Bardon House, Heritage-listed house in Bardon, Brisbane, Australia
Bardon House is a two-story stone residence with Victorian Gothic details including intersecting gables, dormer windows, and sandstone finishes throughout. The L-shaped building contains a central chapel-like room, multiple smaller spaces with cedar joinery, and French doors that open onto verandahs.
Joshua Jeays, an early Brisbane mayor, built Bardon House between 1863 and 1864 and named it after Bardon Hill in Leicestershire, England. The building represents his prominence in the city's early development during the Victorian era.
The property became a convent and religious center after the Roman Catholic Archdiocese took over in 1925. You can still see how the interior was adapted for spiritual purposes, with a chapel-like room that reflects this transformation.
The house is situated in a residential neighborhood and remains visible from the street. Visitors should be aware that its current religious use may affect access times, and the historic structure includes stairs and period flooring that require careful navigation.
The original owner built this residence for his wife Sarah, who died before the house was completed, so he never lived in it himself. This personal tragedy shaped the building's history and gives it an unexpected emotional dimension.
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