Under the guidance of Robert Zilli, Conservation Framer at the Queensland Art Gallery, staff at the State Library of Queensland are in the final stages of conservation treatment of seven gilded frames manufactured by English framer C. James in the mid to late 1800s. The frames house a series of hand coloured albumen prints of Queensland by photographer and geologist Richard Daintree (1832-1878). Once the treatment of the frames is complete the albumen photographic prints will undergo extensive conservation work.

  Richard Daintree, John Oxley Library, no. 193667

Each frame was cleaned thoroughly with special solutions and loose and damaged areas were consolidated using conservation grade adhesives. In order to stabilise the structure of the frame, animal skin glue was injected into the mitre corners before the frame was strapped to tighten the corners.

One of the frames had distorted and separated so much at the corners, that it had to be disassembled and rejoined since this was deemed to be the least damaging option.

Most of the frames had sustained losses or minor damage to the moulding. Minor losses were filled using a calcium based material. For larger losses, impressions were taken of matching areas and dental plaster was used to make “positives” that were then pared down to slot into the loss in the moulding (see image).

   Creating a mold to replicate decorative areas that have been damaged.

Gold leaf was then applied to cover the larger fills. Gouache and gold paint was used to colour match other minor areas of loss.

Jaishree Srinivasan (Exhibitions Conservator, Conservation Unit)

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On Monday evening, 13 July, the John Oxley Library hosted Power, play in the achives: doing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender histories.

 E.G. Crichton addresses those gathered in the John Oxley Library Reading Room.

This event was coordinated by the LGBT History Project - an initiative of the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities with the support of the Museum of Brisbane and the State Library of Queensland.

50 people attended to hear 4 diverse speakers present a range of issues involved in collecting, researching and presenting LGBT histories.

Jenny Scott discussed the State Library of South Australia’s “South Australia Memory Radical Dream” website and her activism and advocacy for LGBT visibility in the public archives.

Esther Singer, Vice President of the Australian Gay and Lesbian Archives based in Melbourne shared some of their collection and the issues for this 30 year old community run archive. This collection is of national significance and has supported much research and writing of the topic of LGBT history.

Dr Yorick Smaal, local gay historian, identified the issue of delving into archives when so little is on the record concerning LGBT lives.  Working with what is there (it has been largely the legal record), and ‘reading against the grain’ is the challenge.

Finally E. G. Crichton artist-in-residence with GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco spoke. E. G. Crichton is Associate Professor of Art at the University of California Santa Cruz and shared with us the collaborative work she developed titled “Lineage: matchmaking in the archive.”

The event is part of a larger commitment to profiling and collecting LGBT stories as part of Queensland Memory.

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An interesting new acquisition in the John Oxley Library is a framed embroidered sampler created by Mary Walker and bearing the address of Bourne House, Wiveliscombe, Somerset, with the date 18 October 1830. Mary Walker went on to become the mother of Queensland chief justice and premier Sir Samuel Griffith.

The sampler was acquired by the donor at a jumble sale at St Andrew’s Church, Creek Street, Brisbane ca. 1999-2000. It features quotations from Psalm 147:5 and Isaiah 40:29: ”Great is the Lord and of great power his understanding in infinite; He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

Mary Walker was the second daughter of Peter Walker, a draper. She married Edward Griffith, a minister of the English Independent Church at Castle Street Chapel, Swansea on 18 October 1842.

According to Roger Joyce’s biography of Samuel Griffith, Mary Walker had been living in Swansea, Wales at the time of her marriage. Mary Walker’s early link with Somerset, as revealed by the sampler has not been explained or investigated by her son’s biographers. Interestingly, Edward Griffith served as a pastor at Wiveliscombe in Somerset 1849-53.

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The name of this suburb may derive from a number of sources. The word is said to be a Scottish term meaning a new place or a new house. It is also recorded that the name is based on Newstead Abbey located in Nottinghamshire in England.

The southern section of Newstead comprises the locality of Teneriffe. Another locality within Newstead is Booroodabin, with the named said to be based on an Aboriginal word meaning a place of oaks.

