Keiraville: The Bricklayer’s Villa Beside Ipswich’s Landmark Church Hall

Keiraville at a Glance

• Style. Late-Victorian brick masonry villa with wide verandahs and a pyramidal corrugated-iron roof.
• Manse era. Church Minister’s residence from 1938 to 1983. Chosen because it adjoins the church’s East Street site.
• Heritage. On the QLD Heritage Register since 1993 for its late-19th-century house type, streetscape value, and links to the Cribb family.
• Today. Ophthalmology clinic since 2016. 1991-2015 Lifeline counselling centre. Blue Nurses HQ from 1983.

🔢 By The Numbers

• Address. 20 Roderick Street, Ipswich QLD
• Queensland Heritage Register (1992). Place ID 600597
• Built. 1886
• Lot area. 2,610 m²
• Building floorspace. 557 m²
• Price sold. $1,260,000 (2015)
• Original land price. £99 (1884). $32,250 in 2025.
• Verandahs. 3 sides
• Chimneys. 2

When Keiraville sold for $1.26 million in 2015, it was bought for vision—literally. Today it’s an eye clinic.

But Keiraville has always been easy on the eyes. It’s a rare brick villa in a timber town, with wide verandahs, a pyramid roof, and elegant rooms made to catch breezes.

For decades it served as the minister’s house next door to the church. The wooden arch at the front still says “The Manse,” quietly marking years of care and community.

Let’s step inside and explore the full story of Keiraville—from family home, to manse, to modern clinic—and see what else we discover along the way.

Take a walk around the front of Keiraville, 20 Roderick Street on Google Street View.

📜 Origins & History

Keiraville c.1900 with Ipswich Central Congregational Church Hall in the background right of centre.

Location of Keiraville in relation to Ipswich Hospital

• Construction. The house was built in 1886.
• Builder. The first build was carried out by contractor John MacKenzie.
• Original owner. The first recorded owner of the house was John MacKenzie.
• Survey. The initial surveyed area was 1 rood 13 perches (Lot 5, Section 58).

• City context. In the 1880s, Ipswich was a growing regional city based on industry, rail and commerce.
• Setting. Roderick Street sits on higher ground near the city centre.

🏗️ Architecture & Design

• Form. The main block is a single‑storey masonry villa with a pyramidal corrugated‑iron roof.
• Chimneys. Two rendered brick chimneys project above the roofline.

• Verandah roof. The verandah has a concave corrugated‑iron awning independent of the main roof.
• Plan. A central hallway serves 4 principal rooms in the original core.
• Ceilings. The main rooms have high timber‑boarded ceilings with some pressed‑metal ceiling roses.
• Front openings. The front elevation retains tall sash windows with timber louvred shutters.
• Doors. Side rooms open to the verandahs through French doors with fanlights.
• Substructure. The house sits low on brick piers with infill.
• Kitchen wing. An early rear service wing in rendered masonry includes a kitchen chimney.
• Timber wing. A later south‑east rear wing is timber‑framed with single‑skin walls.
• Enclosure. The small verandah on the timber wing was later enclosed.
• Rear link. In 1992 a brick addition formed a link between the two rear wings.
• Outbuilding. A detached rear outbuilding is visible in a 1920s photo of the site.
• Corner site. The property occupies a generous corner block with mature trees.
• Site size. Marketing in 2015 described land of about 2,610 m².
• Building area. The same campaign cited a building area of about 557 m².

• Character. The house displays the principal characteristics of a late‑19th‑century Queensland residence.

⏳ Through the Years

• 1884. In April 1884 John MacKenzie bought the site for £99 ($32,250 in 2025).

• 1888–1895. From 1888 to 1895 Harry S. Cribb and Esther Cribb lived at the house.
• 1891. In 1891 the title moved to Clarissa Spence.
• 1895. In 1895 the Cribb family left for Bleak House in Newtown.

• 1913. In 1913 Gordon Cribb and family took up residence.
• 1919. In 1919 the title transferred to Gordon Cribb.
• 1923. In 1923 ownership returned to Clarissa Spence and Gordon’s family moved to Warham in Quarry Street.
• 1938. In 1938 the Ipswich Congregational Church bought the property for use as a manse.
• 1957 (next door). In 1957 a new Congregational church was built on the East Street site.
• 1977. In 1977 the manse became part of the Uniting Church after church union.
• 1983. In 1983 the building became the Blue Nursing Service headquarters and the former tennis court area became a car park.
• 1991. By 1991 Lifeline operated a counselling centre from the building.

• 2016. In 2016 an ophthalmology clinic opened at the address.

🛠️ Renovations & Restorations

• Timber wing. A later rear south‑east wing was built in timber with two rooms.
• Enclosure. The small verandah on that wing was later enclosed to form interior space.
• Manse marker. A timber gate arch reading “The Manse” was installed at the front steps during church use.

• Rear link. In 1992 a brick rear extension connected the two wings and added rooms.
• Street view. The 1992 work was set so the new build is not prominent from Roderick Street.
• Approvals. After heritage listing, material changes required formal heritage approvals.

🌟 Why it Matters / Heritage Importance

Ipswich Heritage Inventory entry for Keiraville

• State listing. On 9 July 1993 the place entered the Queensland Heritage Register as Place ID 600597.
• Local listing. The site is recorded in the Ipswich planning scheme as a heritage place.
• History pattern. It helps show the pattern of Queensland history as a late‑1800s Ipswich home.
• Type traits. It demonstrates principal characteristics of a late‑19th‑century Queensland residence.

• Associations. The listing records special associations with the Cribb family and with the Congregational/Uniting Church.
• Ongoing use. Active use as an ophthalmology clinic supports continued care and upkeep.