Grey Street

A grandly scaled and elaborately detailed terrace house built in 1883 for tobacco merchant Charles Arnell. 

A brick cottage called Fernleigh was built here for William Nicholson, probably in 1851. He was a successful businessman and politician who was briefly Premier of Victoria in 1859-60. In about 1860 he leased the house next door Barham (later Eildon), then died a few years later in 1865. His widow Sarah Birkett then married Richard Twentyman, who bought Fernleigh in 1869. He greatly extended or replaced the house with a twenty room mansion renamed Mittagong, designed by Charles Webb, and the Twentymans lived there until Richard’s death in 1880. The house was then occupied by three generations of the Molesworth family for 60 years, until it was sold in 1939, demolished, and replaced by an extension of Eildon Road, quickly lined with apartment buildings.

Eildon is the largest and grandest surviving nineteenth century mansion in St Kilda.  It began as a large 1850 Regency style house called Barham, designed by John Gill, for Edward Barnard Green, who made his fortune in mail-coach lines. His neighbour to the north in Fernleigh from c1851 was William Nicholson, grocer and noted politician, and in the 1860s their stories intertwined. Nicholson leased and moved into Barham around the time of Green’s death in 1861, dying himself in 1865. His widow Sarah Birkett née Fairclough then married businessman Richard Twentyman the next year, moving in with her. In 1869 he purchased Fernleigh, and rebuilt it into a grand mansion renamed Mittagong for them.

Barham meanwhile was sold to pastoralist Richard M Currie, who commissioned Reed and Barnes to greatly rebuild it into the Renaissance Revival style mansion Eildon in 1872. Currie died in 1898, and his widow in 1901, and the house was sold. The first ads as a guesthouse appeared in 1917. The southern end of the grounds was sold off in 1921 and subdivided, creating one end of Eildon Road. The other end was created when Mittagong was sold and demolished in 1940.

From 1951 Eildon was owned by the Ymer family who ran it as a boarding house. In 1953, they sold the last portion of the grounds, creating Newton Court. They sold the house in 2006 to the Alliance Française who moved from nearby Robe Street. In early 2022, they sold to art auction house couple Gary Singer and Geoffrey Smith, who put it up for sale again in late 2023 after external repairs.

Stradbroke is one of the few St Kilda mansions that remains largely unaltered, and on a large site, and is also one of a row of three such houses, including Eildon and Villa Capri.  Built in 1872, the verandah to the rear is probably original, but the arched verandah facing Grey street was likely added in 1890. The house was first built for Thompson Moore, who did not stay long, leasing to the Bruce family, and future Prime Minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce was born here in 1883. from 1886 the house was occupied by John Goodall, who remained until his death in 1915. Along with Villla capri next door the house was sold to the Presentation Sisters who opened a school and convent here in 1928, St Fintan’s, the school closing in the late 1960s. In 2012 they sold Stradbroke to became a private house again, but still occupy Vila Capri.

 Villa Capri is one of the few 19^th century mansions in St Kilda that remains largely unaltered, and on a large site. Built in 1871, the light arched timber single storey verandah is typical for the era. The architect was Sydney W Smith, who the next year  also designed the house next door, Stadbroke. It was built for Gavin Shaw, Mayor of St Kilda in 1881-2, until his death in 1894.  who did not stay long, leasing to the Bruce family, and future Prime Minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce was born here in 1883. By the 1890s the house was occupied by John Goodall, who remained until his death in 1915. Along with Villla capri next door the house was sold to the Presentation Sisters who opened a school and convent here in 1928, St Fintan’s, the school closing in the late 1960s. In 2012 they sold Stradbroke to became a private house again, but still occupy Vila Capri.

Originally built as the grand Westbourne Terrace in 1859, it was transformed in 1909 into the Killeen Guest House with a three level timber verandah replacing the elegant single storey poches. Further alterations took place in 1937 along with a name change to Oslo, which became a run-down boarding house by the 1980s. In 2019 the building was transformed again, back into five terraces for The Block TV renovation show, retaining and restoring the 1909 verandahs, but little else.