Newstead House Restoration

Newstead House and Substation Conservation Project

The Queensland Government committed over $5 million for restoration works to conserve Newstead House, Brisbane’s oldest surviving European home, and we had the distinct pleasure of updating the wallpaper in this home.

Working closely with QBuild, we undertook the removal of the existing wallpaper, then lined all the rooms in the house and wallpapered three rooms. The wallpaper was custom printed for this restoration project.

Before the restoration

The finest home in the colony

Built in 1846 for Patrick Leslie, Newstead House was once the finest home in the colony of Moreton Bay. Boasting a reputation for hosting lavish parties, it was considered the place to be, the heart of Brisbane’s social life.

From its modest beginnings as a two storey Georgian cottage, drawing inspiration from the bungalows of the Indian subcontinent, it evolved into the sprawling homestead of today, with intricate balustrades, spacious verandahs and a vista that takes in the Brisbane River, undulating parkland and the changing suburbs around Newstead.

Operating as a house museum, Newstead House stands as a living connection between Brisbane’s past and present.

The finished rooms