Friday, February 02, 2007

Wagstaffe again

It's a grey misty day. There's a fine drizzle falling silently and the clouds are low. Crap light for photos but a beautiful cool day. Saved you some photos from Wagstaffe on Monday.

Albert Street Wagstaffe

On Albert Street at the top of the T junction with Mulhall Street. A rather pleasant house built in the last 10 years, maybe 5. Makes great use of a nice view down over Wagstaffe and Hardys Bay. There's probably bugger all yard at the back but who needs it with all those nice balconies. If I was having a house built I'd probably go with this look.

On its right is a green house (partly visible behind the jacaranda tree) achieving a similar effect with additions over a span of about 70 years.

Notice the rooflines of the newer house and the angled veranada poles on the side. Nice bit of fifties retro. There's a few nice examples around the Brisbane Water area.

Mulhall Street Wagstaffe

Mulhall Street. Charming old cottage going to rack and ruin. Living out its declining years as a rental by the look of it. I give it 5 years max before it's bulldozed and turned into units or some swanky house with a massive balcony.

Very hard to date. It's facing the road with its side to the view so either the owner didn't notice the view (unlikely) or there was a nice big veranda on the side which was ripped off so the land could be sold to build that beige 70s place on its right (not very likely) or it was built after the street was but not before (likely).

The third theory puts it probably in the Federation period (circa 1890-circa 1915) or the Inter War period (circa 1915-circa 1940) rather than in the Victoria (circa 1840-circa 1890).

It could actually be Victorian Rustic Gothic (circa 1840-circa 1890 & also known as Gingerbread Gothic). But I can't see what's under that fibro, maybe original wooden weatherboard, maybe not) so I'll have to say not Victorian.

The main style, ignoring the lovely wooden bargeboards and looking instead at the main roof, is all over the Brisbane Water area and fits into Federation and Inter War (circa 1890-circa 1940).

So I'm left with Federaton Filligree (unlikely), Federation Queen Anne (unlikely) and, last but certainly not least, Inter War Poor Man's Default #1/Fisherman's Shack With Later Additions* (circa 1915-circa 1940) + a pair of recycled bargeboards.


By the way, Jimmy Little, the former Woy Woyan over at Tight Sainthood, has also bunged up a wee online shop. His shop is rather more professional than mine and he's got some lovely stuff up. My favourites are this estuary one and this lovely old building.


* Definitely not an official style.

5 comments:

Suzanne44 said...

I like the balconies on the Albert street house, too, but I'm more partial to an old-fashioned screen-porch. The garage on that house perplexes me with its steep roof. I'd want to cut that roof flat and put a lovely gazebo on top, or a greenhouse.

Spike said...

Screen-porch? Flyscreened veranda type thing?

Yers, a greenhouse would go nice there. It'd spoil the lines of the house something cruel but you could grow yer own veg.

Suzanne44 said...

I don't know about spoiling the lines. The garage just doesn't make sense to me - great big ugly cinderblock thing, and a waste of space. House is lovely, all glass and air and angles, garage contrasts bizarrely, like a cement bunker. You could keep roofline of garage, but let the top half be solarium or conservatory with slanted glass...if we were sitting at bar having a beer, I'd sketch it on a napkin easily enough, but I can't figure out how to explain it without benefit of beer and napkin. And salted nuts.

Spike said...

Viewed from the front and the side that garage didn't make much of a visual impact so it's mostly the angle I think. Tell you what though, if they bunged a few of those solar whatsits on it, they could run their whole house for nix.

The nuts really help. The beer and the napkin start the job then the nuts provide both nutrition and rumination time.

Anonymous said...

I love this house. I grew up in Wagstaffe and had some great times here.