20 Chain Series, Sheet 1B, 1888, SLQ

2. One of the oldest Houses in Ashgrove (St John's Wood)

Portrait of George Rogers Harding: Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hard...
Aerial Photos: Nearmap
All photos of St John's Wood: SLQ

3. Unexpected Photo

Photo of Rode Road house supplied by Neil Syratt (shared with permission)
1936 aerial photograph: QImagery

4. Workers' Dwellings Scheme

The Workers' Dwellings Scheme Act, 1909: Australasian Legal Information Institute, Commonwealth of Australia Numbered Acts, Queensland Historical Acts: http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legi...

Table showing loan amounts vs deposits from a fabulous paper by the Workers' Dwellings guru, Judy Rechner: "The Queensland workers' dwelling 1910-1940", Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland volume 15 issue 6: pp. 265-278, Rechner, Judy Brisbane, Qld. Royal Historical Society of Queensland, 1994.

Plans of Workers' Dwellings (c1911-1915), Queensland State Archives

NOTE: For more information on Brisbane and Qld Workers' Dwellings homes (including how to estimate when yours was built and getting restoration details right) Judy's book, "Brisbane House Styles: 1880 to 1940: A guide to the affordable house" is invaluable. Email me at [email protected] to order a copy: $35 + postage.

5. The Brisbane Retro Project

View the entire Brisbane Retro collection at: https://collections.slq.qld.gov.au/vi...

All photographs in the exhibition by Matt Williams Photo + Video

Exhibition held at the wonderful Can You Keep A Secret lounge bar at Woolloongabba

Follow Brisbane Retro on Insta and Facebook for more post-war houses and retro goodness!