Stickybeaks rejoice: Brisbane Open House returns with free access to historic buildings
By Nick Dent
In 2021, retired architect Lisa White and her husband were removing concrete render in the heritage-listed “Pink Flats” building in James Street, New Farm, exposing the original walls.
Suddenly, a confetti-like rain came down around them. “As we pulled the wall down, wallpaper lifted off the wall and started floating to the floor,” White said.
Miss Midgley’s guesthouse in New Farm is one of the oldest surviving houses in Brisbane and a former girls’ school.Credit: David Chatfield
They had uncovered fragile, hand-painted floral wallpaper dating back to the building’s construction in the 1860s. They managed to salvage some, and it now takes pride of place behind a panel of UV-resistant glass in the kitchen of the upstairs “Drawing Room” apartment.
It’s one of the fascinating stories about Miss Midgley’s, a boutique guest house that White and her daughter Isabella opened in 2022 retaining the features of the original building with a few modern touches.
“I didn’t want it to feel like a creepy restored home with all old antique furniture, so it’s modern and groovy, but it pays homage to the old building,” White said.
Miss Midgley’s is throwing open its doors for Brisbane Open House 2024, with White leading guided tours of the house on Sunday, July 14.
Now in its 15th year, BOH opens buildings to the public with free guided and self-guided tours. There are also workshops, and a day of talks at Brisbane Powerhouse.
The lap pool at Miss Midgley’s in New Farm. The pattern on the pool umbrellas matches the 1860s wallpaper found behind plaster on an upstairs wall.Credit: David Chatfield
Architectural historian Marianne Taylor, known as “The House Detective”, will take part in a talk with her research on Miss Midgley’s.
“Ann Midgley started a school there in 1904,” Taylor said. “She never married, and she ran the school right up until her death in the 1940s.”
Ann Midgley ran the school from 1903 to her death in 1943.Credit: David Brown
“She was very talented artist and she was ambidextrous – she could paint and write with both hands,” White said.
The renovated building now has five apartments, with names – Refectory, Locker Room, Principal’s Office, Assembly Hall and Drawing Room – nodding to the building’s former life as Miss Midgley’s Educational Establishment for girls.
In its time the building has also been an orphanage, a hospital and the grand home to a Queensland premier, Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer. But when White and her daughter bought the place in 2020 it was in serious need of TLC.
“There were five tenanted apartments and it hadn’t had a coat of paint for probably 70 years. There was rotten furniture everywhere; you couldn’t walk on the verandas,” White said.
The Whites added a lap pool and built modern bathrooms and kitchens, but did not wish to expand the footprint of the heritage-listed building, a decision that made council approvals less onerous.
The renovation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Whites were obliged to use local and Australian products. Credit: David Chatfield
“We weren’t able to change the exterior in any way, which suited us,” she said.
“In New Farm, a lot of the sites are so expensive that they tend to get incredibly overbuilt. This one just sits very proudly on the street, and the neighbourhood seems to really enjoy that.”
Taylor said that Brisbane Open House attracted architects and history buffs as well as the public.
“It helps promote our built heritage and hopefully helps people appreciate it more,” she said.
“I love it because it’s a legitimate excuse to stickybeak inside places you can’t often get into.”
Other buildings open for tours over the weekend include Parliament House, Masonic Memorial Centre, New Farm Cinemas, QEII Courts of Law, Port Office, Roma Street Fire Station and the newly reopened Newstead House.
Brisbane Open House takes place July 13-14, 2024. Events are free but booking is essential. Miss Midgley’s at 135 James Street, New Farm is available for short and long-term stays.