Six Queensland Colonial Judges and their Houses 1859–1901
From a lecture by David Gibson and Carolyn Nolan
‘Visited by His Majesty The King’
During the 1850s, the site on which St John’s Wood stands was part of a 300 acre cattle station belonging to the Hon. JF McDougall. The land was sold to Daniel Somerset in 1865. He built a U-shaped granite house designed by Joshua Jeays on the estate and leased the property to the English barrister George Rogers Harding (as he then was) in 1868.
Harding purchased the estate in 1874 and extended the estate to cover an area of 600 acres, stretching back to the Taylor ranges. He not only completed the house but also made a number of improvements including the building of a ballroom in the space between the two wings. In order to house his large family (Harding had 12 children), another building was constructed adjacent to the residence. Harding also added stables for his many horses, a road to the property, and planted a ten acre grove of orange trees.
Appointed to the Bench in 1879, Justice Harding was one Brisbane’s most socially prominent figures and St John’s Wood was a brilliant social centre of Brisbane during his time there.
Famously, even Royalty was entertained there. In 1881 Princes Albert, aged 17, and George, aged 15, who were midshipsmen-in-training on HMS Bacchante, stayed at St John’s Wood. In 1901, George, now the Duke of Cornwall and York, visited St John’s Wood again with his wife Mary when they were in Australia to open the first Federal Parliament. This couple became King George V and Queen Mary in 1910.
Mr Justice Harding died in 1895. The subsequent owner of the property was Francis Michael Anglim, who acquired it in 1917. Anglim subdivided the estate in 1923.
The Name St John's Wood
St John's Wood was named after the suburb it was built in.
St John’s Wood – Home of The Hon. Mr Justice Harding. 31 Piddington Street, St John’s Wood.
Advertisement for subdivision and
sale of St John’s Wood Estate.
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