Circa 1900
Sometime around 1900 the house was substantially remodelled, and extended with the addition of the 2 story building at the rear of the 3 story 1865 building. From what I can tell the current lounge room (lovingly known as the Zebra Room) was a billiards room with the room above it becoming the main bedroom with ensuite.
1906
The house is renumbered from 32 (or 34) to 24.
1910, July 21st
Advert in The Ballarat Star, page 5.
Strong Youth for ordinary farm work; must be able to milk. Apply 24 Webster street.
1913, March 2nd
Death of Reverend D R Cairns.
Prominent early owner.
1917, September 28th
Advert in The Ballarat Star, page 5.
Man, need to farm work: able to milk. Apply 24 Webster street.
1923
A postcard of Kent Villa, known by a previous name Cairnhurst. The widows walk is clearly visible, as is the bumpy white render that I have been told was fashionable in Ballarat post WW1.
Courtesy of State Archives.
1940's
Timing unknown.
During the 1940s the house was converted into six flats, each with their own stove and flue cut through the ceiling. Many of the verandahs were built in to make extra rooms.
Here is one of the disused flue's temporarily plugged with pillows until we could get it permanently capped off. This disused flue is in the hallway to the main bathroom!
1947, May 9th
Death of Mary Alice Cairns, former owner.
1947, June 21st
Auction of furnishings of Mary Alice Cairns.
Adverts ran over several weeks, possibly in more than one publication. This one was in The Age on page 18. I found another in The Age 30 June 1947 page 16.
1947, September 9th
Notice in The Age, page 7
Personal estate valued at £10,602 was left by Mary Alice Cairns, late of Cairnhurst, Webster-street, Ballarat, widow. After providing for certain legacies, testatrix left half the income from the residue to the stipend of the Rev. R. J. Paton, missionary in the New Hebrides, or such other missionary appointed by the General Assembly in the New Hebrides. The other half was left to the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union.
Circa late 1940's
Exact timing unknown. Extract from
Most fashionable street : a history of Webster Street, Ballarat
In the late 1940's, to ease an accomodation shortage in the Clarendon P.L.C boarding house, eleven boarders occupied the top floor of
Cairnhurst.
1953, February 4th
Auction Advertisement.
Advert run over several weeks. This one was in Camperdown Chronicle, 23 January 1953, page 8. I found another in The Age 4 February 1953 page 14 (the day of the auction). The advert in The Age is much the same, but lists Telephone as an additional feature.
From what I can tell this is the last time the house was sold before being subdivided.
Also, 4 toilets! I wonder where they were.
Circa 1955
Purchased by Dulcie and Vince Sullivan.
Speculation: I have heard that sometime around this time the property was subdivided.
- The orchard became what is now 22A Webster Street
- The garage with direct laneway access became 201 Lyons Street North
- The farmland became 203, 205, 207, 209, 211, 215 Lyons Street North
1978, May 13th
Article in The Age, page 38.
Observations:
- Car port in front of house on driveway. The posts are still obvious in the grass mound today.
- Garden overgrown a pair of large shrubs each side of the front steps.
- The upstairs front verandah is glazed in.
- The fernery has a tin roof rather than the slate roof today.
1978, September
Sold for $52,500.
1980, February
Sold for $60,000.
1984, June
Sold for $90,000
1987, February
Sold for $140,000.
1989
David I A Gordon publishes a book mentioning 24 Webster Street.
Most fashionable street : a history of Webster Street, Ballarat pages 72 and 73.
Late 1990's
A major hailstorm hits Ballarat. Much of the slate roof was destroyed, and water damage ruined a number of the rooms on the upper levels over the proceeding years. Sheila O'Keefe, the owner at the time, was unable to have the roof repaired. This mammoth task was completed by the next owners, the Coughlans in the early 2000's.