|
Ascot House is a heritage-listed villa at 15 Newmarket Street, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1870s to 1890s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. == History == Ascot House, a single-storey timber residence with an attached two-storeyed timber extension, referred to as a folly, has been called the largest and most extensive of the grand Toowoomba residences. While the exact construction date is unknown, Ascot was possibly built in the 1870s as a private residence for Frederick Hurrell Holberton, a Toowoomba storekeeper and later Member of the Queensland Legislative Council. The architect of Ascot house remains unknown. When built, the house stood on about 32 acres of land near the Toowoomba racecourse. The grounds of Ascot contained a glasshouse, stables, croquet greens, tennis courts and extensive gardens, which included trees and shrubs bought from overseas.〔 Holberton sold the property to William Beit Jnr in 1894. William Beit Snr died suddenly in July 1872 before the birth of his son. The Register of the Queensland Parliament, 1860-1927 states that Francis Gregory, the owner of Harlaxton House, resigned as Mining Commissioner for Stanthorpe in November 1872 to take over the administration of the estate of his late friend William Beit, and the family moved to Westbrook. Gregory appears in the Post Office Directories as Station Manager, Westbrook, Toowoomba by 1874. By 1876, however, he is not listed as such. The Toowoomba Chronicle, on 30 November 1875, reported a court case between Sarah Beit, as plaintiff and a number of defendants including, Henry Beit (William Beit's brother) and Francis Thomas Gregory (as Trustees) as the defendants.〔 It is thought that William Beit named the house Ascot, reputedly because of his interest in horse racing. In the 1890s, Beit added a two-storeyed extension with a large billiard room, designed by Harry Marks to the original U-shaped house. The extension was a very elaborate design, suggestive of the superstructure of a ship, and was known as Beit's Folly. Beit was reputed to have had a distinctly artistic temperament which was reflected in the buildings he owned. The folly has become the distinctive architectural characteristic associated with Ascot House.〔 The architect of the "folly", Harry Marks, was a prominent Toowoomba architect noted for his highly creative work. Harry Marks was born in Toowoomba in 1871. After training under his father, architect James Marks, Harry entered into partnership with him in 1892 and spent his entire career in Toowoomba. During his career he invented and patented numerous ventilators, reversible casement windows and a method of stucco construction. He continued the practice into the 20th century and his son Charles Beresford Marks became a partner in 1925. Harry Marks became an Associate of the Queensland Institute of Architects in 1925 and Fellow in 1929. Harry Marks died on 1 March 1931.〔 Information from Anthony Battams thesis on William Hodgen states that, in 1899, plans were drawn by William Hodgen for extensions to the kitchen and stables. The builder for both of these projects was T. Olsen. There is also mention of a new cottage built for Beit in the same year, by G Gazzard and designed by Hodgen. It is not clear whether this cottage was built on the same property as Ascot House.〔 The Trustees Quarterly Review, April 1912 states that: Queensland Trustees Limited, as attorneys for Mr William Beit, also placed on the market the beautiful house and park lands known as "Ascot", and though the house property itself failed to find a purchase, the remainder of the estate found great favour with the public, and the whole lot was sold at the auction sale from 275 to 450 pounds per acre. Ascot was sold to Frederick Ernest Bennett in 1915, and has subsequently had a number of owners, being used for flats for many years. Articles in the Courier-Mail dated 21 March 1985, claim that American troops were stationed at Ascot House during World War Two.〔 The property has been progressively subdivided from the original 32 acres and it now stands on just over 2 acres of land. The house also suffered from the effects of vandalism during the 1970s. The current owner purchased Ascot House in 1984. Following extensive renovations, the two-storeyed extension of Ascot House, Beits' Folly, was opened as a tea room and house museum in 1994.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ascot House」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|