View of Newstead, ca. 1890. Image No: 67710

Some early settlers and businesses in the Newstead area include:

• James Gibbon, a property speculator, apparently known as “Street Corner Jimmy”, purchased a large tract of land on Teneriffe Hill (1850). He named his property Teneriffe after one of the Canary Islands and the mountain located on this island.
• Captain John Wickham, the first police magistrate and government resident for the Moreton Bay District. Wickham was the commander of the Beagle upon which Charles Darwin had sailed.
• George Harris, shipping, stock and station agent and storekeepers. The Harris family later resided in Newstead House.
• wool was a major export through the network of wharves that were developed in the Newstead area. The first wool store to be established was Dalgety’s, which opened in 1911 and was destroyed by fire in 1984.
• by the 1880s most of the early landholders were starting to sub-divide their properties.
• river based industries were developed from an early period, including boat building, boat maintenance and wharfage. The on-going dredging of the Brisbane river maintained navigability for larger vessels.
• boat building sheds.
• ice works and cold stores.
• petrol/gas storage.
• William Perry was a prominent member of the Queensland Legislative Council. The Perry family residence was called Folkstone which is commemorated in the name of Folkstone Street.

Folkstone, 1885. Image No: 41586

The housing estates which developed in the early period of the suburb’s history included:

• Green Meadows Estate (1870s) comprising 16 perch allotments located near the Brisbane River.
• Newstead Estate (1870s) comprising the area surrounding Newstead House.
• Teneriffe Estate (1870s).
• Breakfast Creek Estate (1884).
• 1912 – Perry Estate (1912) comprising housing allotments sub-divided from the Perry Family’s estate.

Some significant buildings and locations in the Newstead area include:

• Newstead House which dates from 1846. Newstead House is acknowledged as
  Brisbane’s oldest surviving residence. The house was built by Patrick Leslie who had settled on the Darling Downs in 1840 and who named the original cottage Newstead after Newstead Abbey in England. The house has evolved from the original cottage into the grand residence we see today. The Leslie family only lived in the house for a year before it was sold to Captain John Wickham, the first police magistrate and government resident for the Moreton Bay District. He was also Patrick Leslie’s brother-in-law. In 1939, the Queensland Government enacted the Newstead House Trust which was the first legislation in Queensland to preserve an historic structure.
• Booroodabin Bowls Club, Queensland’s oldest bowls club. It was originally called the Breakfast Creek Bowls Club.

Booroodabin Bowling Club, 1899. Image No: 12027

• Roseville, dating from the 1880 and located in Chester Street. The house was constructed for James Colishaw. A later owner, James Mortimer gave the house the name Roseville.
• Albion Park, previously known as the Breakfast Creek Sports Ground. The park comprised a cycle track, cricket oval, football fields and a lake for swimming and boating.
• Perry Park, developed in 1913 on land acquired from the estate of William Perry.
• Cameron Rocks. The Cameron family lived in Toorak Road. Mr Cameron was a prominent financier, naturalist, yachtsman and fisherman.
• wool and general stores.
• William Houghton & Co.
• Wilcox Mofflin Ltd.
• Fenwick & Co.
• Queensland Primary Producers Cooperative.
• New Zealand and Mercantile Agency Limited.
• Winchcombe Carson Limited.
• Dalgety’s Wool and Grain Stores (1906).

Winchcombe Carson Woolstores, 1913. Image No: 53112

Some important dates in Newstead’s history and development include:

• 1836 – the first bridge across Breakfast Creek was constructed.
• 1848 – the first road bridge was built across Breakfast Creek. This structure collapsed 1856 and was replaced by a punt for 2 years, whilst a replacement bridge was constructed.
• 1857 – Holy Trinity Anglican Church established.
• 1867 – the Fortitude Valley State School established.
• 1885 – the first trams run to Breakfast Creek.
• 1885 – the Breakfast Creek Rowing Club was established.
• 1888 – a replacement road bridge was built across Breakfast Creek.
• 1890 – the Breakfast Creek State School was opened.
• 1913 – Edward Eager launched his American Motor Business at Newstead.
• 1914 – Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church was established. This church was built on a site acquired from the estate of William Perry and became the church for the newly established Bowen Hills Parish.
• 1956 – the present Breakfast Creek Bridge was constructed. This bridge has been subsequently widened and renovated.

Find more photographs of Newstead in the State Library’s collection.

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On Wednesday 3rd June 2009 the State Library of Queensland played host to speakers from a range of archival institutions across Brisbane including Saadia Thomson-Dwyer from Queensland State Archives, Mairi Popplewell from the National Archives of Australia, and Annabel Lloyd from Brisbane City Council Archives.

Simon Farley outlines the John Oxley Library’s 75th anniversary program.

The seminar drew a sell-out crowd to auditorium 2 at the State Library with members of the public learning about the history and emergence of Brisbane’s archival repositories and the collections and services currently available at each.

