Rhossilli: A Welsh Beach Name Anchored in Aussie Clay

4 Glebe Road, Newtown, Ipswich QLD

📅 1888 DATE STAMP

A fireplace base inside Rhossilli shows the stone-mason’s mark “E. Greenway 1888,” anchoring the house to that year.

🔍 BUILDER MYSTERY

No plan names a designer. Yet Samuel Shenton’s 1893 obituary lists “the villa of R. Gill,” and no other Gill villa is known. That clue points to Shenton, though final proof is still missing.

🧱 MASONRY SET

Ipswich grew mainly in timber, yet a small circle of nineteenth-century masonry mansions still stand. Well-known examples include Rockton (1855, brick + stone), Claremont (1857, sandstone), Booval House (1859, brick), Belmont (1860s, sandstone), Gooloowan (1864, brick), Karragaroo (1878, brick), Almondsbury (1883, brick), Garowie (1888, sandstone), Woodlands of Marburg (1889, brick) and Rhossilli (1888, brick). These homes are among the best-known survivors of their era.

🐄 DAIRY ROOTS

The villa rose on post-master Richard Gill’s 200-acre dairy. Milk carts once used the same ridge track that later carried guests to afternoon tea.

🏷️ SHIFTING NAMES

First advertised as “Rhossilli” in 1887, the house was renamed “Caerleon” after mayor William H. Summerville bought it in 1904. Solicitor Henry G. Simpson restored the original name in 1919.

🏢 FLAT YEARS (1950 – late 1950s)

After Simpson’s death the mansion was cut into flats. Fibro walls sliced big rooms, and small kitchens were added.

🏥 NURSING & HOSTEL ERA (1960 – 2005)

From the 1960s Rhossilli ran as a nursing home, then a hostel for intellectually-impaired residents. The grand drawing room became a ward.

⚠️ CLOSE CALL

In 2004 a developer asked council to drop the heritage overlay and replace the house with eight townhouses. Councillors said no, and the building was saved.

🏆 PRIZE RESCUE (2005 – 2008)

Ron and Liz Jumelet bought the rundown home for A$700 000 in 2005. Working with Pearce Architects, they stripped fibro, recast iron lace, rebuilt verandahs, re-roofed and reopened the cedar stair. The project earned a 2008 Ron Brown Heritage Gold Award.

🎫 TOUR DRAW

On 12 May 2018 Rhossilli joined Brighton House and Dougleen in the Great Houses of Ipswich tour. About 800 visitors lined up to see its renewed cedar halls.

Read More →

🔍 Inside Ipswich Insider

This week’s Spotlight: a recap of the first 12-issues of Ipswich Insider.

Ipswich Insider has always been a two-way street—you click, vote and reply, and I tweak the mix. Here’s Edition #001 of Ipswich Insider Pulse, a snapshot of the newsletter’s progress you help write.

⚡ Quick hits:

• Community surge: we’ve jumped from 63 to 3,100 readers in just three months
• Inbox pull-power: average 62 % opens and 24 % click-to-open—well above typical benchmarks
• House hero: Garowie claimed the highest click share—beating the poll + trivia combo
• Headline heavy-hitter: Bremer Riverbank collapse update drew a 7.1 % click-rate
• Event magnets: Trivia nights led early; weekend markets & festivals now dominate—especially one-offs like the Old Flour Mill Night Markets

Dive into Edition #001 →

🔌 Insulation? Nah—10¢-per-night Electric Blanket

With temperatures dropping to 2°C in Ipswich, it’s time to stay warm without spending a fortune.

Compare the cost of staying warm:

• Split-system heater: $1.00 per night
• Fan space-heater: $2.40 per night
• Dreamaker electric blanket: $0.10 per night

(Based on typical usage and electricity rates. The electric blanket uses less power for cozy, all-night warmth.)

Over a 90-night winter, here’s what you’d spend:

• Split-system: $90
• Space heater: $216
• Dreamaker electric blanket: $9

That’s a savings of up to $207!

Imagine keeping over $100 in your pocket this winter—just by choosing the smart way to stay warm.

Stay warm all night, all winter, while saving money:

Want to spread the word about your business, a project you’re working on, or just say hi to 3,100 neighbours?

ADVERTISE ON THE BULLETIN →

🎉 Free Bulletin Poster Spot

First to email jamey@ipswichinsider.com.au with “Bulletin 14” as the subject line gets a free poster/announcement in next week’s BULLETIN. Go!

