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Clayfield

History of Brisbane's Clayfield

Clayfield's history has been compiled by local historian, Mary Howell, as a part of the BRISbites community history project.

Aboriginal History

The Turrbal clan occupied the northern side of the Brisbane River. The whites often referred to this clan as the ‘Duke of York’s’ clan. There were camping grounds around the Breakfast Creek area and the explorers Oxley and Cunningham met members of the tribe at the mout of the Creek in 1824.

Breakfast Creek, just outside the Clayfield suburban boundary, was known by the Turrbal people as Yowoggerra, meaning Corroboree Place. In 1858 two Aborigines, Dalinkua and Dalpie from the Breakfast Creek area, wrote letters to The Moreton Bay Courier protesting about the treatment their people received at the hands of the white settlers.

Urban Development

Clayfield was settled early, between 1853 and 1858, because of its proximity to the city.

In 1855 the pastoralist James Sutherland became the owner of a substantial portion of land in the Toombul Parish, including land in Clayfield which he held as a speculator.

Clayfield was named after the brickworks, which operated in Lethem Street, Hendra.

The railway serviced Clayfield in 1882.

In 1890 the town of Hamilton was created from the Shire of Toombul and Clayfield was included in the new boundary.

The Clayfield School opened in 1895 and a tramway was built to Clayfield in 1901. Shops developed around Clayfield’s tram hub soon after.

Notable residents

John Cyril Tritton lived in Clayfield and worked for the well-known family business of F. Tritton Ltd ( Coupon Furniture Company, Woolloongabba) which had been established by his father.

His sister Lydia ‘Nell’ Tritton was a journalist who travelled to Europe where she met and married Alexander Kerensky in 1939. He had been the leader of the provisional government following the Russian Revolution in 1917. He worked tirelessly to counter the Bolsheviks and bring democracy to Russia.

In November 1945 the couple arrived in Australia. Nell was terminally ill and they moved in with her parents at the family home in Clayfield. Kerensky returned to America following her death.

Landmarks

John William Forth, a successful Brisbane produce dealer erected Stanley Hall, a substantial two-storeyed rendered masonry building on the rise of Clayfield Heights in about 1885. The building now forms the core of St Rita's College. This heritage-listed building overlooks a tree-lined entrance drive and captures expansive views to the north and the east. It is a fine example of the work of Brisbane architect GHM Addison.

Clayfield College has its roots in a school established for boys in 1902. This school was taken over by the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association in 1918 and in 1931 Clayfield College re-opened as the primary department of Somerville House.

Reference: Mary Howell, BRISbites, 2000

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