Simon Farley from the John Oxley Library drew attention to the interconnected nature of these key memory institutions and spoke about the State Library of Queensland’s Heritage Collections, including the original archival and manuscript items of interest to researchers of Queensland history.

Many thanks to all who attended and made this such a successful and interesting event in the middle of Queensland’s 150th birthday year.

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Chermside is a well known location to Brisbane’s northsiders, especially due to the popularity of the large Westfield Chermside Shopping Centre.

The suburb of Chermside was named in honour of Sir Herbert Chermside a former Governor of Queensland (1901-04).  The area was previously known as Downfall Creek however the name was changed to Chermside in 1903, due to the efforts of James Youatt, a local teacher.

The early settlers and residents in the area included:

• Andrew Hamilton and family (1866) who purchased land in an area that was then known as Deadman’s Gully.
• William Bell who purchased a property adjoining Andrew Hamilton’s.
• Aaron Adsett.
• German immigrants settled in the period after 1860 in the area adjacent to the present intersection of Hamilton and Webster Roads.  These included the Hermann Family, Frederick Lenz and Christian Bachmann.

Industries and businesses established in the Chermside area included:

• Blacksmiths and coach builders.  Andrew Hamilton’s Five Mile Town Shoeing Forge and General Smith.

  Andrew Hamilton’s blacksmith shop on Gympie Rd, ca.1890. Image No: 6105

• Charles Murr’s Blacksmith’s Forge.
• August Vellnagel who worked for Murr in the 1890s offered to purchase the forge but was unsuccessful.  He eventually opened his own forge on a site in Gympie Road near the entrance to Marchant Park.  
• Slaughter Yards.  Dow and Slack; Alonza Sparkes; Bert Robinson.
• General Stores.  John Patterson (1870s) in Gympie Road; Gottlieb Conradi’s Potsloe Store (1880, named after an adjoining land subdivision); William Sammell; Joe Fisher’s Noah’s Ark Store; J. & K. Lemke, Butchers.

Gottlieb Conradi’s general store on Gympie Rd. Image No: 6096

• The Chermside Theatre was opened in 1928 with the first feature being The man who laughs.  The theatre later changed its name to the Dawn Theatre, which has subsequently closed.

Transport:

• Horse Buses.  The first horse bus service commenced October, 1886 with the awarding of a mail contract to David Goodrem of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel.
• The tram service was extended to Chermside in March 1947.

 First tram to Chermside, 1947.  Image No: 119364

Some local sites of interest include:

• Marchant Park.  William Edward Murphy purchased approximately 204 hectares in 1868 for £372.  Soon after, George Marchant bought a portion of this land for use as a spelling paddock for his horses.  Later, in 1918, the Kedron Shire Council, under public pressure to develop more parkland in its area approached George Marchant and he eventually donated land as a park.
• Kidston Park.  Named in honour of William Kidston, former Premier of Queensland.
• Annand Park.  Named in honour of Colonel Frederick William Gadsby Annand, an early Town Clerk.
• Bradbury Park.  Named in honour of Alderman F.W. Bradbury, an early Brisbane City Council Alderman.
• Chermside Garden Settlement.  Opened in 1936.

There are a number of churches in the Chermside area, with the dates of opening as follows:

• United Free Methodist Church, on the Adsett Property (1873).
• Church of England, in the School of Arts Building (1910).
• Assemblies of God (1922).
• Congregational Church (1932).
• Presbyterian Church (1961).
• Catholic Church (1962).
• Lutheran Church (1963).

Some other relevant dates in the history and development of the Chermside area include:

• 1859 – only a few residents in the area.  Early survey maps show that the Chermside section of the track which would later become Gympie Road, existed.
• 1864 – The Queensland government requested Edgar Huxtable, a surveyor, to draw subdivision plans for the Chermside/Aspley area.
• 1865 – First land sales took place.
• 1867 – Gympie Gold Rush has a positive impact on the area, particularly the areas along the road to Gympie.
• 1900 – Chermside State School opened on 7 July 1900.
• 1947 – Tram service extended to Chermside.
• 1957 – The Allan & Stark Drive-in shopping centre is opened – the first such shopping centre in Queensland.

Interior of Allan & Stark Ltd., ca. 1957.  Image No: 119383

• 1959 – The Chermside Hospital is opened as a chest clinic.  It was later re-named the Prince Charles Hospital.
• 1975 – The area encompassing North Chermside is gazetted as being within the suburb of Geebung.

