Heritage Houses in Brisbane: 1870 to 1880's

Brisbane is filled to the brim with heritage houses. In this mini-series we delved into architecture from different eras to help you understand the design premise of your dream home. In this article we look into houses built in the Late Colonial period, the 1870's to 1880's.

Most of the typical 19th century houses around inner Brisbane date from the 1880s. Examples of this period houses can be seen in Paddington, Red Hill, Highgate Hill and East Brisbane.

M-roof cottage

An M-roof could be considered as a ‘double gable’. The M-roof features two sloped sides that meet in the middle with corresponding slopes on each side.

A possible downfall of this design would be that rain builds up where the two slopes meet but this is amended by a central gutter running from front to back, perpendicular to the front of the building. The pitch of M-framed roofs is typically steeper to assist in runoff and to ‘catch’ less rain.

Pyramid roof

The Pyramid roof cottage is a more widespread type of worker's dwelling, which gave rise to the Queenslander style as we know it. The cottage often has steeply pitched corrugated iron roofs, stepped veranda roofs and brick chimneys which set these houses apart from later bungalow styles. These houses generally had a square design with an internal layout that allowed for two bedrooms, a sitting room and kitchen.

Short-ridge roof with encircling verandas

In similar fashion to the Pyramid roof cottages, the Short-ridged cottages are another widespread worker’s dwellings which have given rise to the Queenslander type of house.  The cottage often has steeply pitched corrugated iron roofs and stepped veranda roofs, separated from the main pyramid roof. The house style often has a veranda facing the street which extend around the sides of the house. These houses are also often characterised by symmetrical stairs.