Holmswood (extant) 67 Alexandra Street

The sale notice, which includes a photograph showing the mansion from the northeast, described it as a ‘splendid brick villa residence’ comprising an entrance hall, lounge or ballroom and four other main reception rooms, a master bedroom suite with dressing room and bathroom and five other bedrooms with two bathrooms, three maids rooms with dining room and bathroom, kitchen and scullery and a four room gardener’s cottage, as well as a brick garage for three cars, all situated on 3.5 acres of land with a 500 ft frontage to Alexandra Street and a depth of 244 ft along Alma Road. The grounds were described as being ‘tastefully laid out in lawns and flower beds, with two excellent tennis courts (one of grass and the other of asphalt)’ (The Argus, 17 January 1925, The former ‘Holmwood’ is a late nineteenth century mansion in the Italianate boom style in rendered brick with elaborate stucco decoration, and a hip and gable slate roof. The principal elevations face to the east, toward Alexandra Street, and to the north, toward the original secondary frontage of Alma Road. The eastern elevation is symmetrical in plan with a central entry flanked by curved bays with balustraded parapets, a bracketed cornice and a frieze comprised of eaves brackets alternating with inset circles above swags. The northern elevation is asymmetrical in plan and features a faceted bay beside the projecting entry portico with its triangular pediment and collonettes. Wrapping around the eastern elevation and returning along parts of the north and south are the original verandah balustrade and some of the original post bases and rendered columns. Windows are arched with cement mouldings. Of note are the highly modelled chimneys, which feature pedimented and bracketed cornices and other mouldings. Internally, the main reception rooms are arranged around a central hallway with one side an arcade on paired columns giving access to a large room with elaborate, diagonally boarded timber ceiling supported on trusses. The hall cornices are apparently in their original colours and there is an Egyptian mantlepiece in one of the rooms. The 1900 MMBW plan shows the house originally had a verandah across the eastern façade, which returned along parts of the south and north side elevations.

Alterations

The verandah was removed and replaced c.1926 with the present flat verandahs. The shingling of the gable ends was also carried out during that time. In the northwest corner adjacent to the entrance from Wavenhoe Avenue is a two storey rendered brick building, L-shaped in plan, with a gabled tile roof that appears to date from the interwar period. It has timber sash windows and a vehicle opening at ground floor level.

Associated gardens

The mansion is set within the remnants of the original formal gardens extensive front garden to Alexandra Street includes several mature Canary Island Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis), two Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), a large Bhutan cypress (Cupressus torulosa). Along the Alexandra Street frontage there is a rendered brick fence with timber paling panels. It has square piers with stepped tops and distinctive entry gates comprising tall piers with pyramidal caps and a timber lych gate, opening to a curving concrete driveway leading to the house. The fence and driveway appear to date from the interwar period.