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Jacqui and Peter Holtorf invite you to share the best of the past at Eskdale House:
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Eskdale House, built in 1864 and now heritage-listed by the National Trust, is located in a quiet suburb and is close to a large park adjoining the Ululah Lagoon and the Maryborough Golf Course. It is within walking distance of the CBD. The three spacious upstairs bedrooms have french doors opening onto a wide verandah which give a delightful view of the large garden which is home to many birds. Eskdale House Bed and Breakfast is the culmination of a 30 year restoration project on this unique mansion. The house was built in 1864, for the Mayor of Maryborough, and still has all of the old world charm and magnificence that it had in its day. Visit Eskdale and relive the granduer of a past age. Whether its relaxing on the verandah(balcony), strolling the grounds, or visiting the nearby lagoon or golf course, Eskdale House is the perfect place to relax and unwind. Breakfasts are served in the grand dining room or on the verandah, if you prefer. They are a substantial meal and include tropical fruits and juice.
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History Eskdale House (circa 1864) is early Colonial Georgian in architectural style and was built in 1864 by Maryborough's third mayor, James Dowzer. The sandstock bricks were made in a kiln built on the property, the lime mortar being derived by burning coral and sea shells. Stone forms the foundations for the house and this was most likely brought in as ballast on sailing ships. Joists, cross bracing, lintels, doors, architraves and the staircase are of local red cedar. Some of the floors originally were beech, others hoop pine, and were secured by handmade nails. The thick English bond brick walls ensure that the interior of the house is cool in summer. The original roof of the house was slate, while that on the verandah was iron with alternate red and white panels. Unfortunately, the slate roof was destroyed by a hail storm in December 1966, and at the time when repairs were made, the three chimney stacks were demolished to roof level, so that a new iron roof could cover them. The verandah roof pitch was also made steeper, so that the iron panels could be placed in a straight line. Rainwater is trapped in the surrounding roof guttering and also in a large tank in the centre of the roof which can not be seen from ground level. All this water is diverted into a 6 metre-deep underground tank made of brick and situated at the back left side of the house. A number of changes have been made to the house and original 2-hectare property over the years. The leadlight windows were installed about 1920, while the iron railings appear to be about 1880s vintage and are the same pattern as those on the Wharf Street Heritage Institute and the Maryborough Girls Grammar School. The three tennis courts, stables and gymnasium have disappeared, falling victim to demolition after land subdivision. James Dowzer was born in 1826 at Clongall, County of Carlow, Ireland, the son of a farmer and innkeeper. At 3 years of age he was adopted by his grandfather who lived at Tomacork, near the market town of Carnew in the County of Wicklow. James was educated at the local Protestant school, and after his marriage in 1850, moved to Dublin where he obtained work as a general assistant in Smith Brothers, ironmongery business in Capel Street. From there he went to Birkenhead, Liverpool, and on the 12 March 1853, sailed for Queensland on the ship, John Fielding. |
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CONTACT INFORMATION Your Hosts Jacqui and Peter Holtorf Street Address 53
Pallas Street Maryborough 4650 Phone / Fax +61 07 4121 3153 Email Address LOCATION
53 Pallas Street Maryborough 4650
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History (continued) He had some difficulty in finding work when he arrived in Brisbane, but thanks to the influence of Governor Wickham, obtained a position with the Ipswich Police Force. During this time he also worked as a harness-maker for Christopher Gorry, saddler. After 6 months, James left both the police force and this job and gained employment with Richard Gill, a saddler and storekeeper of Bell Street, for the princely sum of 3 pound per week. Itchy feet obviously got the better of him, as in 1854 he moved to Wide Bay, arriving in Maryborough in November. Maryborough, at this time, had approximately 50 residents and was somewhat primitive, to say the least. James was an enterprising character and set up in business as a storekeeper and saddler with Richard Paling as his partner. The business prospered and as the settlement grew, he found it necessary to shift to the new township where he was joined by anew partner, John Purser. Richard Paling having departed for India some time before. Local businessmen believed that there was money to be made in cotton growing and James became a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryborough and Wide Bay Cotton Growing Association. On the 21 March 1859 the partners purchased the 2 ha of land on which Eskdale was later built, for 16 pound and it must be assumed that ownership later transferred to James. James obviously had ambitious plans as Eskdale was to be the grandest residence in the district when construction began in 1864. Unfortunately, the Wide Bay was hard hit by the rural recession of