Clifford House, Toowoomba
| Clifford House | |
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Clifford House, Toowoomba, 2014
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| Location | 120 Russell Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°33′31″S 151°56′50″E / 27.5587°S 151.9473°ECoordinates: 27°33′31″S 151°56′50″E / 27.5587°S 151.9473°E |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | c. 1865 |
| Official name: Clifford House | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600857 |
| Significant period | 1860s-1880s (fabric) 1860s-1890s (historical) |
| Significant components | portico, carriage way/drive, tank - water, shed - storage, billiards room, lead light/s, tower - water, lawn/s, decorative features, roof/ridge ventilator/s / fleche/s, wall/s - garden, garden/grounds, residential accommodation - main house, service wing |
 Location of Clifford House in Queensland
Location of Clifford House in Queensland
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Clifford House is a heritage-listed club house at 120 Russell Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built c. 1865. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
This two-storeyed building, intended for use as a gentlemen's club, was erected in the mid-1860s on land owned by the Hon James Taylor in Russell Street, Toowoomba.
The land on which Clifford House stands had been granted to William Horton in 1852, and was acquired by Taylor and his partner in Cecil Plains station, Henry Stuart Russell in 1855. Taylor is considered to have been the driving force behind Toowoomba's development, as he invested heavily in land in Toowoomba particularly during the late 1850s. Taylor took a leading role in encouraging the social, cultural and economic development of Toowoomba, donating land to various groups and churches, and he came to be regarded as "the King of Toowoomba". Taylor was Mayor of Toowoomba in 1890, and was a Member of Parliament between 1860 and 1893.
The first Congregational Church in Toowoomba was built on this site in 1860, when Taylor and Russell gave land to the Rev JT Waraker for building a school house and church. By 1863 the church had outgrown the Russell Street building, and a new Congregational Church was built in Margaret Street and opened in 1864. The land in Russell Street was sold back to Taylor.
In 1865 Taylor sold the land to a group of squatters (which included himself), who wished to start a club similar to the Queensland Club in Brisbane. The building appears to have been erected shortly after, however the club fell into financial difficulties, and the land and building were eventually sold back to Taylor in 1870. Francis Thomas Gregory and his family lived at the club house from 1867 until early 1870 when they moved to Harlaxton House. The building was believed to have been used as the District Surveyor's Office for a number of years prior to 1870, and it is also understood that Taylor used the club house as the Lands Office in his position as Secretary for Public Lands from January 1869-May 1870.
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