Calls to save Mowbray Park cottage resumed for road project

COUNCIL is being called on to preserve a brick cottage adjoining Mowbray Park resumed for the Wynnum Rd Corridor Upgrade.

Councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) and local historian Geraint Gregory check historical records on a brick cottage next to Mowbray Park. Picture: Brian Bennion

COUNCIL is being called on to preserve a brick cottage adjoining Mowbray Park resumed for the Wynnum Rd Corridor Upgrade.

The building on Lytton Rd is currently a dental clinic business which will relocate next month.

Councillor Jonathan Sri (The Gabba) said he would be asking the chairman of city planning to preserve the cottage as is or to look at the possibility of relocating it further into Mowbray Park as a community facility.

“Even if it can’t remain as a private business, maybe there is an argument for it being retained as a clubhouse that is connected to the park as a community facility,” Cr Sri said. “I think this home is an important part of our local history, it’s an important part of the character of the area and the project itself doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

House historian Magnus Eriksson said the cottage, named “Wirrawa”, was a standard colonial-style cottage and appears on the 1918 surveyor plans.

“The style was very popular and predominated in the 1800s, but some examples were built into the 1910s,” he said. “There are a few surviving examples in Brisbane, mainly timber constructions and occasionally brick.”

Historian Geraint Gregory said the cottage’s location adjoining the park gave it a unique appeal and place in the community.

A council spokeswoman said the Wynnum Road upgrade was an essential project to tackle traffic congestion and several houses were required to be removed for the project.

“Council is proceeding with this upgrade which will get residents home quicker and safer,” she said.