Shafston House, Historic villa at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Australia

Shafston House is a heritage-listed villa at 23 Castlebar Street, Kangaroo Point, set in grounds fronting the Brisbane River. The main house was built in stages between 1851 and 1904, incorporating the earlier single-storeyed Ravenscott. An 1858 sketch shows a substantial single-storeyed house with a front verandah, a high-pitched roof, attic rooms and three dormer windows overlooking the river.

Reverend Robert Creyke built a single-storey house called Ravenscott on portion 44 after receiving the deed of grant in November 1851. In December 1852 the property passed to Henry Stuart Russell, who completed the house, renamed it Shafston, likely after his wife's birthplace in Jamaica, and expanded the estate to over 44 acres. The main house was built in stages between 1851 and 1904.

The name Shafston probably comes from the birthplace of Henry Stuart Russell's wife in Jamaica. In the 1850s the house was let to tenants including solicitor Daniel Foley Roberts and later to Gilbert Eliot, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament, from 1860 to 1871.

The property is located at 23 Castlebar Street and functions as part of an educational institution, so check ahead before visiting. Original garden sections remain on the grounds and add to the setting.

The cellars and attic rooms reveal early colonial building methods typical of Queensland before separation from New South Wales. These hidden spaces show the craftsmanship and techniques used in 19th century construction.