🛡️ Ipswich’s First Town Seal

Ipswich Council adopted a municipal seal in 1861, blending crown, Southern Cross and icons of wool, farming, coal and trade.

🗳️ Vote

🧩 Scramble

📍 GuessWhere

How to play: Look close at the photo, guess where it was taken from in Ipswich. Click the link and drop your pin to see how close you can get.

GuessWhere →

🤔 Trivia

🤠 Seven Dogs Die In Pre-Open Trials At New Purga Track 

Seven greyhounds died during pre-opening trials at The Q, the $85 million Purga complex built with $44.15 million state funding. Animal-welfare groups demand an urgent safety review before the first race Story → 

🚧 Mount Crosby Overpass Repairs Begin After Truck Strike

Night repairs on the Mount Crosby Rd overpass to re-open the southbound lane started 4 June after a 16 May truck strike. TMR expects a restricted lane open by early July PDF Media Release → 

🏗️ Riverview Tip Transfer Pit Set For Eight-Week Fix

Council will repair the 40-year-old transfer pit at Riverview Resource Recovery Centre over eight weeks from 16 June. Partial closures and traffic control are planned, with residents urged to use Rosewood instead Media Release →  

🌳 Marburg Bottle Tree Gets Interim Protection Order

Ipswich Council placed an interim Vegetation Protection Order on a century-old bottle tree in Lawrence St, Marburg. Public submissions close 1 July before a decision on permanent listing Details → 

Want your event front-and-centre with a featured poster?

FEATURE MY EVENT →

Wednesday (11 June)

💵 Savage Custom Knives (73 Keogh St, West Ipswich) — 2-day knife making course, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM ($650) tickets

💵 Springfield Lakes Community Centre - Community kitchen for 60+, 10:30 AM tickets

💵 Springlake Hotel — Balls Out Bingo with drag and games, 6pm tickets

🆓 Monte Lane Wine Bar — Quiz night (drinks 💵), 6:30 PM book

🆓 General Public (Nicholas St) — Trivia (free, food & drink 💵), 6:30 PM info

💵 Brothers Leagues Club, Raceview — $25 poker (reg 6 PM), 7 PM start

🆓 Banshees Bar & Artspace — Open-mic, 7 PM info

🆓 Orion Hotel — Karaoke, 8 PM-late

Thursday (12 June)

🆓 Redbank Plains State High School - Evening of laughs with skits and improv, 4:30-6pm details

🆓 Club Services Ipswich — Trivia, 6:30-9 PM info

🆓 Banshees Bar & Artspace — Karaoke, 7 PM-late details

Friday (13 June)

💵 Jets Leagues Club - Wine Appreciation Evening with 6-course dinner, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM ($165) more info

💵 Banshees Bar & Artspace — Satan's Nightclub IV alternative electronic tickets

💵 The Racehorse Hotel — Pacific Nights Live: Reggae, 8pm details

Saturday (14 June)

🆓 Fail Park - Community planting event, 8 AM details

🆓 Cameron Park — Yari Reggae Festival, 11am-5pm details

💵 Ipswich Art Gallery - 'Fantastic Forms' curator talk, 2-3 PM info

💵 Victory Church, Bellbird Park - Tama Laei Showcase: Samoan culture, 5PM ($20) tickets

🆓 Ipswich Civic Centre (Studio 188) — Free QLD Broadcast Ballet, 7pm info

💵 The Racehorse Hotel — Bob Marley Tribute, 8pm tickets

🆓 Karalee Shopping Village - Karalee Car Night, 6-9pm details

🆓 Stony Creek Brewing - Live music: Billy Bridge, 6-9pm info

Sunday (15 June)

💵 Queensland Raceway — All GM Day, 7am details

🆓 Rare & Pretty Dolls Function Space (Top of Town) — Doll Fan Market, 9am-noon info

💵 Orion Hotel - Sunday lunch with live music, 12pm–3:30pm tickets

Monday (16 June)

💵 Event Cinemas Orion Town Centre - Movie and mingle for seniors, 10 AM more info

Tuesday (17 June)

🦗

🧩 This Week's Answers

📊 Last Week’s Results

—Jamey
Ipswich Insider (Facebook, Instagram)
Eastern Heights, Ipswich, QLD 4305

No longer want these emails? Unsubscribe