Queen Alexandra Home, Heritage-listed villa in Coorparoo, Brisbane, Australia

Queen Alexandra Home is a two-story brick building on Old Cleveland Road with decorative cast iron verandahs and a central staircase. It preserves original features such as marble fireplaces and leadlight windows that were maintained through renovations in the 1980s.

Hatherton was built in 1886 for Reuben Nicklin, manager of the Brisbane office of Butler Brothers, Saddlers and Ironmongers, to designs attributed to John Hall and Son. The Methodist Church bought the villa in 1911 and opened it in March 1912 as the Queen Alexandra Home for Children; the Kingsbury wing followed in 1919. The last children left in 1960, after which the state used the building for domestic science teaching and, from 1977, hospitality training.

The name honours Queen Alexandra, and the home was run by the Queen Alexandra Ladies' Committee. Its 1919 wing, Kingsbury, commemorates Mrs J. J. Kingsbury, the home's first president. In the mid-1940s, day pupils from Somerville House were taught inside the building.

The villa stands on the crest of a rise fronting Old Cleveland Road at the Cavendish Road corner in Coorparoo, set back behind its front verandah. The 1886 Hatherton section faces the street, with the 1919 Kingsbury wing extending to the southwest and service buildings to the rear. The site is a community centre, so check opening arrangements before visiting.

The house was linked to a tragic family loss when original owners died in a maritime disaster in the 1890s. Despite this personal tragedy, the property went on to serve an important role in the community.