Mystery behind historic worker's cottage remains unsolved

News.com.au

05-05-2025

The owners of one of Brisbane's oldest surviving homes have launched a push to uncover the property's forgotten past.
Camden House, a restored 1800s worker's cottage at 34 Crombie Street, Clayfield, is believed to be among the earliest homes built in the city's inner north — but the story of its origins remains unknown.
Owners David Notley and Amanda Neill have called on the public to shed light on the local real estate mystery, before the property goes under the hammer next week.
The couple bought the character home for $1.27m in 2017 and have since enhanced it with updated fixtures, formal hedging, and a cabana providing a private space to retreat beside the solar-heated lap pool.
'It was really hard to find out a great deal about it, other than that it was a fully renovated late 19th-century worker's cottage,' Mr Notley said.
'It had the name plaque, Camden House, but there are so many Camdens through Brisbane we couldn't actually track down any further history on the house or who originally built it.'
Mr Notley, a senior valuer with Herron Todd White, said the home's distinctive features were among its biggest selling points.
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'It is a very unique worker's cottage and that is what drew us to it – it has a beautiful façade with the gabled roof and the wrought iron door.'
While the home had been meticulously restored prior to their purchase, the couple introduced a 'modern flair' to blend with its original 1890s features — including 3.2m ceilings, VJ walls, ornate breezeways and timber floors.
Set on a 556sq m block, the five-bedroom, two-level home includes a skylit kitchen with
servery window, entertainer's deck with wet bar, and a master suite with dual walk-in robes.
The couple is now downsizing and have listed the property with Patrick McKinnon and Drew Davies, of Place Ascot. It goes under the hammer on May 13.
PropTrack data shows house prices in Clayfield were up 15.7 per cent over the past 12 months, to a median of $2.07m.