Find more photographs of Chermside in the State Library’s collection.

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Another of Brisbane’s inner suburbs, undergaining significant development and change, is Paddington.  As with other Brisbane suburbs, the area has an interesting history. 

It is believed that the suburb is named after the London locality of the same name.  The area was originally referred to as being at the back of the jail, being a reference to Brisbane’s main jail which was located close by on Petrie Terrace.

In the early period the area was well known as a haven for goats, which roamed across the hilly landscape.

  Paddington, ca. 1890.  Image No: APE-047-01-0013

Some early settlers and businesses include:

• Joshua Jeays who first arrived in 1853.  Jeays built Bardon House as his residence in 1883.
• 1876 – Ithaca Creek Store operated by J. Moran as a cash grocer and general provision store (1876).  This store was located on Waterworks Road near Enoggera Terrace.
• J. Wright’s store on La Trobe Terrace (1880).
• John Verrall, general merchant, was operating a shop on Given Terrace, known as the Cash Store (1885).
• J. McNab & Sons, Coach Builders.
• Charles and Sara Dean operated a second hand shop in Given Terrace (1911).

Some of the important buildings, sites and locations in the Paddington area include:

• Caxton Street Hall – built in 1883 by the Loyal United Brothers Lodge.  During its history, the hall has served as an Oddfellows Friendly Society Lodge (1884-1916), a clothing factory (1909-38) and a Labor Party Hall (1928-99).  The Oddfellows were an English working class friendly society which flourished in the period following the Industrial Revolution.  The focus of the society’s activities was community welfare.  The hall was designed by Richard Gailey.
• Paddington Cemetery/s – established 1862, comprising a number of separate cemeteries, including Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Wesleyan, Baptist and Congregational.    The cemetery was closed in 1875 and thereafter fell into disrepair.  In 1910, lobbying commenced to have the graves moved and the area to then be reserved for public purposes.
• Fernberg.  Constructed by prominent merchant and member of parliament Mr. J.C. Heussler (1865).  Due to the increasing costs of upkeep, Heussler was forced to sell the home in 1872.  The Queensland Government purchased Fernberg in 1910 as the new Government House.  Sir William MacGregor became the first of many Governors to live in Fernberg.

  Fernberg, ca. 1890.  Image No: 3817

• Ithaca Fire Station – opened in 1919.

Ithaca Fire Station, ca. 1942.  Image No: 73407

• Plaza Cinema – seating 1,200.
• Paddington Cinema – seating 1,000

Paddington is also home to many churches, including:

• Mr. W. Grimes (Baptist) commenced a Sunday School in Petrie Terrace (1867).  The first Baptist Church was built in 1869.
• The Mortuary Chapel (Church of England) in the Paddington Cemetery was granted independence from the city church in 1873.  This chapel became Christ Church, Milton.
• the first Methodist Church was built in Caxton Street in 1877.
• the original Enoggera Terrace Presbyterian Church was opened in 1885.
• St. Brigid’s Catholic Church was built in 1879.  The building was demolished in 1913 with a new church being built on the same site.

Construction of St. Brigid’s Church, 1914.  Image No: 196398

Some important dates in Paddington’s history and development include:

• 1860s – there was a rumour that gold had been discovered in the Paddington area.  Two shafts were sunk, one in the Paddington Cemetery, but no gold was found.
• 1868 (23 March) – Petrie Terrace State School was established.
• 1895 – Post Office opened in Given Terrace.
• 1898 – a tramline was laid down, linking Bardon to the city.  This acted as an impetus to the residential boom that occurred in Paddington at this time.
• 1915 – Paddington Tram Depot constructed.

Find more photographs of Paddington in the State Library’s collection.

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On 16 May the State Library of Queensland hosted celebrations for the 2^nd International Day for Sharing Life Stories.

Professor Brad Haseman speaks to digital story tellers at the State Library of Queensland’s Talking Circle

The event also marked the launch of Story Circle: Digital Storytelling Around the World, a book by local authors John Hartley and Kelly McWilliam.   The book was launched by State Librarian Lea Giles-Peters. Queensland University of Technology academics Professor Brad Haseman and Professor John Hartley talked to a crowd of the digital storytelling community about the power and potential of telling stories using new technologies. 

For more information on State Library’s digital storytelling program, visit the Queensland Stories website or subscribe to the Queensland Stories discussion list.

