A photo of c.1934 shows a large symmetrical house. The central section has a steep roof with attic windows, and is flanked by Italianate pavillions, each with a bay window.
The house is believed to be the first built in East Melbourne after the first Crown land sales of 1852 opened the suburb up to the public. It was built for Henry Cooke and was described in the 1854 Rate Books as a wooden house of 12 rooms plus a kitchen and stables, etc. It is thought to have been a prefabricated house as Cooke imported and erected in the immediate area several other prefabricated houses. In 1855 the house was advertised for sale or lease as follows:
TO be Sold or Let, Egglestone Villa, FitzRoy Square, the house and residence of Mr Henry Cook, who is about leaving Melbourne. It is built on two Government sections, having a frontage to FitzRoy Square of 108 feet, and can be sold or let with three sections containing three quarters of an acre. The whole of the garden ground has been deeply trenched, and thoroughly enriched. The front sections are neatly laid out, and the back garden is stocked with vines and choice fruit trees. The house contains ten rooms, and detached kitchen, servants’ room, and store. There is a galvanised iron watertank, containing upwards of 2000 gallons and a large garden tank, with cistern and pump complete; a four stalled stable, hay loft, coach, gig, and fowl house, &c. For further particulars apply to Mr HAM, house and land agent, 45 Swanston street.
Mr Ham was Henry Cooke's brother-in-law. He later reported that the property had been sold for £3625. James Butchart was the purchaser and he made some alterations. The house was described from 1860 as wood and brick with 7 rooms and stables. After further alterations in 1867 the house again became 12 rooms.
Between 1872 and 1874 the house was the home of Dr. John Singleton and his family. His daughters, Elizabeth and Anna, conducted Ormiston school from there before moving to other premises in East Melbourne. In 1874 one of the students, Miss Pettett, ran away causing much consternation and conjecture. [See link below for more]
Thomas Welton Stanford bought the house in 1874 and made substantial alterations to it. From 1885 the house is described as 13 rooms after Stanford built an observatory in the grounds. Its dome can be seen in later photos. After Stanford's death in 1918 the house was bought by the Church of England for a babies' home. It was demolished in 1936 to make way for the Freemasons Hospital.
1853-1856: Henry Cooke (c. 1817-1889) Henry Cooke, along with his brother, John, is best known for founding The Age newspaper in 1854. Unable to make a financial success of it he sold it to the Syme brothers after only a few months. Cooke described himself as a merchant but was an entrepreneur acting on opportunities as they arose. In the 1850s he received gold on consignment from the Gold Escort for safe keeping. He imported anything from iron deed boxes to prefabricated houses. He speculated in land, having an inside view of the market through his brother-in-law, real estate agent, CJ Ham. His main business however was as an importer of paper products of all sorts, everything from books to paper hangings to religious tracts which he distributed to those considered in need of salvation with his good friend, John Singleton (see below). In later years he lived at 102 Hotham Street, East Melbourne.
1857-1863: James Butchart. A wealthy pastoralist with land on the Mornington Peninsular. Beleura, built for him in 1863, is now a museum and open to the public.
1864-1869: Henry Brooks. Founder of Brooks, Robinson & Co., wholesale oil, colour and glass merchants and importers of painters' and decorators' supplies. The firm was well known in Melbourne and supplied large quantities of glass to churches and domestic residences all over Australia. It was eventually absorbed by E. L. Yencken & Co.
1870-1872: various
1872-1874: John Singleton. John Singleton was a doctor, evangelist and philanthropist. He was a powerful social reformer who founded many organizations and institutions for the benefit of the underpriveleged, the most notable of which was The Free Medical Mission and Dispensary in Wellington Street, Collingwood. Locally he served as a vestryman for many years at Holy Trinity Church.
1875-1918: Thomas Welton Stanford. Stanford was the younger brother of Leland Standford who founded Stanford University. He arrived in Australia in 1860 with a shipment of kerosene lamps. These were new to Austalia and sold exceptionally well, making him a small fortune. He was apparantly so seasick on the way out that he vowed never to return to the USA. He married in 1869 but sadly his wife died in childbirth the following year, and stricken by grief he turned to spiritualism to make contact with her. He was one of the founders of the Victorian Association of Progressive Spiritualists and established the Harbinger of Light, a spiritualist magazine. His many other interests included his garden which was stocked with rare plants; his aviaries of exotic birds; and his collection Australian paintings which represented many schools, although he actively disliked the "impressional" style. His business remained in importing, and for nearly twenty years he owned the exclusive Australian maketing rights to the Singer sewing machines. Condensed milk was another of his profitable imports. He died in East Melbourne a wealthy man and left most of his estate to Stanford University for psychical research.
Illustrations:
State Library of Victoria, La Trobe Picture Collection, Accession Numbers H5540 and H84.92/1
Refs:
City of Melbourne Intents to Build Reg. No. 648, 21 Dec 1852
City of Melbourne Rate Books
Burchett, Winston, East Melbourne 1837-1977: People, Places, Problems. Craftsman Press, Melbourne, 1978
Melbourne Mansions database: http://fmpro.abp.unimelb.edu.au/
The Argus, 14 Sep 1855, p.8
The Age, 23 June 1856, p.2
The Missing Young Lady, Gippsland Times, 20 Jun 1874 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61907751