the 1860s and when the firm folded late in 1865, James sold his unfinished house to Solicitor, Edward Corser. This was not the end for James, however. As one door closed another opened. He became a successful dairy farmer on a farm near Maryborough and later moved to Tiaro, from where his livestock, dairy and farm products won numerous awards in the Maryborough, Gympie and other exhibitions. In 1890 he became a Provisional Director of the Tiaro Cooperative Dairy Factory. He was twice Mayor of Maryborough. During his first period in this office, Maryborough's first exhibition was held at Eskdale. He worked towards having Maryborough established as a municipality and was a member of a committee which set up the first local primary school. James was a director of the Permanent (Building) Society, and took an active part in establishing the Wide Bay Farmers and Agricultural Society. He was also, at one stage, the secretary and librarian of the School of Arts. Solicitor Edward Corser (1812-74) purchased Eskdale from James Dowzer in 1865 when some construction work was still in progress. It was he who named the house Eskdale to remind him of his favourite area in England, the Lake District. The Corser family hailed from Stourbridge in Warwickshire where they had lived in a mansion, Upton Cressett. Just why they decided to leave England for the Antipodes is unclear, but Edward and his wife, Charlotte, arrived in Moreton Bay in 1865, after a 140 day voyage from Cork on the Sunda, The voyage must have been very tedious indeed, considering they brought with them their 9 children. Large families were the order of the day and another child was born to them in 1867 after they moved to Maryborough, where Edward practised as a solicitor. After Edward's death in 1874, the property was taken over by his son, Edward Bernard Cressett Corser (1849-1928) on the proviso that his mother was allowed to continue living there. E.B.C. Corser married in 1877 and his wife, Mary, bore him 7 children, all of whom were born at Eskdale. The eldest, Mary Charlotte in 1878, followed by Isabel Muriel in 1879, Edward Stewart in 1880, Henry Bernard in 1882, Sidney Cressett in 1883 ), Cyril Frederick in 1885 and Herbert Edward in 1886. EBC was to become a very important public figure. He was the MLA for Maryborough from 1909-1914. His son, Henry Bernard Corser, was MLA for Burnett in the 19th Queensland Parliament and both father and son sat in Parliament at the same time. After Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, Federal Member for Wide Bay, resigned in 1914, EBC was successful in winning his seat and held this until his death in 1928. His son then resigned from State Parliament and contested the vacant seat which he subsequently won and held until his retirement in 1958. In EBC's earlier years, he was President of the District Federation League and the founder of Corser and Co Ltd, a family business which, in addition to owning over 25 hotels in Wide Bay, at one time owned a fleet of ships. As a Parliamentarian, EBC had campaigned vigorously since 1910 for the construction of the Urangan Pier with a corresponding railway line to facilitate the export of the district's sugar and coal, and this he managed to achieve when the pier was opened on 3 March 1917. During his career he held the following positions: a member of the Burrum Divisional Board, forerunner of the Hervey Bay Council for 20 years (9 of these as President), President of the Maryborough Harbour Board (1896-1914), Member of the Maryborough Chamber of Commerce for 40 years (many of these as President, a Trustee and Director of the Queensland Museum, a Trustee and Committeeman of the Maryborough District Ambulance since its formation until his death, a Foundation Director of the Queensland Brewing Company, a forerunner of Queensland Brewery Ltd, President of the Jockey Club, President of the Horticultural Association, a Member of the Fire Brigade Board. EBC's wife, Mary, was one of the founders of the Lady Musgrave Hospital and served for a period of over 20 years as Honorary Secretary/Treasurer/President and Patroness. Two of the sons of Edward Bernard Cressett Corser saw service in World War I Captain CY1711 Frederick Corser was in the landing at Gallipoli. He was wounded at Quinns Post and after returning home to Eskdale to recover, was posted to France, where he was promoted to Major in the 15th Battalion. Later he was promoted to Lt. Colonel, Commanding Officer of the 47th Battalion. His brother, Lt Herbert Edward Corser, who later became a Captain in the 47th Battalion, was wounded in France. FEs only son, Edward Geoffrey Corser (1919-1943) joined the Australian Air Force in World War H and rose to the rank of Squadron Leader of 460 Squadron. He was mentioned in despatches and was awarded the DFC by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on the 9 March 1943. Sadly, in December of the same year, on his 35th bombing raid over Germany, his plane was shot down and he was killed in action. He is buried in the Berlin War Cemetery. It had been a tradition in the Corser family to name the first son Edward. He was the seventh generation to be so named. His sister, Jocelyn and her husband, Peter Loft, lived at Eskdale until 1975, when the property was purchased by your hosts, Peter and Jacqui Holtorf.
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No Warranty Given. You should seek your own independent advice as to the accuracy of the information supplied. |