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On Saturday 16 May the State Library of Queensland participated in the 2nd Brisbane Heritage Expo at City Hall.

State Library’s Senior Family History Librarian Stephanie Ryan speaking with Expo visitors.

Librarians Trudy Bennett (Heritage Collections) and Stephanie Ryan (Reference Services) within the State Library of Queensland’s display.

With over 50 stalls showcasing various heritage groups and organisations across Brisbane the event was a marvellous occasion for meeting up with friends and colleagues in the historical community and talking with interested members of the public about the treasures contained in the State Library’s Reference and Heritage Collections.

Many thanks to the Museum of Brisbane for organising and hosting the event. This was a terrific oppportunity to take in the displays of organisations dedicated to preserving our cultural heritage.

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It is hoped to include the history of the Brisbane suburb of Stones Corner in a future episode of Channel Seven’s Great South East program. Here is an overview of the suburb’s development:

In 1875, James Stone purchased land on the corner of the present day Logan and Old Cleveland Roads from Frederika Klumpp.  In due course, James Stones operated a ginger beer shop from the site.  Over time, the area became known as Stones Corner.

The Stone family had arrived in the colony in August 1857 on board the ship Mary Pleasants, with James being one of the family’s children.

Before the arrival of James Stones the area was known as Burnett’s Swamp.  Stones Corner is now gazetted as a locality within the suburb of Coorparoo.

Some early residents, settlers and businesses include:

• Henry Opperman purchased land in the Stones Corner area in 1857, paying £59.  Opperman eventually sold his land to Frederika Klumpp who, in turn, sold the land to James Stone.
• John Montegue Black.  Montegue Street is named in honour of this early settler.
• Dennis O’Connor.
• H. Narnst, Cash Butcher (1906).
• Watson & Son, butcher (1911), J.F. Rogers butcher (J.F. Rogers later became the owner of the Alhambra Theatre).

Alhambra Theatre, 1949.  Image No: 146464

• Stewarts Department Store established in 1914.

During the 1950s a number of businesses were estblished, including:

• Charles Henderson Motor Repair Shop.
• Johnston’s Store (crockery, hardware, kitchenware, paint).
• Regency Home Furnishers.
• Beard’s Shoes.
• Scientific Hobby Shop Pty Ltd.
• Drouyn’s Music Store.
• Tacey’s Drapers.
• Gardiners Millinery.
• Holt’s Electrical Store.
• Finlayson’s Menswear.
• Handasydes (Holden).

Stones Corner shops, 1956.  Image No: 193003

As the area was progressively developed for residential housing, a number of individual land subdivisions were undertaken, including:

• Baynes Estate comprising 470 allotments (1880s).
• Tram Terminus Estate, between Old Cleveland Road and Norman Creek (1885).
• Knowsley Estate (1887).
• Logan Road Estate comprising 30 allotments (1889).
• Thompson Estate (1890).

Some of the local sites of interest include:

• Langlands House.  The land was originally purchased by Reuben Nicklin with Langlands House being constructed in 1876.  This property was eventually subdivided for housing (500 allotments).
• Langlands Park – named after Langlands House.  At the time the property was subdivided, part of the land was retained as a sporting reserve.  Originally it was to be the home of the Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club and was large enough for two cricket fields.  In due course the cricket club moved on and it is now home to East Tigers Rugby League.  The Easts Leagues Club was built in 1999.

Langlands Park.  Image No: 193241

• Stones Corner Hotel – This was originally called the Junction Hotel and was built by Dennis O’Connor (approximately 1890).
• Stones Corner Shopping Precinct – In recent years, Stones Corner has become known as a centre for direct factory outlets.  This has brought a lot of shoppers to the area, rejuvenating the suburb.

Some significant dates in Stones Corner’s history and development include:

• 1856 – Norman Creek was first crossed by a bridge.
• 1892 – Salvation Army Hall was constructed.
• 1893 (October 6) – Postal services were established at Mr. Maxwell’s shop.
• 1897 – Brisbane’s first electric tram ran from Logan Road, Woolloongabba to the southern end of Victoria Bridge on 21 June 1897.  This was extended to Stones Corner in January 1899.
• 1902 – Public concern was being expressed over larrikin gangs in Coorparoo, Stones Corner, Highgate Hill, Paddington, Spring Hill, Manly and Nundah.
• 1906 – August 10 – the first public telephone in Stones Corner was established in Reynold’s Store.

Find more photographs of Stones Corner in the State Library’s collection.

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