In this article
Three neighbouring homes in Newtown share a surprising beginning. The front section at 14 Whitehill Road, the middle section at 16 Whitehill Road and the eastern section at 1 George Lane were once parts of the same residence: Brighton House.
My Instagram carousel brings together photographs, a council heritage plaque and a conversion drawing to explain how one large home became three. It is a story you can still see in the streetscape today.
One house, three addresses
The surviving sections did not disappear from the neighbourhood. They became separate homes close to one another. The address is different at each front door, but the buildings share a history.
- 14 Whitehill Road: the surviving front section.
- 16 Whitehill Road: the middle section.
- 1 George Lane: the eastern end.
The carousel identifies these sections using Picture Ipswich material. Its aerial markers show their approximate positions, rather than surveyed boundaries.
Built for an Ipswich printer
The Ipswich City Council heritage plaque reproduced in the carousel dates Brighton House to around 1886. It records that the house was built for William Henry Bemi, whose printery operated in Ellenborough Street.
The same account connects the Bemi family with London, from which they arrived in 1862, and with Brighton Cottage, where they lived before this home. It places the building within the working and family life of nineteenth-century Ipswich.
The 1938 drawing that explains the change
During the 1930s, the Kerwick family subdivided the land. According to the plaque shown in the post, the house itself was divided into three separately saleable properties sometime after August 1938.
A surviving conversion drawing, credited to T. R. Hall and L. B. Phillips, helps explain that transformation. The 1938 plan shows a single residence being adapted into three smaller homes, including a note about moving a rear portion onto an adjoining allotment.
That distinction matters: the land subdivision and the physical division of the house were separate parts of the story.
What can you still recognise?
At 14 Whitehill Road, the verandahs and decorative timberwork give the surviving front section its character. The carousel also looks around the back, where a doorway raises questions about the earlier layout.
That rear view is a possible clue, not proof of the exact dividing line. The precise line of the original split has not been verified, so it would be a step too far to identify every surviving wall or doorway from the photographs alone.
Three ideas for the next chapter
The final slides explore keeping the house as it is, adding a linked living wing, or raising the house and building underneath. These are different ways of thinking about the existing home.
The 2023 drawings by King Architectural Engineering show a proposed living wing behind the original section, with kitchen, dining and lounge spaces in the addition. A separate 2026 proposal shows the house raised by 750 mm, with bedrooms upstairs and living spaces below.
These drawings show proposed work, not completed renovations. Approval status has not been verified. The proposed layouts should not be confused with the home's current accommodation.
Watch the 14 Whitehill Road walkthrough
Playing loads Instagram’s embedded player. You can also watch the reel on Instagram.
Interested in Brighton House today?
14 Whitehill Road appeared on my current for-sale profile when checked on 18 September 2026, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one car space. For current availability, price and inspection details, view the full property listing or call me on 0449 903 762.
The other two addresses are included here to explain the history; this article does not advertise them for sale.
Explore the original photographs and plans
This article expands on my original Brighton House carousel. The post includes the Ipswich City Council heritage plaque, the 1938 conversion drawing, photographs of the surviving sections and the later design proposals, with their credits. Open the carousel to see those materials together.