ST. JOHN’S WOOD MEMORIES
Ron Peake
Ron and Joan 1946
Ron Peake is a resident, who was born in 1935, at the Red Hill Private Hospital in Glenrosa Road to parents, Stephen and Mary Jane. They lived at 47 Piddington Street, St. John’s Wood and he has lived there ever since. He also has an older sister, Joan Dayman
(nee Peake).
His grandparents, Matthew and Ellen Peake, came from Brookfield to a 400 acre dairy farm overlooking Enoggera Reservoir at The Gap. They then moved to two allotments of land, just west of the gully in Buckingham Street. Their house was on allotment No. 53 and they had a strawberry patch on No. 51.
His parents arranged to build their house in 1932 at 47 Piddington Street, St. John’s Wood. It has remained in this configuration with only the minor alterations of enclosing the side veranda, together with a new front entrance and some other work at the rear.
Their houses was one of the first four or five houses to be built in St. John’s Wood, with the Fraser’s home, with a stucco front, referred to as “The Lodge” (the land and house taking up the corner on the right hand side, just over the single plank bridge), the Partridges, (London and St. John’s Avenue corner) and Dr. Kelly’s residence being some of the other original houses.
On the east side of their house on the adjacent allotment, they had garden beds and in the rear there was a chicken run on one side and a duck run on the other. During the war there was an in-ground air-raid shelter between the two runs. There was a path to a timber earth closet near the rear fence. Most houses had this toilet arrangement, but there were a few that had a septic tank system.
His father, Stephen, was a milkman for 26 years and collected the milk from nearby dairies and one of his delivery vehicles was a 1936 Chevrolet roadster with dicky-seat. The milk cans were carried in the converted dicky-seat, which had a covered canopy and floor. Ron cannot confirm there was a dairy in St. John’s Wood, (even though there is a photograph of cows in Piddington Street). He considers there may have been a small structure to the west of their house, where cows could have been milked in the early years, but he thinks this is unlikely. This would have ceased when close settlement started to occur.
He recalls all the roads were dirt with no kerb and channel and in the early years, a track went direct from the bridge to the Laird Street corner for the Granite House. Electricity and water were installed at the beginning of the sub-division, but mains gas came in 1947. Some houses, like theirs, also had a rain water tank.
The Hall, (also known as the Scout Hall), next to the Granite House had a stage and was used for many purposes; by the Boy Scouts, the Girl Guides, MUIOOF meetings, dances and other uses. It also had a first aid post, but this was moved after the war to 71 Piddington Street and was run by the Johnstone’s, in a room in the front of their house. After the change of ownership, the Boy Scouts moved to a Quonset hut adjacent to the tennis courts in Royal Parade. When the hall was no longer available, The Girl Guides moved to a hut at the top of Buckingham Street.
The Embassy Dance Hall became the Ambassador Theatre when Bert Hyde took over the premises. On the side was a small store run by Jack Hinton and his wife. To the west of the theatre, were two tennis courts, later extended to three. During WW2, the Americans took over the Embassy Dance Hall for their requirements. During the war, the Australian Army also had a few tents in Buckingham Street, just north of the Scout Hall.
Ron recalls there was a small house with a kiosk in St. John’s Avenue, opposite the north end of Laird Street. The structure was damaged in the 1974 floods and was removed. Diagonally opposite (2ndfrom the corner) was a house where Bill Brown (the cricketer) lived. The house has now been removed.
It is believed that the house on the north corner of Piddington Street and Gresham Street was a convalescent home in the early years and it had a slate type roof.
Cliff Holden ran a bus service from Settlement Road (Shandy’s Road) or Waterworks Road, The Gap, with some services looping into St. John’s Wood and then into the city via Coopers Camp Road and Fletcher Parade. The buses were in a blue livery; one was a Reo Special Wagon, one a White and one an International.
Rob went to school at the Ashgrove State School and went on to Industrial High School (at the Gardens end of Edward Street) for his secondary education. He gained an apprenticeship with the BCC Tramways at Boomerang Street, Milton, as a fitter and turner and then was a truck driver at the Brisbane City Markets. He then worked for Brett’s as a truck driver and shop assistant and then for Dunlop UBC as a purchasing officer, retiring in 1985.
