East Melbourne, Wellington parade 042

On 11 January 1864 A Stombocco gave notice to the Melbourne City Council that he would build for Benoni Salway a villa in Wellington Parade opposite the Police Barracks gates. By 3 November the same year the Salway family had moved in and Mrs Salway gave birth to a son at the house they named Torrington Villa.

In the 1866 rate books the house is described as brick and having nine rooms and a garden on land 132 ft by 165 ft., a half acre block and big by the standards of East Melbourne. Salway had already moved out and the house was let to warehouseman Andrew King and his family. In 1880 the house was advertised for lease, and it seems that by this time Andrew King was the owner. George Nipper and family were tenants in 1883 followed by undertaker Alfred Augustus Sleight and family in 1884.

By 1895 Otto Bernardo Hug and family were in occupation. Hug was certainly the most colourful person to be associated with the house. Describing himself as a Swiss Somniloquist he advertised:

Mr. Hug diagnoses the patient without asking questions or any bodily examination, will describe the exact locality of pain and disease and inform patients whether curable or not. Swiss and American herbs used. Patients at a distance can have their cases diagnosed by sending a lock of hair cut close to the head; no other person must touch patient's hair. Send full name and address of patient. Fee. 10s. 6d.

Otto Hug arrived in Australia in 1881 after many years travelling in many parts of the world performing wondrous cures wherever he went. [See link to his obituary below for more on his life.] Once in Australia he travelled frequently between Melbourne and Sydney, to regional towns, and also on several occasions to New Zealand. By the early 1890s he had settled in East Melbourne, initially at the big stone house which before its demolition was known as 176 Wellington Parade, and then in 1895 he moved to No 42 renaming it Helvetia. He enjoyed the social life of the community and entertained regularly. On one such occasion Table Talk reported that:

DR. and Mrs. Otto Hug entertained a very large company, at their residence, "Helvetia," East Melbourne, on Wednesday evening, July 8. when cards, music, and dancing made up a most delightful evening's entertainment. The drawing-room was set apart for music, and this was of an excellent order. Card playing was indulged in by many of the seniors in the morning-room and dancing was carried out with great spirit in the ball-room. … Refreshments of a very choice order were served in the dining-room, which, like the ball-room, was exquisitely decorated with choice blossoms, palms, and pot plants.

In 1899 Hug was unlucky enough to have his house compulsorily acquired by the Victorian Railways as they prepared to put in the new Collingwood railway line, whereupon he moved across the road to St Ives, 128 Vale Street, where he died a year later.

In January 1903 the house was included in a sale of surplus railway properties:

"HELVETIA," No. 42 Wellington-parade, East Melbourne, beautifully situated, elegant, and very substantial two-story splendid brick residence, 12 rooms, verandahs, balcony, ballroom, vestibule, bathrooms, scullery, and numerous conveniences; also splendid and extensive brick stabling, coachhouses, man's room, loft, &c; beautiful gardens and fernery; let to Mrs. E. Allen at £2/13/ weekly; land, 132ft. 6in.x 166ft., with private right-of-way 12ft. wide from George-street.

The property was purchased by Dr William Andrews who with his family moved up the road from 4 Wellington Parade into his friend’s old house. Later one of his daughters married one of the Hug boys. Dr Andrews died in 1920 and the Inventory of Assets that was part of his probate papers described the land as follows:

All that piece of freehold land having a frontage of twenty feet and All that piece of leasehold land having a frontage of 112 ft 6 ins to Wellington Parade by a depth of 166 ft on which is erected a two storey brick residence and usual outbuildings valued for Municipal purposes at £3000.

The rate books in contrast list the property as one piece and apparently all owned by Andrews. Later rate books add a note about ‘land on lease’. It is possible that the old garden was being used by Thomas Main’s foundry which was directly behind in George Street. The house itself became a boarding house known as Normanhurst. In February 1938 it was sold for demolition along with its neighbours at 48 and 50 Wellington Parade. The Garden Avenue redevelopment took its place.