The origins of Hazelwell, 121 Powlett Street, are not absolutely clear.  On 14 August 1854 Samuel Williams, a plasterer then living in Collingwood, notified the Melbourne City Council that he would build a two-room weatherboard house.  It quickly expanded to three rooms plus kitchen, according to the rate books, and then to five rooms. The Williams first child was born there.  Four years later, on 31 August 1859, the new owner Henry Dyer, a lime and cement merchant, advised that he would add two brick rooms to the house. In 1860 the rate books describe a plastered house of four rooms plus kitchen, the following year it is a brick house with a cottage at the rear.  The house appears to be the product of a slow metamorphosis. 

Henry Dyer lived here with his wife, Mary, and their children for about four years before moving to London. Henry died in London on 5 May 1869 leaving his property, which included many houses in East Melbourne, to his wife in trust for the children. Mary returned to Melbourne and soon after married Gavin Brown, a tenant of The Bungalow, the house next door.  He was a stockbroker and one of the founders of the Stock Exchange. Together they demolished The Bungalow and built the house now known as Crathre.  They moved in there together, leaving Hazelwell to be occupied by tenants.  

One of the more interesting tenants was Ivo Bligh and his new wife, Florence, nee Morphy.  Many will know this couple’s importance to the cricketing world and the creation of The Ashes. The generally accepted version of the story is that when the English team toured Australia in 1882-83 Sir William Clarke invited the team to Rupertswood, his property in Sunbury, for a private match against the household.  The English team won and in light-hearted spirit Lady Clarke presented the captain, Ivo Bligh, with a small urn containing some ashes in response to a mock obituary published in The Sporting Times in England after the English team had lost to the Australians a few months earlier.  Amongst the ladies present on the day was Florence Morphy, governess to the Clarke’s children.  It is thought hers might have been the inspiration behind the gift. 

Ivo Bligh, later Lord Darnley, returned to Australia for the following season and married Florence at St Mary’s, Sunbury on 28 February 1884, with the Rev HN Wollaston from Holy Trinity, East Melbourne conducting the service. On 19 October 1886 their eldest child was born at Hazelwell.

Another short-term tenant of some interest was Frederick Tyrone Power (1869-1931). He was a member of the famous acting family, being grand-son of the Irish actor, Tyrone Power (1795-1841) and father of the most famous Tyrone Power (1914-1958). Power toured Australia and New Zealand in 1900-1902.  The Melbourne leg was a dismal failure and ended in insolvency. His takings at the Princess Theatre simply did not cover costs. His assets were listed for sale in January 1902 and were described as ‘a quantity of SCENERY and PROPERTIES belonging to the plays "Nadjezda" and "The Charity Ball," valued at £259.’

Mrs Cobden, a spiritualist, lived there about the same time.  She advertised ‘Public Seances, Mondays, Thursdays; ladies' medical seance, Wednesday, 8 o'clock; private sittings daily, by introduction.’ All to be conducted at Hazelwell. 

Gavin Brown died in 1898 and Mary died in 1902.  Hazelwell was sold soon after. The new owner was produce-merchant John Hurst Green of Coniston, 92 Albert Street, East Melbourne. He quickly invited tenders for the installation of sewerage. He, and later his daughter, Alice Stillman, remained owners of the property until 1955 when it was bought by William Robert Johnston, benefactor of the house museum in East Melbourne, known as The Johnston Collection.  He owned the house until his death in 1986.