When the suburb was first settled, the land was generally cleared, but a few large gum trees remained.
(nee Peake).
His grandparents, Matthew and Ellen Peake, came from Brookfield to a 400 acre dairy farm overlooking Enoggera Reservoir at The Gap. They then moved to two allotments of land, just west of the gully in Buckingham Street. Their house was on allotment No. 53 and they had a strawberry patch on No. 51.
His parents arranged to build their house in 1932 at 47 Piddington Street, St. John’s Wood. It has remained in this configuration with only the minor alterations of enclosing the side veranda, together with a new front entrance and some other work at the rear.
Their houses was one of the first four or five houses to be built in St. John’s Wood, with the Fraser’s home, with a stucco front, referred to as “The Lodge” (the land and house taking up the corner on the right hand side, just over the single plank bridge), the Partridges, (London and St. John’s Avenue corner) and Dr. Kelly’s residence being some of the other original houses.
On the east side of their house on the adjacent allotment, they had garden beds and in the rear there was a chicken run on one side and a duck run on the other. During the war there was an in-ground air-raid shelter between the two runs. There was a path to a timber earth closet near the rear fence. Most houses had this toilet arrangement, but there were a few that had a septic tank system.
His father, Stephen, was a milkman for 26 years and collected the milk from nearby dairies and one of his delivery vehicles was a 1936 Chevrolet roadster with dicky-seat. The milk cans were carried in the converted dicky-seat, which had a covered canopy and floor. Ron cannot confirm there was a dairy in St. John’s Wood, (even though there is a photograph of cows in Piddington Street). He considers there may have been a small structure to the west of their house, where cows could have been milked in the early years, but he thinks this is unlikely. This would have ceased when close settlement started to occur.
He recalls all the roads were dirt with no kerb and channel and in the early years, a track went direct from the bridge to the Laird Street corner for the Granite House. Electricity and water were installed at the beginning of the sub-division, but mains gas came in 1947. Some houses, like theirs, also had a rain water tank.
The Hall, (also known as the Scout Hall), next to the Granite House had a stage and was used for many purposes; by the Boy Scouts, the Girl Guides, MUIOOF meetings, dances and other uses. It also had a first aid post, but this was moved after the war to 71 Piddington Street and was run by the Johnstone’s, in a room in the front of their house. After the change of ownership, the Boy Scouts moved to a Quonset hut adjacent to the tennis courts in Royal Parade. When the hall was no longer available, The Girl Guides moved to a hut at the top of Buckingham Street.
The Embassy Dance Hall became the Ambassador Theatre when Bert Hyde took over the premises. On the side was a small store run by Jack Hinton and his wife. To the west of the theatre, were two tennis courts, later extended to three. During WW2, the Americans took over the Embassy Dance Hall for their requirements. During the war, the Australian Army also had a few tents in Buckingham Street, just north of the Scout Hall.
Ron recalls there was a small house with a kiosk in St. John’s Avenue, opposite the north end of Laird Street. The structure was damaged in the 1974 floods and was removed. Diagonally opposite (2ndfrom the corner) was a house where Bill Brown (the cricketer) lived. The house has now been removed.
It is believed that the house on the north corner of Piddington Street and Gresham Street was a convalescent home in the early years and it had a slate type roof.
Cliff Holden ran a bus service from Settlement Road (Shandy’s Road) or Waterworks Road, The Gap, with some services looping into St. John’s Wood and then into the city via Coopers Camp Road and Fletcher Parade. The buses were in a blue livery; one was a Reo Special Wagon, one a White and one an International.
Rob went to school at the Ashgrove State School and went on to Industrial High School (at the Gardens end of Edward Street) for his secondary education. He gained an apprenticeship with the BCC Tramways at Boomerang Street, Milton, as a fitter and turner and then was a truck driver at the Brisbane City Markets. He then worked for Brett’s as a truck driver and shop assistant and then for Dunlop UBC as a purchasing officer, retiring in 1985.
When the suburb was first settled, the land was generally cleared, but a few large gum trees remained.
Ron in 2004 at neighbour, Mrs Bayleys 99th birthday.
47 Piddington St
circa 2015
