Two storey single fronted house with cast iron verandah and balcony.
Built for Captain Arthur Devlin, in the Rate Books of 1864 the house is described as having six rooms plus shed. For the next ten years the number of rooms fluctuates between six and seven. The land is given as 33 feet by 165 feet. In 1873 Hugh Junor Browne became the owner and made additions to the house. The architect was F.M. White, designer of the Old Law School Building at Melbourne University, and the builder was J. Thomas of Kent Street, Richmond. From then the house is described as eleven rooms and the land 33 feet by 200 feet. One can assume that a second storey was added to what was a single storey building.
From at least 1909 the house was advertised as a boarding house offering optional breakfast, telephone, garage and stables. At this time it was under the management of a Miss Mitchell. The address was given as The Grange, 122 Wellington Parade.
Now the site of the East Melbourne Post Office.
1863-1874: Captain Arthur Devlin. He spent many years as a ship's captain before settling in Melbourne where he was a merchant and also co-owner with George Ward Cole of the ferry, Gem, which travelled between Melbourne and Williamstown.
1874- : Hugh Junor Browne (1829-1905), spiritualist and distiller. His daughter, Elizabeth Martha Anne (Pattie) married Alfred Deakin in 1882 at Park House, against her father's wishes. After several short lived experiments with life he eventually established the Australian Distilllery Works, Yarra Bank, Princes Bridge from which he achieved considerable financial success. Apparently a deeply religious man he found difficulty in reconciling religion and science and subsequently fell under the influence of Spiritualism, attending seances and contributing to the journal, Harbinger of Light, founded by Thomas Welton Stanford of 180 Clarendon Street (see also)
1909c.- Miss Mitchell runs a boarding house.
City of Melbourne Rate Books
City of Melbourne Notice of Intent to Build Reg. 256, 15 July 1863
City of Melbourne Notice of Intent to Build Reg. 5490, 21 July 1873
Australian Dictionary of Biography online: www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs Entry for Browne, Hugh Junor
Walking Melbourne website: http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/building255_law-school-building-melbourn...
Devlin, Stanley L., Multiple Stains, privately published. Excerpt on www.netspeed.com.au/Kdevlin/Stanley